Twelve of the participants in this research identified as Indian American, whether that be North or South Indian. Using their perspectives and experiences, I have gathered the central themes of their experiences with their identities and body image.

 

Commonalities with Childhood Experiences with Body Image

 

Racial Teasing:

Many of the participants shared stories about their peers, specifically their classmates, commenting negatively on their skin color and other experiences. One participant how in Kindergarten, a classmate asked her why she took mud baths repeatedly. The participant was confused, but she later realized that the classmate assumed she bathed in mud due to her skin color. Another discussed how she was called “Chewbacca” by her classmates in fifth grade due to her dark, thick body hair. These experiences are called racial teasing, defined as “childhood teasing [...] directed at those perceived to be different or disliked and [...] often lastingly detrimental to the target’s development” (Iyer and Haslam, 2003, p. 143). Racial teasing, primarily impacting South Asian Americans, can lead Indian Americans to internalize needing the beauty standards of the dominant culture, instigating body image disturbances and instances of disordered eating (Javier and Belgrave, 2019, pp. 141-143). In research conducted on college-aged Asian American women, noses were seen as one of the universally least favorite features. Since there was no racial breakdown of the ethnic groups surveyed, other characteristics looked at such as skin color and eyes, ones that variate based on ethnic group, cannot be successfully analyzed (Winter, et al, 2019, p. 75-77). However, on average, Asian American women tend to be less satisfied with their facial features than white women (Quick and Byrd-Bredbenner, 2014, p. 40). Much of the racial teasing that the participants experienced was also followed by insecurities with their ethnic features. Many participants expressed concerns with their skin color, body hair, and noses, all of which ethnically stand out from white peers. Racial teasing during childhood in Indian American communities can have a strong impact on an individual’s body dissatisfaction.

 

Fair & Lovely Culture:

Another universal characteristic of the Indian American participants’ childhood experiences was colorism. Colorism, defined as the problematic ideology that individuals with lighter skin are inherently better, is rampant in Asian cultures. Many of the participants describe parents, relatives, or community members commenting on darker skin colors and suggesting ways to keep one’s color lighter. Some of these suggestions included drinking buttermilk, staying indoors to avoid the sun, and using skin-lightening creams such as Fair & Lovely. Asian Americans are more likely to use European beauty standards as their own, which puts them at risk for negative body image (Quick and Byrd-Bredbenner, 2014, p. 37). To many in the Indian community, light skin is viewed to be more successful and more beautiful, much of which comes from colonial perspectives on appearance. Thus, to achieve higher levels of beauty, Indian American women receive much encouragement to lighten their skin. Sadly, there is not much literature on the impact of colorism on the Indian American community, but Indian American women do receive conflicting messages from Indian reinforcements and from American peers about whether having lighter skin or tanned skin is the true ideal of beauty (Javier and Belgrave, 2019, pp. 149-150). These conflicting cultural messages caused the Indian American women interviewed to feel uncomfortable in both their light and dark skin. This culture that originated in India still permeates in the United States, and young Indian American girls are most likely to be impacted by it.

 

Weight:

Many of the participants received comments about their weight from the immediate family and/or their community. Respondents who were chubbier as children described receiving remarks directly about their weight or suggestions to lose weight from young ages. Others who were skinnier receive comments about needing to eat more food. Food is a large part of Indian culture, and refusing food is viewed to be disrespectful; yet, while women are supposed to be skinny, they are still expected to eat a lot (Javier and Belgrave, 2019, pp. 146-147). Asian American women present the highest level of weight or dieting concerns and dietary restraint (Javier and Belgrave, 2019, pp. 141-143). The combination of weight-related comments and food intake may describe why some Indian American women have strained relationships with food. Overall, some subjects shared that they received comments both when they were skinny and after gaining weight, saying that there was no way to appease their loved ones. These comments could be from a place of care, but many of the individuals who receive these comments find them to be mean and harmful (Wong, Keum, Caffarel, et al, 2017, pp. 303-305). Remarks of this nature highlight the cultural divide between Indian Americans and their Indian parents who almost all immigrated to the United States. The participants indicated that these comments have done nothing but made them feel more insecure and hyperaware of their bodies.

 

Familial Impact:

The comments on weight discussed above are just one example of the familial influence that impacts body image. Many participants discussed how their parents, specifically their moms, made comments about aspects of their bodies including but not limited to their skin tone, their hair, and more. Interestingly enough, these comments come from a place of care. Research shows that comments like these are said to ensure that their children are successful in the United State, but in reality are damaging to children’s development (Wong, Keum, Caffarel, et al, 2017, pp. 303-305). Additionally, most of the comments they received came from their mothers. Studies indicate that negative maternal comments, defined by criticisms of weight, shape, eating habits, and fitness, are the only predictors of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in young Asian American girls (Chng and Fassnacht, 2015, p. 97). Many participants, as a result of their mothers’ comments, developed a hyper fixation on aspects of their bodies they were told to change. This development shows the harmful nature that maternal comments can have on young children who were influenced by these comments to this day.

 

Auntie Culture:

Most, if not all of the respondents, organically referenced that Indian Aunties had an impact on their body image. Aunties, defined as middle-aged Indian women who are family friends, in Indian communities tend to gossip or make comments unnecessarily (Javier and Belgrave, 2019, pp. 146-147). Most commonly, the participants stated that the Aunties in their lives either compared them to other young girls in age or commented on their bodies. These remarks centered around mostly their weight in the form of “you’ve lost weight” or “you should eat more.” Other remarks were directed to their skin color and romantic relationships. All of the participants who mentioned having aunties comment on their weight, their skin, and/or compare them to other people. Their experiences show that family friends in the Indian American community are still influential to a brown woman’s self-esteem. Many participants described that college allowed them to be healthier and happier, and once they arrived home for a break, aunties would continue making comments, plunging them back into their negative views of their bodies.

 

Representation of Indian American women

 

Media:

All of the participants believed that the representation of Indian American women in the media is lacking. When looking at dolls or magazines, the individuals interviewed never saw women with brown skin like theirs. Though Asian Americans make up 5.3% of the population, they are only represented 2.4% of the time in the media, and most of those individuals have lighter skin tones (Boepple and Thompson, 2018, pp. 270-272). The only Indian representatives in American media have been Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling. Priyanka Chopra rose to fame by using and endorsing skin lightening creams, and subjects cited that if she was ashamed of her skin color, then young dark-skinned brown girls would also be ashamed of their color. Many of the participants found this representation detrimental because both actresses represent two poles of the spectrum: one is too Indian and the other is too American. In their lives, some of the participants described feeling pulled into those same directions by their identities. Some participants resorted to watching Bollywood movies for representation, but still did not find themselves to be reflected. All of the Bollywood actresses had light skin, were skinny, and were tall, meaning that Bollywood only rewarded light-skinned Indian women who fit the mold.

 

Social Media:

Overall, most participants stated that they did not organically see women who looked like them on their social media feeds. Many actively found accounts to follow with women who looked like them, going out of their way to get the representation that they craved. When discussing the Body Positivity Movement, they shared that while the diversity of bodies is important, the only people in the mainstream body positivity movement are white. The only plus-sized woman many of them could name is Ashley Graham, and she did not look like them. Additionally, many shared that many white, skinny individuals have co-opted language from the body positivity movement to assert that they were not fat, failing to center the fat folks for whom the movement was designed. Thus, the participants hope to see more Indian American representation in the mainstream.