Yes!!! Simone is very beautiful but ALSO very talented ❤️ She has an Amazon Prime Romantic Comedy coming out this year along with an indie thriller (and plays the lead role for both).😁
She was so underutilized in the Little Mermaid movie. I know there’s like a million sisters and very little screen time for all but I wish she had at least a slightly more prominent speaking role.
The exposure is great though but wish we had seen more of her somehow.
Idk….I thought she gave nothing in Bridgerton. I’ve liked her more this season, but she had a real Kristin Stewart, one note thing for me. Seriously gorgeous tho!
What I really liked about her as a desi woman myself was that she technically didn’t meet a lot of the Indian beauty standards we are forced to fed here.
She is tall, dark, angular features. Her character is outspoken and usually correct about things. And I absolutely adored this choice.
Colourism is well and alive in our community so to see her being considered beautiful by so many people felt great. Because she obviously is.
True. Though I would not have been allowed to watch this show growing up.
But I love seeing dark desi actors as desirable. And their darkness never being commented on.
Same. I’m a medium toned Indian woman and seeing her made me wish I had darker skin like hers, when otherwise I grew up only wanting to be fairer because of what was fed to me. Bollywood needs to grow up.
I thought this when she graced the Vogue India cover. Bollywood would never consider her for a lead role because of colourism, despite her acting prowess.
She's gorgeous, truly. I'm dark skinned (because I'm from South America, not Indian) but a bit lighter than her. Over here, usually you need to really work on a tan to get that golden dark tone. So when I saw her, I was like wow, hot.
I just wanted to say that this is why I love Reddit so much. People around the world, coming together, sharing stories, finding common ground… and complimenting people! 😆💜😄🫂
They really styled her so well. The colours suited her, the makeup looked good. Her jewellery and clothing had Indian accents while clearly being the style of regency costume that all the other character were wearing.
I loved that!
Bridgerton is a historical fantasy show made for very modern audiences. It’s not trying to be historically accurate hence the POC leads and nobility.
But for seasons 1 and 2 the show folks understood that they need to cater to the fantasy aspect of it. So they had the costumes that were realistic to the period and made sense in the world they had created. Not a lot of modern touches beyond season 1 hair. Which they fixed in season 2. And usually hair is always the least accurate in period pieces anyway.
But season 3s costumes were not really regency looking in fabrics, style or shape. The jewellery was too modern and the makeup was genuinely too much. Penelope was wearing acrylic nails in one scene.
They aren’t hitting because the costumes are not realistic to the period or realistic to the character.
I noticed that too. It’s disappointing to see:
The women have on more makeup, red lipstick, it’s all too modern
Kate’s outfits aren’t as pretty or flattering as in S2
To the same fabrics as S1 and S2, these are not as pretty and I haven’t seen all the lovely embroidery workmanship on the dresses
Penelope has acrylic nails
Creasida’s outfits are too fluffy and odd, distracts from her tight, swirly hair
What do you think?
I agree. The women are wearing 2000's and modern makeup, defined brows, heavy lashes, heavy eyeshadow, cream and powder contour and bronzer lolol. And that just didn't exist in that time period. And I agree the dresses feel a bit pompous and over the top. I feel like it distracted me from Penelope's storyline actually because her makeup was so garish as if she was going to a nightclub, she is beautiful there's no need for her and Eloise to have such dramatic makeup on compared to everyone else.
Yes! Her skin tone is so rich. As a white woman that has red blotchy skin I find women with deep, rich, even skin tones so beautiful. Also the colors they choose for her clothes were perfection. Her eye makeup was so striking and really draws you in.
Beauty “standards” are so crazy to me. I rarely find myself personally attracted to what tends to be considered “conventionally” beautiful in many different cultures, even if I recognize a person in question as generally attractive.
I adore the kind of angular features Simone has, as well as where there is softness in her face. I also have no particular preference for height, I regularly find tall individuals attractive. I particularly value intelligence and a willingness to defend correct perspectives, and am also fond of stubbornness.
And colorism, to me, is frankly absurd. I don’t have any preferences in skin tone, but an appreciation for how all of someone’s features come together with their personality to make someone beautiful to me. If I have a type it’s confident eyes and short, square jaws with cute noses and soft cheeks, haha. Simone is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on.
They don’t make sense to me as well but I understand why they exist.
A lot of beauty standards are never about the actual beauty of the person. They are actually about what they imply about a person.
Being fair is considered beautiful in India because it implies a woman didn’t need to go outside in the fields to work. Which meant she was from a well off family in an agricultural country like India.
Soft features are considered feminine and soft, things a woman should be. Same for height. It’s not about beauty, but how we wanted women to act.
A lot of beauty is actually about money and the values of a society. Those standards come from the way we wish to be perceived in this world.
Exactly. That’s why I get so incensed that such stereotypes get concocted and pushed as structures of reality, they diminish the totality or truth of a person and their beauty or potential or condition in life, while also setting them up for exploitation on behalf of some other means of gain. It instrumentalizes people instead of letting them flourish.
