Fans React To Diwali Episode Of Sex And The City Reboot, Say They Stereotyped Indians Again!
What looks like an aim to make the series culturally appropriate and inclusive has backfired the team of 'And Just Like That.' As if the title 'Diwali' wasn't obvious enough that they ended up stereotyping Desis in ways more than one.
As soon as Carrie walks out of her door wearing a lehenga, you get excited. As a Desi SATC fan, more so because you get to hear 'Humma Humma' by A.R Rahman in the background.
Just when you think there would be more to being culturally appropriate and inclusive you realize there isn't.
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What looks like an aim to make the series culturally appropriate and inclusive has backfired for the team of 'And Just Like That.' As if the title 'Diwali' wasn't obvious enough that they ended up stereotyping Desis in ways more than one.
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There are many moments of cringe that fans have pointed out.
We have successfully made our way to 2022 and looks like, Hollywood forgot to take notes on how to represent Indians in their shows.
1. For instance, Carrie repeatedly refers to Lehenga as a saree and even ends up donning one at her Indian friend Seema's Diwali party'.
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When Carrie seeks Seema's permission to wear a 'saree,' she says, ¡°It's not cultural appropriation, It's cultural appreciation.¡± The conversation somehow ends up reinstating that the characters of color on American shows are barely used as a medium to either diversify the lead character's knowledge. The scene where Seema explains Diwali to Carrie has been touted as a mistake. Fans have pointed out that Carrie, who has been in New York, took over 40 years to know what Diwali is.
2. The episode tries to hint that South Asian parents only want their daughters to get married or have a boyfriend because who cares about their achievements?
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Carrie self-invites herself to Seema's Diwali party. As soon as she meets Seema's parents, who welcome her, they bombard her with questions about Seema's boyfriend. Carrie then explains how Seema, a 'magnificent' woman, deserves better. Well, there's undoubtedly much more to Desi parents than their obsession with their daughter's marriage.
3. Carrie's hairdo has been criticized because, come on, which Indian dresses or walking into a party in Manhattan with that tacky floral Mohawk?
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Apart from the glaring mistake of repeatedly calling Lehenga a saree, Carrie's floral mohawk hasn't impressed the fans either. Calling it a mockery, fans have pointed out how makers chose to be ignorant of how Indians dress up.
Reacting to the episode of 'And, Just Like That,' fans wrote:
Just saw a picture of SJP in the dupatta-less lehenga and fucking¡ flower mohawk?!?! My soul has left my body.
¡ª PewPewPew (@pewcubed) January 8, 2022
Carrie is 55 years old how has she never heard of Diwali ???
¡ª Yo Yo Ma¡¯s cousin, Lil Nepitiz (@machinegun_kelc) January 8, 2022
Are we supposed to believe that Carrie has lived in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world for decades and knows nothing about Diwali? #AndJustLikeThat
¡ª Stephanie Pelley (@StephaniePelley) January 8, 2022
The fact that Carrie Bradshaw has lived in NYC for thirty years and is only NOW learning about Diwali means she only really has white friends and has never bothered to venture to Queens.
¡ª Sruti S. Nadimpalli, MD MPH (she/her/hers) (@SrutiNadimpalli) January 8, 2022
After that Diwali episode, wherein Carrie as a cultural columnist, New Yorker, and podcaster knows nothing about Diwali, cultural appropriation might be better than cultural appreciation after all. #AndJustLikeThat
¡ª dr. kamal arora (@kamarora) January 8, 2022
ok i hate the way that "and just like that" holds white ladies' hands thru wokeness lmao it was like not annoying me til this diwali episode yikes
¡ª n¨¹ aarushi (@aarushifire) January 8, 2022
I can't stop watching the disaster of And Just Like That. This episode is titled Diwali. *smokes invisible cigarette*
¡ª big booty becka (@bigbootybecka_) January 7, 2022
Carrie never hearing about Diwali despite the fact that it's a huge celebration in New York every year? Carrie getting permission to wear a "sari" (actually a lehenga) and then deciding to take it over the top and wear a flowered mohawk? Meets the quota of cultural cluelessness.
¡ª Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) January 8, 2022
how dare sjp ruin that lehenga with that hair styling!!!!!! omg ufff
¡ª BADGALRIDDHI? (@riddhikuthiala) October 21, 2021
That whole Diwali episode just seemed to be so that Carrie could wear an Indian outfit - at no point did they mention she was wearing a Lehenga and not a freaking Sari, not to mention whatever the heck was on her head. Not sure where the "cultural appreciation" was in the ep.
¡ª Avantika (@maryjanesdesk) January 8, 2022
they HAD to have known this wasn¡¯t a saree¡ like when they ordered this outfit for her they had to have seen the word lehenga somewhere?? and they just chose to call it saree anyways bc what? they thought no one would notice? the laziness of this is embarrassing https://t.co/e7TLViU90A
¡ª A (@b0llystan) January 8, 2022
Wrap your head around this¡This isn¡¯t that hard folks¡not every piece of Indian clothing is a saree. #SATC #smh #AndJustLikeThat #teachingmoment SAREE ?????? LEHENGA ?????? pic.twitter.com/g2W8c8Fj2U
¡ª Anu (@kutti73) January 8, 2022
when Carrie had to learn what Diwali was after living in NYC for decades I died inside
¡ª Olivia Rania Bowden (@OliviaBowden__) January 7, 2022
and just like that has a scene where they go into a lehenga store and you can only see lehengas everywhere and they still call them saree ??
¡ª A (@begumdukhtar) January 8, 2022
Okay. This needs to be said. Friends, the Indian outfit that Carrie Bradshaw wears in the last episode of #AndJustLikeThat is not a saree, it¡¯s a lehenga choli. Totally different outfits. pic.twitter.com/lAgl4PrrNM
¡ª ¦«?¨¬§ä! (@LicenceToMock) January 8, 2022
1/3¡And just like that¡I¡¯m not watching it anymore! As a woman of colour I found this episode pretty offensive. Firstly it can¡¯t have been the first time the New Yorker had ever heard about Diwali but I let that one go¡ pic.twitter.com/P3EcmoaGsb
¡ª Sita Kansagra (@Kansagraphysio) January 7, 2022
1/3¡And just like that¡I¡¯m not watching it anymore! As a woman of colour I found this episode pretty offensive. Firstly it can¡¯t have been the first time the New Yorker had ever heard about Diwali but I let that one go¡ pic.twitter.com/P3EcmoaGsb
¡ª Sita Kansagra (@Kansagraphysio) January 7, 2022
Since the show launched in December 2021, there hasn't been a positive response. Fans have been missing Samantha's (Kim Cattrall) presence, who chose to opt-out of the reboot owing to her differences with Sarah Jessica Parker.
The show also received backlash for oversimplifying the troubles of 50s something women and showing them through the lens of 'woke and entitled.' How are you liking the much-awaited yet controversial reboot of 'SATC'? Tell us in the comments below.
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