Chic Diversity

Currently there is all sorts of criticism from Vogue India readers regarding Australian supermodel Gemma Ward being on the cover with 5 other Indian models, on the magazine's first edition in India. Read article here. One Indian reader said 'Call me overly PC but what the hell is Gemma Ward doing on the inaugural cover of Vogue India? Is she like 1/100 Indian or something from her dad's side 4 times removed?'. And another reader stated 'What is Gemma's significance in India and Indian culture? Are the desi models and actresses not sufficiently beautiful and glamorous to hold their own?. Another so-called fashion-reader said this 'Is Gemma an Indian or of Indian origin??She sticks out like a sore thumb between the gorgeous Indian girls. As usual if there is no dumb blond bimbo the magazine is not going to sell. I am so disgusted with Vogue India for putting an Aussie on an Indian magazine. Can you ever imagine Australian Vogue putting Bipasha Basu on their cover… never'. Alot of Indians complained that it's a symbol of 'white' dominance over other ethnicities. What this shows is that people who call white people racists are actually the real racists. I was so very disappointed and ashamed to see this kind of reaction from my own origin. This is about Fashion and not about India right? So what do you want..Aishawarya's face all over again to feed your ego? So if Gemma isn't Indian and shouldn't be on the cover, then why do Indian women wear western clothes at all? You give us the right to ask that. If this mixed cover does anything at all, it will only bring the world closer to each other. See the bigger picture for a change!

Now I'm not white and I have an Indian background, so my opinion on this would be unbiased and honest to the max. I have lived in Australia and mixed with both Eastern and Western culture long and well enough to shed some light on this issue. My first reaction to these racist comments was this - 'people, you are flaunting your backwardness real fashionably'. This distasteful and unintelligent reaction from some Indian readers tell me that so-called Indian fashionistas aint all that fashionable as they believe themelves to be. If India wants to prove they're not backward anymore, please wake up this very moment and prove it. So what if the Indian Vogue included a white model on their first cover? Black, brown, yellow or white, we are all humanbeings and these models share a common interest...and that's FASHION. Nothing else should matter. Besides, Vogue is an International magazine, not just Indian. No matter how deep your knowledge may be in fashion, if people can't look beyond skin color and embrace fashion for fashion and not for ethnicity, then their mentality is shoddier than an ancient tribe. What I'm trying to say is that if these people can't overlook physical differences and concentrate on talent and unity in an industry, instead of origins, then they should stop reading Vogue, kick their high-heels off, shed their halter-necks, wash off their Revlon makeup, don a grass skirt and move to the jungles. Cos that's where out-dated mentalities belong. STOP TRYING TO BE FASHIONABLE WHEN YOUR PSYCHE IS SHOCKINGLY UNFASHIONABLE. And that goes to every fashionista in the world. (this last pic is of Vogue China launched in 2005, which has Gemma and 5 Chinese models in it. The Chinese fashion industry and Vogue readers didn't die over white skin being on their first cover, neither did they whinge).

We have all benefitted from each others' cultures and we have evolved into being an intelligent, modern and tolerant society. These covers portray the smart, fashionable and modern woman - it's neither about the Indian woman nor the white woman. Go Bipasha, Gemma, Priyanka, Monikangana, Preity and Laxmi of Vogue India's inaugaral cover! All these models are unique and gorgeous women, working together for a greater cause. I love these covers, don't you agree? And remember, DIVERSITY WILL ALWAYS BE IN VOGUE. Wear it well ;-).

Today's song is one of my fav Hindi numbers...it's an old song and it basically means JUST HAVE FUN. Even in the olden days people seem to have known how to have fun. So lets just realise that and not get too serious and ugly about people's origins. We are one after all.


Current Music: Dum Maro Dum (from the Hindi movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna)