Freida Pinto covers the 6th anniversary issue of Vogue India with a pictorial called “Black Magic”. It never fails to please and amuse me that Vogue India does their coverlines in English and that their online site is extremely accessible to English-readers. As for Freida… I’m not a huge fan of styling her to look like The Indian Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but then again, she’s totally done worse photoshoots, and she pulls off the “edgy” look better than I was expecting. Some highlights from Vogue India’s cover story:
When she first became famous in 2008/09: She was a shiny debutante overwhelmed by the paparazzi stalking her every move; awed by things like “getting handbags from Tod’s, Bulgari and Dior — all in one day.”
Dancing to ‘Jai ho’ on TV repeatedly: “After one year of doing [it] on every live television show, you go ‘Screw you! I’m not doing it one more time’.”
India and food: “There’s a lavish banquet laid out for me at home every time I come to Mumbai… and it always involves jackfruit, fish curry and rice.”
On Danny Boyle & Slumdog: “He gave me the beginning of what I have now. You’ve got to feel so proud of being part of a film that altered the Goodness Gracious Me concept of India that people had. People don’t like me saying this, but Slumdog did open a lot of doors.”
On her style, and why she doesn’t wear saris on the red carpet: “I am Indian; I don’t need to wear a sari to promote Indianness. A sari is not more Indian than my soul. I have no patience for people who are narrowminded… just be a global citizen and be proud of where you come from.”
I’ll admit it, I wanted to write about this because of that quote about saris. As a half-Indian girl, I’ve worn saris before, and I grew up with my dad telling me that saris were the most elegant article of clothing that a woman could ever wear. I disagreed then as I disagree now, although I do think that many Indian and non-Indian women look beautiful in saris. I don’t think anyone feels like Freida should ONLY wear saris or traditional Indian clothing while she’s out in the world, but I do think some people (me included) were slightly surprised by her insistence on wearing European and American designers almost exclusively. She’s very East-meets-West, and she could totally use her position (as a Fashion Girl) to shine a light on Indian designers who are doing more than saris. But it almost seems like she’s sort of resentful of the idea that she could or should wear Indian designers or embrace something so identifiable to India like the sari. Huh.
Photos courtesy of Vogue India.
I think she’s beautiful but my Indian friends insist that she’s nothing compared to the Bollywood actresses, and that non-Westernized Indians think she’s rather homely/peasant look and find it amusing that Hollywood trumpets her “exotic beauty”….no idea what to make of that. I just hope she keeps getting more roles!
I like that’s she is nothing spectacular though. Especially because the Bollywood industry emphasises or favours actresses with lighter skin, lighter eyes and western looks. Although in recent times that has changed slightly. So yeah most of them are bombshells but that’s the problem in my opinion.
People think that she’s “nothing spectacular”????
I honestly think she’s one of the most breath-taking women I’ve ever seen and she’s one of the very few “celebs” that I’m insanely jealous of.
That being said, I hate her styling in that cover shot. I thought that was KK at first. No me gusta.
TOK: Totally agree! She is beyond gorgeous. And (I think) it’s all natural… If I could even have a small fraction of her beauty I’d be in heaven!
That is indeed correct. Apparently within India she’s nothing special, though I tend to view that as a reflection of her choice to leave India and her fiance. There’s a lot of ‘she only ended up in Slumdog because she wasn’t successful in India first’. It’s an interesting reaction.
i will take a side of nothing spectacular please
“I honestly think she’s one of the most breath-taking women I’ve ever seen and she’s one of the very few “celebs” that I’m insanely jealous of.”
This. Verbatim.
I think she’s pretty, but…yeah, compared to a lot of Bollywood actresses, she’s nothing special.
I am from India and I can attest to the fact that your Indian friends are right about what they have told you. I admit beauty is a subjective or personal thing, but I can still say that Frieda Pinto is NOTHING compared to Bollywood actresses or even just the pretty girl next door, in terms of her looks.
I read down the thread that some people think that Indians don’t like her because the obsession with fair skin or coz she ditched her fiance, but there is hardly any truth to it.
I would suggest to such people to just google images for popular Bollywood actresses like Kajol, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan etc. to find out what Indian faces really look like, and you don’t need their back-story just to admire a pretty face.
PS. Pinto’s features are actually more anglicized than Indian.
It’s like she doesn’t want to disrespect her roots but she really wants to move beyond being that Indian girl. Which I get. So I guess it’s not so bad to want to be known for more than her culture
As an African British woman, I understand her position on the sari/traditional dress. Understand it AND have lived it.
Wearing or not wearing the dress doesn’t make her more/less indian.
If she’s emotionally and culturally Indian, it will show without her being required to wear the dress so that non Indians will get it.
It is so, so annoying to be expected to rock up in traditional dress simply because that’s my cultural background and if I don’t that means I am a sell out or ashamed of my roots…blah,blah,blah boring.
Especially when the people trying to culture shame have no understanding of the true culture beyond the dress.
If she doesn’t want to wear the dress, it’s no one’s business. And politicising the issue is completely wrong and an excuse to bash her.
That said, love Jackfruit!!!
I’m half Indian, too… of the Native variety though 🙂
But I get what she’s saying. Especially in my 20s I caught flack for dying my hair blonde, or for not “representing” enough in some people’s minds.
I love what she says about a sari not being more Indian than her soul. As if a dress could possibly make her “more” or “better” than who she is intrinsically.
GiGi – what tribe (I am assuming you meant Native American. Apologies if not). I am a quarter Comanche.
Yes! Anishinabe for the win 😉
My mom is half Potawatomi and my dad is half Mohawk. The rest if me is a big old mixture of stuff – some Powhaten, Spanish, Dutch, Welsh, etc., etc.
It makes for interesting interactions with people who seem to be (and some admit to) always trying to figure out what I “am”. #mixedkidproblems
I have those mixed kid problems, too (Mom was Cherokee/Chickasaw, white and black), and while I appear Caucasian enough to not have to deal with the culture shaming of purists, I always kind of enjoyed being the KKK’s worst nightmare: a white-looking mixed race southern Catholic girl with a college degree.
“KKK’s worst nightmare”. Cait, you rock!
It’s an interesting problem to have, right?
I’ve found that most White people just think I’m White (my coloring is like Adrien Grenier – Dark hair, yellow skin, green eyes), but usually people who are other races spot the markers – it’s funny.
And it’s amazing what I’ve heard some people say because they feel they’re in “safe” company – so, so, so much racism.
I am also the KKK’s worst nightmare–heck my grandmother is too. She’s 76, and is a quarter indian (don’t know what tribe-where she’s from in TN, the NA’s who had even the slightest tinge to their skin would say that they were mulatto), quarter white, and half black—with slightly tanned skin, dark eyes, and curly hair that used to go down to her waist. A few of her siblings are blonde hair and blue eyed–in the 40s and 50s, I can imagine how fun that was.
But I’m someone who can pass for white. I mean I am lily white–but I do have an afro, when my hair isn’t permed (just got it permed for the first time last year and it’s still really thick and wavy)–my brother used to describe me as the albino with an afro.
@GiGi
I can get why they thought you were denying your heritage–about the dying your hair blonde thing. My uncle lives in Texas and is married to a Mexican woman, and a lot of the young, Mexican kids are really ashamed to be seen as Mexican. He was telling me that his friend’s daughter was ashamed that she could speak spanish, and wouldn’t speak it in public.
And his stepdaughter (who is mexican) classifies herself as a “white mexican”, dyes her hair blonde, and likes to giggle extremely loudly and say “I’m having a blonde moment!”
So I get it.
Genetics are a funky thing. I’m of “completely” European stock, but still get asked periodically if I’m part Asian.
I’m Scandinavian on my (blonde and almond-shaped blue eyed) dad’s side. I get dark hair and also almond-shaped dark eyes from my mom’s side, which is Slovak and Hungarian. Since the Mongols made it as far as Prague, and the Magyars originally came from central Asia — we’ve definitely got a mix. One of my sisters and a (green-eyed) nephew have epicanthic folds — which you don’t typically see in Europe. And we have a lot of “AB” blood types, which is typical the mix in the border areas between Europe and Asia.
I was at a party thrown by an Indian (Native) friend and kept getting asked what tribe I was from — since I look like I could be a mix. It became a running joke that my tribe is known for their Volvos.
I love that with DNA testing, they’re starting to realize that our ancestors got around a lot more than we thought. (Even if some of that getting around involved invasions….) Puts a big ol’ wrench in the already ridiculous concept of racial purity.
It’s uncanny how that describes my sister’s appearance. Our dad is Danish and mom is Hungarian-Romanian, and my sister has jet black hair and looks like a Mongolian princess. We joke that we’re related to Genghis khan on our mother’s side.
That’s interesting lol. I’m half Asian (Filipino) and half white and hardly anyone ever guesses that, they always think I’m Hispanic.
I’m half African…I’m always trying to prove i’m black enough.
Do Indian Americans not commonly wear saris or lehenga or salwar kameez? Outside of making red carpet statements? Traditional dress is a common sight in the UK. I own a lehenga suit (and I’m white) so I can be polite at weddings and whathaveyous.
I guess it’s a first/second/third generation thing. Indian friends of my age (late 30s) tend to wear western clothes to work and salwar kameez at home/at weekends. Their parents wear traditional clothes all the time. Their kids wear western clothes all the time unless, as you say, it’s to parties or weddings, etc.
Sixer- it is a UK thing. I’m an Indian American studying in the UK and Asian Brits (doesn’t seem to matter what generation) are way more … “traditional” (not the right word).
I’m first gen, and the only time I have ever seen my born-and-raised-in-India mom wear ‘traditional’ clothes is at the temple or for parties. At home and at the weekend, everybody around me just wears western clothing. Living in the UK has been very interesting in that sense, that people here tend to be almost not British and exclusively like “Pakistani” or “Bangladeshi” etc, rather than British and of xyz origin.
British South Asians are way less assimilated than American ones. Which is weird considering Britain and India have been linked for hundreds and hundreds of years and Indians only really started immigrating to America in the 70s.
@Jen Woah that is a generalised view. I’m British and I’m of Indian descent (Harriet is a nickname that stuck from friends) What I would say, is that my parents who are both a product of Indian/African colonial rule are comfortable in Britain in being accepted for what they choose to wear. The British were more aware of South Asians through their historic relationship. In England, for example my dad’s turban (he’s Sikh) would almost NEVER be assumed to be islamic headress because everyone here is far more aware.
@JEN there is nothing weird about british south asians being less assimilated than in America, as they’re very well integrated which is something completely different and much more important in my opinion. I have been living in the UK for several years now and from what I have observed, most people of foreign decent are very well integrated while preserving their heritage.
I know, it’s weird isn’t it? Perhaps it is because of the sheer size of the communities in the UK. There are parts of Birmingham where you can feel really out of place not being Pakistani! So perhaps there is less of a need to mix in the UK? Just a thought.
Some do and some don’t. Even among those that do, it’s mixed as to how often they wear them. I live in an Indian neighborhood so I imagine I see more saris than most folks in the US.
I’m Pakistani Australian and the last salwar kameez I owned was when I was thirteen. I only ever wore it to dinner parties where all the families invited were also from the subcontinent.
I think the official language in one or two states is actually still English, too.
Yep. English and Hindi are both official languages in India.
It’s probably as offensive to her being asked to wear a Sari as it would be for most bavarian girls to dress in an Octoberfest outfit (outside Octoberfest week).
I guess this is where I stand on it. I think saris are beautiful from a fashion stand point but other cultures aren’t asked about their dress generally.
I do think that it’s because a sari is very much a modern dress choice as well, in India. Significantly more than a kimono in Japan, for example, or this http://ruswinter.50megs.com/princess.jpg in Russia, where it’s basically a costume on par with the Oktoberfest outfits.
Ugh – wrong spot, lol!
@ Anna – that’s why I asked the question I did in my comment. Saris, I don’t think, are seen as any kind of exotic choice in the UK. You see them up and down the high streets of any town/city with a significant Indian community.
I’ve experienced a lot of backlash from the French community for not sporting a beret.
Kidding, of course but really, she should be able to wear whatever she wants without being shamed by people who share her nationality.
I thought the same thing. No one is asking Diana Kruger why she isn’t wearing something from Octoberfest, or Penelope Cruz why she doesn’t dress in flamenco gowns on the red carpet. I realize saris are a more common example, but it still seems strange that people expect her to do it.
I think Freida is lovely, and should wear whatever she wants without having to justify it.
Or Lupita Nyongo to wear her Kikuyu traditional dress.
She was asked because sari is an everyday garment for millions of Indian women. Sari and salwar kameez are regular everyday garments. They have also evolved into modern fashion choices for women in India.
@LAK Lmao! Bet she’d look fierce though! 🙂
@Mira I think the point is, just because someone is Indian it doesn’t mean they HAVE to dress the way people expect them to, and she doesn’t have to be the face of Indian fashion if she doesn’t want to.
That is exactly what I was thinking! If I was an actress as a Franconian German girl they would ask me to wear a Dirndl?
I think it’s sad she even has to address it.
I assume that it’s a deliberate choice to try and distance herself from the Bollywood tradition – particularly beyond India. Hollywood LOVES to typecast and to turn up at an event in a sari would forever make her Pretty Indian Girl. I can’t blame her for wanting to fight against that and build a more diverse career (although I’m not sure that strategy is working for her).
Well, she looks ‘ambiguously ethnic’, which should help her with movie/tv roles and endorsements, but I have a feeling she’s just not that good of an actress (and I didnt care much for Slumdog but I kind of enjoyed Dev Patel on my hate-watch Newsroom).
Funny this would show up today – I just watched Slumdog Millionaire last night – Love that movie! Whenever I watch it I am just in complete awe of Freida’s beauty. It’s not fair!! …And I don’t think the sari thing is a big deal. I completely agree that it doesn’t make her less of an Indian if she doesn’t wear a sari.
I posted the same above. I think she is mind-blowingly gorgeous.
I think because she didn’t find fame in Indian cinema, she (and her advisors) probably feel like she should cater to Western designers to cultivate those relationships.
Hey Kaiser, a lot of Indian magazines are in English, like:
Harpers Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, People, Hello!, and non-foreign ones like Femina and Filmfare.
Regarding the sari, I wonder what the exact question was, maybe it was why don’t you wear Indian outfits on red carpets?
And she has worn a sari before too, and rocked it:
http://deviscloset.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/freida-pinto-sari.jpg
I think she’s beautiful!
“But it almost seems like she’s sort of resentful of the idea that she could or should wear Indian designers or embrace something so identifiable to India like the sari. Huh.”
*Side-eye* That’s like saying my people (WASPs) should be wearing sleeveless little black dresses with pearls on the red carpet to represent our culture and ethnic identity, although we are also known for our affinity for bright, happy colors.
After all, our sartorial identity is distinguished as much by its items as by their combinations, which includes novel layering tricks such as jersey turtlenecks or polo shirts worn under oxford buttondowns, accented by a sweater draped around the neck.
Jeez, must we always don our tribal wear of chinos, pearls, navy blazers, rope bracelets, khakis and corduroys, Quoddy Dawson Mocs, cotton cable knit crewneck sweaters, polo shirts, L.L. Bean Boat and Tote bags, Turtle Fur hats, little black dresses, and wave the pink and green flag?
All I’m saying is let Frieda Pinto branch out and quit with the judging of anyone’s adherence to traditional native dress.
The black cat in the last pic stole the shoot. And isn’t even glammed up.
I like her; she can wear whatever she wants. Clothing is not a caveat for authenticity.
as someone whose watched indian fashion week shows here in SA on ‘eastern mosiac’ most indian designers focus on saris and other traditional wear and transforming it. So that could be a reason why she doesnt wear many indian designers? i dont know? anyway just wanted to say love her and agree with the being indian in your soul point.But i have a problem with the indian vogue and their constant controversy with the “poor people” fashion editorials and lack of skin colour diversity etc. And i dont understand your comment about the use of english considering there are so many languages spoken in india and english seems to be the communication mode chosen, or maybe im just comparing to SA.
Occasionally my friend wears a sari. She looks beautiful in it but also rocks western garb very well.
OT: When I think of myself trying to wear a sari, I immediately envision an Ab-Fab-like catastrophe in which I get myself entangled in the garment or trip over it (I am extremely clumsy).
She can be whatever she wants to be as can we all.
She looks lovely, albeit she looks like she’s lifting her leg to have a pee in that last pic. Love what she says about being a global citizen though.
She’s so beautiful.
I’m from Bavaria, where the traditional women’s dress (which is also considered formal dress in many instances) is the Dirndl. I’m 28 now and never had one in my life. For almost seven years, I lived in Switzerland and have just recently come back to my hometown of Munich. I never felt like I needed a Dirndl to prove that I’m Bavarian. I was born and raised here, never gave it a second thought – even though I could’ve wanted one to prove something, since I’m also half French. But when I came back home, one of the first splurges I allowed myself (and there weren’t many) was a real Dirndl. It made me feel like I was finally home, like I’d arrived and like I knew a bit better who I was. I could imagine that Freida Pinto is in a situation where she also doesn’t attach much emotion to an ethnic or traditional piece of clothing. She’s young, after all! And it’s true that she doesn’t need a sari to prove anything, least of all her Indianess, as she says. But maybe one day, she’ll feel differently and be proud of wearing a sari every now and then, just like I am now proud to wear my Dirndl on the right occasions.
Why are non western clothes seen as traditional, ethnic etc…. and not for every day life? Although I see where she s coming from, I think a wording is rather strange.
At the first time I saw her on Slumdog millionaire I thought she would be like, everywhere. Now I wonder if no one gave her chances or whether she’s not so good.
I always knew there was a reason that I loved Freda Pinto! It’s downright ridiculous when people try to project their racial and/or identity issues onto someone else. No one has the right to decide how someone else lives their life. Likewise, no one has the right to determine how someone else expresses their ethnic and/or racial pride. I’m proud to see her stand up for herself. Like I always say, “never allow other people’s issues to become your issues”.