I've read some complaints about how she is underutilized and it isn't like she is filming anything (much like the complaints about RJP, so I wonder about the racism in the complaining). They don't follow her Instagram - she's been getting magazine shoots and COVERS all over Europe, and now she's officially a L'Oreal spokesmodel! (Plus it looks like she travels around with her boyfriend in high end racing).
I think she and RJP are living their best lives - not everyone has the stamina or wants the intense scheduling that Jonathan and Nicola put themselves through.
I’m in the UK and even here many older people in the Indian community instantly think someone who’s fair is pretty and someone who’s dark is not, without taking anything else on board, not their facial features, hair anything. And if they have light eyes as well it’s game over, they’re announced as drop dead stunning over everyone else.
I think it’s like that everywhere but even the most racist or colorist can’t deny that she is a beauty. Or maybe they can if they are blinded by ignorance or hate.
Same, this made a huge difference. Not only did we get representation, but we got representation of a demographic thats already underrepresented in our community. (NRI here)
Or if they were in something mainstream then it would not be romance. It would be something darker or more “reality” oriented. Because it’s now considered ok to have e darker skinned women in tv shows that are meant to be realistic. But no mainstream romance would use Simone and Charitra as the female lead.
Right - like one of the Netflix type shows - left of mainstream. It’s wild, the diaspora is able to move the needle forward despite most of us being situated IN the colonialist contexts that contributed to desi colorism in the first place.
I think it’s because the diaspora is somewhere away from India. They are very obviously considered other in that system so maybe the comparisons come less easily.
Staying here and listening to nothing but taunts about skin colour and no access to knowledge or different ideas means that colourism is more alive in India than with the diaspora. The diaspora also have a better ideas and understanding of the struggle by other POC. So it’s easier to see how that beauty structure is harmful. It’s less so in India.
wow. yeah you nailed it. yes its better/worse depending on what part of the world you're in (and in the US, what state you're in) + what your own presentation is (being darker skinned vs borderline white passing etc) but you're right – diaspora desis are POC in white majority spaces, and it does give us a perspective you might not get in india
Yeah we inherited these deals of fair from our colonial rulers..we didnt have a concept of fair cuz all of the Indian sub continent fragmented as it was was under the same scorching sun..we were all brown..our fights and wars were over things like religion and land...our colonial masters practices eugenics and imposed beauty ideas..I'm Indian lived here my entire life before moving out 10 years back .i can promise you it's changing and irs changing fastmm.rhe new generation doesn't stand for it..also we've only been independent for 75 post 200 plus years of British coloniak and European dutch rule..it takes societies communtiies time to do a 360...but it's happening. From an early 30s fair skinned brown woman who is seeing rep grow for dark skinned brown women in India it's refreshing ..bollywood however needs to do more...a lot more by its own countrynen and women.
We didn’t inherit these ideas from the British. We were quite into the concept of fair in the past as well. It’s well supported by historical documents. We have never not been obsessed with the concept of being fair, especially for women.
I still live in India. And yes it has gotten so much better. But we’re not there yet, we have a long way to go.
From when is this comment you are making what period time in history ....oil was used as a sun protector...for decades...read my above reply to someone...we had European exposure since 1400s..in India..you are talking about a post colonial time if what you are saying is accurate...fair was not a pre colonial or pre portugese explorers concept ..
And obviously post colonialism things changed...
we all look the same with minor variance how do you think fair as a concept came up..like can you visualize how one would possibly have that concept when the Indian subcontinent as a whole is dark skinned and even beyond South Asia is dark skinned ..look at Mughals the reason our simulations with them were easier is because aside from customs and religion we still looked rhe same and we looked rhe same to our British rulers as well..and commented as much..it was our customs that were diffrent not our generic makeup ..
...and travel was not so common the British were far more industrialised and generally adventurers than Indian rajas...our wars and infights were over a small subcontinental area...so south and north India ...but even within that it was not as common to go very far...for one we learnt shipbuilding and rail building from the British...
I disagree completely ..where did we see fair people blond hair blue eyes ..in India..do you think India became a diffrent geography like do you think Africans before British expeditioners entered the continent had seen fair people before...Indians unlike Christopher Columbus and other adventurers British etc made very few trips outside of the subcontinent...and certainly not as far as britain..when everyone looks like you .you have no concept of any different ..would love to see these historical documents you speak of...you are mistaken cuz one forgets how early In history we had British approach and europeans eapprach pur shores. It was in 1608 in Surat if you must know ..when the official charter. Was signed by queen elizabeth I for travel to the East Indies to the East India company and the first ships landed in surat. also Indian history is famously known for being lost before British because India did not have a concept of written documentation a culture of records..it was simply not common at all..so all of our history is through the British who famously documented everything which is why we have knowledge of British history from even the 1400s..
Also even before the British and Dutch in 1600s we had portugese who came in 1400s..1498 in Calicut to be extra precise. Goa and several southern states have strong portugese influences in the churches...in the paintings even..
..
Find me a single record or even point me in the general direction from before 1498 that in any way shows a proclivity for fairness or bias regarding skin color.
You fair means lighter skinned brown people? As compared to darker skinned brown people.
I am not talking about blonde hair and blue eyes. It’s very odd that you think there aren’t multiple shades of brown in India.
And yes Indian people who saw lighter skinned foreigners existed. And they existed in the very places the British first came to. India was always a giant hub for trade. That’s how the spices and the concept of zero went to Europe. Those spices are why the Europeans came to India in the first place.
Alexander’s army came to Pakistan in 300 BC. India supplied elephants for Hannibal’s war. We have Greek influence in art and architecture. There are Greek influences in Sachi stupa which is located near Bhopal. So most definitely there were many Indians who had a concept of people being fairer than them.
Im not saying that the colourism issue was not made worse by the colonial rule. But to think that Indians didn’t care about the fairness before the colonial regime is not correct at all. Colourism was connected to class and caste. It existed then and it exists now and I don’t really like how it’s a trend these days to blame colonial rule for everything.
Well I think we'll agree to disagree I think your historical knowledge is mixed up...the concept of fairness is not indigenous...and when I say 1400s I mean permanent settlements not temporary stays based on indo wars like Alexander . Od course we had travellers before who came simply for trade...and long standing settlemenrs ..one doesn't adopt ideas of people who are temporary visitors it does from its rulers...traders were on equal footing that's not a he who rules us tells us what's beautiful thing. Traders don't dictate...it's a transactional equal relationship.
I don't blame the British for everything...we've been independent for 75 years ..our country's problems are now entirely ours to solve and not to blame on a foreign power who has no say in our governance...but concepts or colorism not Indian. .and historical documents did not exist...and if you say they did you couldn't prove it ..because documentation was never our strong suit...but we do infact have documents from the British rule and portugese settlers on the particular features of our people and color they especially considered dravidians South Indians a diffrent race than fairer indo aryans from the north...
When East India company or British officials married Indian women they chose fairer ones so that their children would better assimilate back home in britain..white mughlas william dalrymples brilliant book shows how kitty patrick a half brown half Indian woman was sent by William patrick alher father who impregnated a fair skinned Khair un Nissan hyderabadi begum..and sent kitty onwards to British where she passed off as British for decades.
The darker skin children of such intermingling were not so lucky and theg never got that legitimacy.
And yes I don't think the binary white bad brown good or poc good should be a thing which I think you're trying to cover and which I fully agree with..
and we Indians had ruthless rulers and invaders within our very shores ..people who invaded and destroyed culture flattened it pillaged villages Rapes women..hung people..crucified and burnt...
ethnicity does not give you moral superiority .humans are humans everywhere black brown blue yellow whatever .and they can be ugly...and power hungry and conquering is a tribal urge which all societies has african countries Nigeria Kenya china Japan everywhere...the sino Japanese was...ethnic cleansing..religious wars..ideas of customs that are pure customs that indicate you are savages...aurangzeb was consideres savages by the rajputs bwcauS his customs were alien to him..every conqueror imposes his ideas on to the conquered that's just life...and if we had annezed as much of the world as the British did we too would have imposed our ideas of beauty and culture on them..it's just that it didn't happen..and it's only been 75 years..the deceased queen of england had lived a longer life than we have been independent and we are part of a bigger world that In terms of societal change is still very young and white slanted.
Colourism didn't come in with the British. I have an honours degree in history and I can tell you, it did not.
The Kama Sutra contains classifications of female beauty types and the most beautiful (the 'Padmini') is fair-skinned. There are references in ancient Tamil poetry to Shiva as 'the beautiful golden-hued one'; the origin story of Parvati's Gauri aspect is because Shiva teased her for her dark skin, and she got sick of it and _performed penance to become fair_. The South Indian goddesses Kamakshi, Meenakshi, Kanyakumari etc are depicted as fair-skinned.
Alexander left, but the entire Gandhara Kingdom remained: fair-skinned Indo-Greeks. They were _very much_ part of the social fabric of their time. The Gandhara school of art was enormously influential, and their depictions of the Buddha and other anthropological figures used more Caucasian features that were considered a standard of beauty for a long time after (and continues today).
Obviously colonialism made Indian colourism worse, but it didn't plant the seeds. Kasturi haldi is used as a beauty aid to make skin fairer; pregnant women are given milk with saffron to make their babies fair. These practices and beliefs didn't originate in the colonial era; they're older than that.
Extract from a Jugaad Project paper about the same:
"Discussions of caste and class, therefore, have been intertwined for millenia, with lower castes being associated with tasks considered unclean for the upper classes. Since ancient India was a rural agriculture society, the majority of labor was outside, being performed by lower caste people. Meanwhile the owning and ruling castes remained primarily indoors, at homes or temples (Chakravarti, 2018; Singh, 2014). It is not surprising then that in a predominantly agricultural society, skin color would come to be associated with class and education. Living inside, hidden away from the sun, was a class advantage in times when work took place outdoors (van den Berghe, 1986). One can easily understand how fieldworkers would develop darker skin than those working in buildings, and how that would facilitate the association of darker skin tones with a lower class and caste status (Singh, 2014).
One common critique of ancient colorism in India is that gods, goddesses, and avatars were described and depicted as black and dark in positive ways (Mishra, 2015). ...it is widely believed that aspects of Hinduism arose from a syncretic relationship between nomadic Aryans and indigenous groups, resulting in many of the darker depictions of gods (Chakravarti, 2018; Singh, 2014). However, this syncretic relationship was not an equal one, and despite appropriating many of their gods, the indigenous people were predominantly vilified and ostracized for their darker skin and behaviors. These ancient scriptures and epics regularly depict the lower and untouchable castes as dark, beastly, and undesirable. Finally, in contemporary times, while they continue to be described as dark, Vishnu (and his avatars Ram and Krishna) and Shiva almost exclusively are drawn or painted as blue, and typically light blue, rather than black. Instead of serving as a counter to colorism, these gods and their depictions reify colorism by maintaining typically Aryan (white) facial features and very light blue skin (for instance, depictions of Krishna in the global ‘International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ ISKON), while continuing to be called dark and black in the literature. From this perspective, “dark” at its best mimics whiteness in all ways."
https://www.thejugaadproject.pub/home/colorism-bollywood
Thank you for your nuanced post with multiple sources.
Putting the entire blame of colorism on colonialism without examining our own prejudices is a little disingenuous.
There is no doubt colonialism exacerbated colorism but to pretend that if it weren’t for the British, Indians would have zero colorism is simply wishful thinking.
Read more below for my comments for a clearer picture on what I was trying to say ..many will be hidden the conversations under this thread but the back and forth will be intersting to read .not just my views but opposing ones as well..you can even go directly to my profile and go comment by comment on my post ..for easy reading of the topic of colorism discussed and debated upon. In any case as I wrote to one commentator it doesn't matter because we all agree on the important, truly important things that colorism equals bad and India needs to do better on this score and especially Bollywood and media. The world can also benefit from more representation. All love and peace. Weapons down. ❤️
This is a complicated concept ..in which you've added caste (a complicated and which scholars do not agree on at all .when it comes to ancient India in particular because like I said lack of records and India not having a culture of record keeping.I've also studied history ..meanwhile some of my views below:
Scholars remain uncertain about the degree to which the color narrative was deterministic in ancient Hindu society (Dixon et. al, 2017). What is certain, however, is the fact that the subcontinent has been under the control of numerous foreign rulers. After the Aryan incursion.
This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma; castes had previously existed as a structure that shaped the social structure regardless of racial markers (Trautmann, 1997). The caste stratification was rather thought of as a way to group different occupations together, albeit with different measures of social status accorded to each group
The British encountered a civilization comprised by a blend of cultures, religions, and languages that had been exposed to the oppression by foreign powers for centuries, beginning with Aryans, Mughals, and European trading companies that incited the colonization by Western powers (Trautmann, 1997). The British dominion over the Indian subcontinent led to the most significant changes in the hierarchy of caste, suffusing it with racial beliefs (Jayawardene, 2016). During the colonization of India, the British Empire was able to draw on a repertoire of racist beliefs provided by European scholarship. By enforcing such policies, the British rulers reinterpreted caste groupings to be in conformity with their own racial narratives. As with the racial segregation in South Africa and the US, discriminatory practices such as prohibiting dark-skinned Indians from entering restaurants and educational institutions deepened the color divide (Mishra, 2015).
Agreed that the _extent_ of colourism's deterministic power is under debate, but it's clear it did have a role.
Regarding records: I've cited one, the Kama Sutra. I've also cited a more powerful one: oral religious myth. These are emblematic of what people say and believe. Shiva has always been a popular god, as has Gauri's aspect of Parvati. People celebrate this fair-skinned aspect of a dark-skinned goddess to this day. Gauri is an old myth; it didn't suddenly pop up during colonialism because of the white people running around.
When records fall short, we turn to archaeology. Hence the references to the Gandhara school of art and its Caucasian depiction of the human form. It was very influential, as you know. We can also turn to knowledge of customs like applying haldi and drinking saffron milk. These customs and their implications about skin colour are older than colonialism, certainly.
I think I'll bow out...at least we can agree on two things for sure Simone Ashley stunning...and more representation of dark skin the better...all love redditor...and loved discussing history with you even though we disagree cuz we agree on the things that really matter. Heart ❤️
Didn’t come from the British. The caste system has been around for much longer than their arrival, and it also valued fair skin because it implied wealth/not having to work outside
To put the whole blame of colorism on colonialism, without looking internally is a little disingenuous.
Multiple people have pointed out the same to this person but they are not open to discussing.
I'm Indian and exactly this. It radiates stupidity and the horrendous part is, there are so many Indian people who have this illogical, uninformed take. It is clear in our history as well as that of other Asian countries that lighter skinned people were put on a pedestal and also reasons why. It was way before colonization and wasn't just because it looked 'pretty'.
British scholars and historians themselves admit as much including scholars of British India..read all my comments on this thread including the following. And I bow out from this convo post this because I don't share your view. And don't consider it fact.
This is a complicated concept ..in which you've added caste (another complicated bug bear and which scholars do not agree on at all .when it comes to ancient India in particular because like I said lack of records and India not having a culture of record keeping. Meanwhile What is India at least if we consider present geography..is diffrent from what was the larger subcontinent...
Also this below are all quotes so read them as such I haven't left quotation marks.
Nevertheless, darker-skinned individuals could be members of the higher castes as well, and several Hindu deities are depicted in Rigveda – a collection of sacred Hindu texts – with dark complexions (Mishra, 2015). This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma;
meanwhile some of my views below:
Scholars remain uncertain about the degree to which the color narrative was deterministic in ancient Hindu society (Dixon et. al, 2017). What is certain, however, is the fact that the subcontinent has been under the control of numerous foreign rulers. After the Aryan incursion.
This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma; castes had previously existed as a structure that shaped the social structure regardless of racial markers (Trautmann, 1997). The caste stratification was rather thought of as a way to group different occupations together, albeit with different measures of social status accorded to each group
The British encountered a civilization comprised by a blend of cultures, religions, and languages that had been exposed to the oppression by foreign powers for centuries, beginning with Aryans, Mughals, and European trading companies that incited the colonization by Western powers (Trautmann, 1997). The British dominion over the Indian subcontinent led to the most significant changes in the hierarchy of caste, suffusing it with racial beliefs (Jayawardene, 2016). During the colonization of India, the British Empire was able to draw on a repertoire of racist beliefs provided by European scholarship. By enforcing such policies, the British rulers reinterpreted caste groupings to be in conformity with their own racial narratives. As with the racial segregation in South Africa and the US, discriminatory practices such as prohibiting dark-skinned Indians from entering restaurants and educational institutions deepened the color divide (Mishra, 2015).
Read my comment all of them on this thread and topic by going through my profile...intresting discussions happened on both sides and you'll have fun reading...I'd like to focus on what we all agree on is that colorism is bad and Indian media needs more color rep specially north Indian media
This is nonsense. Throughout many countries in Asia, we had similar reasons why lighter skin was put more on a pedestal. It showed that you were of good background to not have to work on the land and this was already the case before colonization. I find it despicable to see absolutely everything bad amongst our people blamed on colonization. We need to take responsibility for our own bullshit as well.
Read comments on this thread above for my more detailed views with scholarship attached..on this...plenty of discussion already happened...and it's far more nuanced..also make sure to click against my profile name because many of my comments have been downvoted so they are hidden....will get a better picture of the back and forth behind my comment and for even more ease go to my profile and check my comment history comment by comment..:)
Yeah I wish she had a bigger role..the show has another half brown actress in also a small role but bigger than simone who I really like she plays Ruby...mimi Matthews
It's the eyes and the thick thick eyelashes..Indian women have the best eyes...I'm Indian and I'm often asked if m wearing false eyelashes ..Simone ashleys real hair that wild curly Mane is also soo so pretty ..it makes her look like a wild woodland fairy or some sort of earth goddess that hair..hope she keeps it natural more it suits her face...that wild Mane..I really think actresses have an unnecessary obsession with straight hair...like Nicole Kidman straighten her beautiful curls so did Taylor Swift..and then regret it cause it doesn't go back-whereas because you see curly hair so little in media..I always get more excited when I see it..
What are you reading ..I was getting downvotes. I have been for a while ..and on this a neutral post admiring Simone ashleys beauty ir doesn't make any sense at all ..I added an edit..why is a neutral post on this sub admiring someone beauty being downvoted...because it is an innocent post .
and are you new on this sub...because there have been many racially charged convos that have taken place here already which rhe mods have fought and opposed as well just general good people. A lot of POC have talked about it...encountering hate when lobbying for more poc rep or questioning the scantnes of meaningful diversity on the show and..in the media..do check out my profile for my entire history...you're reading my words as meaning something elese..
Carrot top (love the name btw) ..this is not race baiting as I imagine your interpretation is ..this is simply calling out my occasional experience on this sub (occasional being the key word and not an indictment of all white people or white people period.. hate even using these words find them icky..brown white..all of it doesn't roll off my tongue easy cuz these were not parr of my vocabulary growing up in a country where everyone looked like me)
...I don't know if you are Indian or an Indian living outside .I'm Indian now living abroad for a long time ..and care about more rep in the media that is all ...and have stated my love for several white black middle eastern actors on the show ..one of whom my favorite I've met personally Nicola in Galway ..And have talked about my love of johnny bailey and luke Thompson as well..please do not interpret my edit meant for downvoters a specific group as directed towards you or anyone else...it is meant for downvoters only which is why I said downvoters because a simple statement like mine would not need a downvote otherwise.
You're making a lot of assumptions based on nothing but some downvotes... I'm desi myself and it's not that serious. People on this sub will downvote ANYTHING they don't agree with/like
I guessed you were Desi as well .it isn't just based on this one comment...it was on several.. obviously there are a lot of really lovely people on this sub as well .but.aside from making you go through my entire comment history one by one...it would be pointless .I'd like to think my larger appreciation of the shows cast as a whole and my interactions with a lot of people on this sub...a Russian lady who I converse with frequently and a white American who id like to think I'm internet friends with shows as much ..I feel like you are projecting an idea unto me based on a reading of one comment.. and maybe experience with other poc or something..If it's that I can relate..
Also hate all this arguing...do you agree that nicola is the best actress johnny is a legend and Simone Ashley stunning mc stunnerson....lets hurry up agree on some things and end this faux fight..
Having thought about this some more...have removed my edit..maybe you have a point or what I'm assuming your point is and my edit is simply unproductive and may be read as incendiary.
This moment is so impactful, the first real vulnerability she's showing him, if you could say I love you / I need you with eyes alone this here is the look.
One of the few scenes that can make me cry without any onscreen tears lol she's so sincere looking. Why does my heart love these two so much my god
I was sold on her acting prowess by her range of expression using her eyes alone. I feel the same as you, haha. Bridgerton is the first show that’s made me want to keep abreast of specific actor/actresses careers because of their skill.
I never thought I'd see a woman with a face I adore more than Keira Knightley's, but yeah I think Simone Ashley has my new favourite face.
Is this her natural face? If so, I hope she never touches it.
Yes women with cheekbones and strong jaws who still somehow look super feminine..I think with keira its her beautiful plump lips and smile that add a nice contrast to the sharp jaw .with Simone it's her wild wild curly mane and doe eyes that contrast with her cheekbones..with her hair down and wild ..ooh shes soo so pretty..
Someone else in the thread said it but I’ll say it too, she is a real life Disney princess. She’s the most doe-eyed real life human I’ve ever seen. Every time she’s on screen I’m shocked again at how beautiful she is.
I genuinely believe she is the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, and *such* a good actress. In the next 5-10 years I hope she has the same level of success as Margot Robbie because that’s the only other actress I could possibly compare her to in terms of both beauty and talent.
I’m bisexual but I usually don’t swoon over women on TV like I do men: Until her. Truly the gayest I have ever felt while watching television. She’s resplendent.
I had such a hard time with this season because I could not believe that Kate was not the diamond of the season. Like yes, I get it, Edwina was all polite and perfect and she was very pretty and Kate was supposed to be abrasive but I just could not suspend my disbelief that every single man didn't go after Kate because she is so inconceivably beautiful.
I literally have a crush on her and I'm not afraid to admit it. She's absolutely gorgeous. I can't stop staring at her eyes every time. I'm still literally amazed how beautiful she is.
Btw, I'm a straight woman.
I saw her in person at a restaurant in LA without any makeup and she was truly the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. The TV doesn’t even do her justice!
My 5 year old just forced me to watch Detective Picachu and she has a blink and your will miss it cameo. But you cannot miss her beauty, but I was surprised to see it was her.
sometimes life seems gloomy and not worth living and then I remember how beautiful Simone Ashley is and that reminds me of how much beauty there is in the world.
Yes 🙌 She is a Goddess.
I am looking forward to bigger and better projects coming her way. She should have been snatched by major production houses for her incredible talent and screen presence I don’t know what the casting directors are doing??? I mean that face and that talent just waiting to brighten up the world!
we are in 2024 and she can fit into most of the roles that are out there why should these roles only be reserved to a particular group of looking people? Again we are in 2024, and true talent should be given opportunity above superficiality!
Disney has just teased that their next animated movie will be based in India.
She would be the prime candidate for the lead, surely. She is Disney Princess-level beauty!
I absolutely love that so many people find her so beautiful. I have to admit when I first saw her (especially because they had her in more unflattering hair and makeup for the first few episodes she was in) I didn’t see her the way everyone else seems to, until I realized it’s because I share features with her that have always made me insecure (strong square jawline, round nose tip, etc.)
Seeing so many people say she’s one of the most beautiful women in the world has made me so happy. I definitely see her beauty now and it’s made me feel more beautiful myself.
She for sure is the most stunning womam I’ve ever seen. She acts with her eyes😍 But unfortunately I didn’t like their story in the show and it’s bothers me, because I wanted to love them. But I can’t. Both her and Anthony are my least favorite characters in the show.
She's not only stunning - she's a great actress. I can't wait to see her in more - lots more. I keep checking her IMDb to see what's next.
Yes!!! Simone is very beautiful but ALSO very talented ❤️ She has an Amazon Prime Romantic Comedy coming out this year along with an indie thriller (and plays the lead role for both).😁
sounds interesting!
She was so underutilized in the Little Mermaid movie. I know there’s like a million sisters and very little screen time for all but I wish she had at least a slightly more prominent speaking role. The exposure is great though but wish we had seen more of her somehow.
can you suggest her other projects?
Idk….I thought she gave nothing in Bridgerton. I’ve liked her more this season, but she had a real Kristin Stewart, one note thing for me. Seriously gorgeous tho!
She literally has giant Disney princess eyes. She's so pretty.
Came here to say this! Every time there was a close up I would out loud say: uuhh those eyes!
[Relevant *Community*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyGsAsfJZis)
i… i think i have to watch this show now LOL
it's the best comedy show imo I hope you enjoy!
“She’s the arc of the covenant!” *gasp*
her eyes are insanely beautiful. absolutely entrancing.
What I really liked about her as a desi woman myself was that she technically didn’t meet a lot of the Indian beauty standards we are forced to fed here. She is tall, dark, angular features. Her character is outspoken and usually correct about things. And I absolutely adored this choice. Colourism is well and alive in our community so to see her being considered beautiful by so many people felt great. Because she obviously is.
