I was reading The Hindu and this is what I see. Venus Williams and Serena Williams are currently in Bangalore for the Bangalore Open tournament and are hoping to win the doubles title.
Any fashion experts here? What do you think?
In The Washington Post, Rama Lakshmi examines the omnipresence of Caucasians in India's modeling world, beckoning from billboards to TV ads to storefronts. From "In India's Huge Marketplace, Advertisers Find Fair Skin Sells":
These days, the faces of white women and men, mostly from Eastern Europe, stare out from billboards, from the facades of glitzy, glass-fronted malls and from fashion magazines. At an international automobile show this month in New Delhi, most of the models were white.
The presence of Caucasian models in Indian advertisements has grown in the past three years, industry analysts say. The trend reflects deep cultural preferences for fair skin in this predominantly brown-skinned nation of more than 1 billion people.
This may seem the logical conclusion to Indians, who are all too familiar with skin-color description tags on bachelorettes ('wheatish', 'dusky'), fair-skinned Bollywood stars (men and women) and skin-lightening products like Fair and Lovely.
European models have been drawn to Mumbai, India’s cultural capital (even as more Indian models go abroad), and advertisers prefer them because they're often less inhibited than their Indian counterparts (and not as expensive as Western European models). There's also the belief that ‘fair’ and ‘beautiful’ go together and the perception that brands with international faces are of better quality and therefore reliable. One model interviewed, Tanya Bohinc, is Slovenian and newly arrived.
Continue reading "ADVERTISING: In India, white models on the ascent" »
21-year-old Richa Gangopadhyay, a senior at Michigan State, was crowned Miss India USA 2007 in the annual beauty pageant held at Royal Albert's Palace in New Jersey.
Gangopadhyay, a resident of Northville, Michigan, is majoring in dietetics and nutrition and hopes to visit preschool and elementary schools to offer nutrition tips.
The Detroit Free Press writes: "Gangopadhyay is part of the state's growing Indian presence. According to the U.S. census, Michigan's Indian population grew 44% from 2000 to 2005, to 78,000.
"The New Delhi-born Northville resident beat 23 contestants from other states last month in Fords, N.J., in gaining the national title. She said she got involved with the pageant because she relishes opportunities to educate people about the Indian and American cultures."
Gangopadhyay, who said she likes to call herself a true champion of diversity, performed "Vande Mataram," the Indian patriotic song, for a three-minute talent competition.
She said she played it by ear on a violin for a minute and a half, then broke into a Bollywood-style dance.
Neha Multani, 22, of New York and Nisha Palvia, 18, of Georgia were declared first and second runner-ups among the 24 contestants who participated in the pageant.
Gangopadhyay will be representing USA in the 17th Annual Miss India Worldwide pageant to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa on February 23.
Read more about the contest and Richa's ambitions here.
The August issue of GQ features photos of Padma Lakshmi, host of TV's "Top Chef"
and soon-to-be former Mrs. Salman Rushdie (though the divorce happened after they went to press), talking about cooking and eating and an unusual fantasy:
COOK FOR US, PADMA
Yes, Padma Lakshmi is stunningly beautiful. But she’s a lot more than that. Here the former model talks to Adam Rapoport about hosting the hit series ‘Top Chef,’ and why being stripped naked and covered in chocolate has always been her fantasyBy Adam Rapoport; Photographs by Greg Kadel
See the story and photos. See her official site. Post your comments below.
Mahatma Gandhi has been appropriated in many ways over the years, but this may be the first time he's been used in a celebrity rape defense. Here's what alleged rapist Anand Jon's lawyer, Ronald Richards told The New York Times, in response to accusations from a 19-year-old blonde:
"Why would she change into pajamas?" asked Mr. Richards. "Why didn't she leave when she sees there's no bed for her? Why didn't she punch him in the face?" He noted that there were no signs of physical trauma. "My client is 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds. He's a thin Gandhi-type guy. He can't overpower anybody. Any girl would kick his butt." [NYT: "The Designer Who Liked Models" - cover story in the "Sunday Styles" section]
Jon has been released on $1.3 million bail, after the L.A. County District Attorney charged him with "rape, battery, lewd acts on a child and other ugly crimes..." A spokeswoman for the D.A. called him a "sexual predator." But he and his lawyer have said he only engaged in concensual sex with women who were all too willing to use him, and that they often continued to work with him past the dates they were allegedly raped.
This is a guest post by Ismat Mangla, the editor-in-chief of Nirali magazine.
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Being a Muslim woman in the West isn't easy - and if you practice some form of purdah (covering), it can be especially tricky. You want to fit in and assert yourself as a proud, educated, modern woman, but throw on some extra clothes and a headscarf and you might as well be sporting a neon sign on your head that screams, "I'm Muslim! I'm DIFFERENT!" And there are plenty of people who add another meaning to that sign "She's oppressed! She can't think for herself!" (In 2004, Michigan Radio profiled Zoe Piliafas, a college student who donned a burqa for a few months and decided that it did make her feel oppressed. Some Muslim women disagree with her assessment.) 
So I was excited to see today's New York Times piece, "We, Myself and I," on the challenges Muslim American women face when it comes to merging modesty and style. I've been there - I practice purdah, but I also don't want to leave the house looking like I could not care less about my appearance.
The story leads with a mention of Aysha Hussain, a Pakistani-American magazine writer, who wants to follow fashion but also wants to adhere 'to the tenets of her Muslim faith':
Ms. Hussain has worked out an artful compromise, concealing her curves under a mustard-tone cropped jacket and a tank top that is long enough to cover her hips.
Anand Jon's family has now responded to the charges against him, sending SAJA and others last night the press release below.
On March 6, 2007 Anand Jon, notably listed in January 2007 Newsweek as “one to watch in 2007” was arrested for improper behavior. This rock star celebrity fashion designer, like everyone else in the court system is innocent until proven otherwise, not the other way around. In America, you’re not supposed to be tried in the media, but everyone has a right to their day in court to defend themselves. The press is supposed to report the news as facts, as it happens, unbiased. Any false accusation can ruin a person’s life. As the news stories come out one seems to be more sensationalized than the next with the facts more exaggerated.
See the full release below. SAJAforum coverage of the case here and here.
Designer Anand Jon, whose recent arrest on rape charges we earlier posted, may have a history of sorts. TMZ says that Jon...
"pled no contest to the lesser charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. His probation required him to complete 52 weeks of sex therapy. He was also ordered 'to not associate with any child under the age of 18 years without a responsible adult present.' Jon completed his probation requirements in 2005."
At least here in New York, the 33-year-old Jon's arrest (not 30 as was earlier reported) has received local TV news coverage. The New York Daily News has also been giving it major play - see here.
Designer Anand Jon, probably the best known desi in the U.S. fashion industry and a fixture on the New York social scene, has been arrested on rape charges. One of his alleged victims is a 15-year-old girl. Jon is currently being held in Los Angeles County jail and is due in court on April 4.
Jon allegedly committed a variety of horrific acts on four separate victims between October of 2004 and March 5, 2007. Along with two counts of forcible rape, Jon is also facing charges of "sexual battery by restraint, attempted forcible oral copulation and two counts of committing a lewd act upon a child." In the document, police claim that Anand, 30, used an accomplice during the alleged sexual battery and forcible copulation.
Jon frequently travels with an entourage and socializes with people like Paris Hilton, P Diddy, Paula Abdul and others, many of whom are clients. At the same time, he's generally accessible to the media - mainstream and ethnic - and became very well known at a very young age.
Read the felony complaint that TMZ obtained. It refers to the designer by his full name, Anand Jon Alexander (he's originally from Kerala).
According to the New York Daily News, bail was set at $1,365,000. Through a spokesperson he has maintained his innocence.
Note: Feel free to leave comments but please, let's not speculate on the man's guilt/innocence or personal history at this point.
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