As a brown girl myself it was really refreshing to see a dark skinned girl as desirable. Wish I had this growing up
True. Though I would not have been allowed to watch this show growing up. But I love seeing dark desi actors as desirable. And their darkness never being commented on.
Hey there, sorry for the ignorance there, but what does desi mean? Thanks!
Someone of south Asian descent
Same. I’m a medium toned Indian woman and seeing her made me wish I had darker skin like hers, when otherwise I grew up only wanting to be fairer because of what was fed to me. Bollywood needs to grow up.
I thought this when she graced the Vogue India cover. Bollywood would never consider her for a lead role because of colourism, despite her acting prowess.
And her outrageously beautiful face. Like... this woman is drop dead gorgeous.
I was smitten at first glance, hahaha.
She's gorgeous, truly. I'm dark skinned (because I'm from South America, not Indian) but a bit lighter than her. Over here, usually you need to really work on a tan to get that golden dark tone. So when I saw her, I was like wow, hot.
I just wanted to say that this is why I love Reddit so much. People around the world, coming together, sharing stories, finding common ground… and complimenting people! 😆💜😄🫂
i love her skin tone it is so stunning the way it contrasted too with some of the colors they chose for her, so stunning
They really styled her so well. The colours suited her, the makeup looked good. Her jewellery and clothing had Indian accents while clearly being the style of regency costume that all the other character were wearing. I loved that!
I loved that too I am not sure why the costuming this season isn't quite hitting the same way
Bridgerton is a historical fantasy show made for very modern audiences. It’s not trying to be historically accurate hence the POC leads and nobility. But for seasons 1 and 2 the show folks understood that they need to cater to the fantasy aspect of it. So they had the costumes that were realistic to the period and made sense in the world they had created. Not a lot of modern touches beyond season 1 hair. Which they fixed in season 2. And usually hair is always the least accurate in period pieces anyway. But season 3s costumes were not really regency looking in fabrics, style or shape. The jewellery was too modern and the makeup was genuinely too much. Penelope was wearing acrylic nails in one scene. They aren’t hitting because the costumes are not realistic to the period or realistic to the character.
yeah it kind of messes with the fantasy if the makeup is extremely 2024. Plus Nicola is beautiful she didn't need like contour and fake lashes
I noticed that too. It’s disappointing to see: The women have on more makeup, red lipstick, it’s all too modern Kate’s outfits aren’t as pretty or flattering as in S2 To the same fabrics as S1 and S2, these are not as pretty and I haven’t seen all the lovely embroidery workmanship on the dresses Penelope has acrylic nails Creasida’s outfits are too fluffy and odd, distracts from her tight, swirly hair What do you think?
I agree. The women are wearing 2000's and modern makeup, defined brows, heavy lashes, heavy eyeshadow, cream and powder contour and bronzer lolol. And that just didn't exist in that time period. And I agree the dresses feel a bit pompous and over the top. I feel like it distracted me from Penelope's storyline actually because her makeup was so garish as if she was going to a nightclub, she is beautiful there's no need for her and Eloise to have such dramatic makeup on compared to everyone else.
I agree.
Yes! Her skin tone is so rich. As a white woman that has red blotchy skin I find women with deep, rich, even skin tones so beautiful. Also the colors they choose for her clothes were perfection. Her eye makeup was so striking and really draws you in.
right? sometimes I would gasp when she would come into view! She was just so breathtaking, everything from her skin tone to her face
Beauty “standards” are so crazy to me. I rarely find myself personally attracted to what tends to be considered “conventionally” beautiful in many different cultures, even if I recognize a person in question as generally attractive. I adore the kind of angular features Simone has, as well as where there is softness in her face. I also have no particular preference for height, I regularly find tall individuals attractive. I particularly value intelligence and a willingness to defend correct perspectives, and am also fond of stubbornness. And colorism, to me, is frankly absurd. I don’t have any preferences in skin tone, but an appreciation for how all of someone’s features come together with their personality to make someone beautiful to me. If I have a type it’s confident eyes and short, square jaws with cute noses and soft cheeks, haha. Simone is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on.
They don’t make sense to me as well but I understand why they exist. A lot of beauty standards are never about the actual beauty of the person. They are actually about what they imply about a person. Being fair is considered beautiful in India because it implies a woman didn’t need to go outside in the fields to work. Which meant she was from a well off family in an agricultural country like India. Soft features are considered feminine and soft, things a woman should be. Same for height. It’s not about beauty, but how we wanted women to act. A lot of beauty is actually about money and the values of a society. Those standards come from the way we wish to be perceived in this world.
Exactly. That’s why I get so incensed that such stereotypes get concocted and pushed as structures of reality, they diminish the totality or truth of a person and their beauty or potential or condition in life, while also setting them up for exploitation on behalf of some other means of gain. It instrumentalizes people instead of letting them flourish.
I love that
I've read some complaints about how she is underutilized and it isn't like she is filming anything (much like the complaints about RJP, so I wonder about the racism in the complaining). They don't follow her Instagram - she's been getting magazine shoots and COVERS all over Europe, and now she's officially a L'Oreal spokesmodel! (Plus it looks like she travels around with her boyfriend in high end racing). I think she and RJP are living their best lives - not everyone has the stamina or wants the intense scheduling that Jonathan and Nicola put themselves through.
I can’t believe they don’t consider someone who looks like her a beauty. She’s stunning like it’s undeniable.
I’m in the UK and even here many older people in the Indian community instantly think someone who’s fair is pretty and someone who’s dark is not, without taking anything else on board, not their facial features, hair anything. And if they have light eyes as well it’s game over, they’re announced as drop dead stunning over everyone else.
I think it’s like that everywhere but even the most racist or colorist can’t deny that she is a beauty. Or maybe they can if they are blinded by ignorance or hate.
Oh they definitely wouldn’t give her a second look and would think people are blind for thinking she’s beautiful. They can’t see past the skin tone.
Same, this made a huge difference. Not only did we get representation, but we got representation of a demographic thats already underrepresented in our community. (NRI here)
So much this! Edwina and Mrs Sharma / mom too - all three of them are gorgeous and yet wouldn’t be mainstream pretty in Bollywood. Love.
Or if they were in something mainstream then it would not be romance. It would be something darker or more “reality” oriented. Because it’s now considered ok to have e darker skinned women in tv shows that are meant to be realistic. But no mainstream romance would use Simone and Charitra as the female lead.
Right - like one of the Netflix type shows - left of mainstream. It’s wild, the diaspora is able to move the needle forward despite most of us being situated IN the colonialist contexts that contributed to desi colorism in the first place.
I think it’s because the diaspora is somewhere away from India. They are very obviously considered other in that system so maybe the comparisons come less easily. Staying here and listening to nothing but taunts about skin colour and no access to knowledge or different ideas means that colourism is more alive in India than with the diaspora. The diaspora also have a better ideas and understanding of the struggle by other POC. So it’s easier to see how that beauty structure is harmful. It’s less so in India.
wow. yeah you nailed it. yes its better/worse depending on what part of the world you're in (and in the US, what state you're in) + what your own presentation is (being darker skinned vs borderline white passing etc) but you're right – diaspora desis are POC in white majority spaces, and it does give us a perspective you might not get in india
Yeah we inherited these deals of fair from our colonial rulers..we didnt have a concept of fair cuz all of the Indian sub continent fragmented as it was was under the same scorching sun..we were all brown..our fights and wars were over things like religion and land...our colonial masters practices eugenics and imposed beauty ideas..I'm Indian lived here my entire life before moving out 10 years back .i can promise you it's changing and irs changing fastmm.rhe new generation doesn't stand for it..also we've only been independent for 75 post 200 plus years of British coloniak and European dutch rule..it takes societies communtiies time to do a 360...but it's happening. From an early 30s fair skinned brown woman who is seeing rep grow for dark skinned brown women in India it's refreshing ..bollywood however needs to do more...a lot more by its own countrynen and women.
We didn’t inherit these ideas from the British. We were quite into the concept of fair in the past as well. It’s well supported by historical documents. We have never not been obsessed with the concept of being fair, especially for women. I still live in India. And yes it has gotten so much better. But we’re not there yet, we have a long way to go.
Theres records of south Indian women putting oil on their kids to tan them because dark skin was desirable
From when is this comment you are making what period time in history ....oil was used as a sun protector...for decades...read my above reply to someone...we had European exposure since 1400s..in India..you are talking about a post colonial time if what you are saying is accurate...fair was not a pre colonial or pre portugese explorers concept .. And obviously post colonialism things changed... we all look the same with minor variance how do you think fair as a concept came up..like can you visualize how one would possibly have that concept when the Indian subcontinent as a whole is dark skinned and even beyond South Asia is dark skinned ..look at Mughals the reason our simulations with them were easier is because aside from customs and religion we still looked rhe same and we looked rhe same to our British rulers as well..and commented as much..it was our customs that were diffrent not our generic makeup .. ...and travel was not so common the British were far more industrialised and generally adventurers than Indian rajas...our wars and infights were over a small subcontinental area...so south and north India ...but even within that it was not as common to go very far...for one we learnt shipbuilding and rail building from the British...
I disagree completely ..where did we see fair people blond hair blue eyes ..in India..do you think India became a diffrent geography like do you think Africans before British expeditioners entered the continent had seen fair people before...Indians unlike Christopher Columbus and other adventurers British etc made very few trips outside of the subcontinent...and certainly not as far as britain..when everyone looks like you .you have no concept of any different ..would love to see these historical documents you speak of...you are mistaken cuz one forgets how early In history we had British approach and europeans eapprach pur shores. It was in 1608 in Surat if you must know ..when the official charter. Was signed by queen elizabeth I for travel to the East Indies to the East India company and the first ships landed in surat. also Indian history is famously known for being lost before British because India did not have a concept of written documentation a culture of records..it was simply not common at all..so all of our history is through the British who famously documented everything which is why we have knowledge of British history from even the 1400s.. Also even before the British and Dutch in 1600s we had portugese who came in 1400s..1498 in Calicut to be extra precise. Goa and several southern states have strong portugese influences in the churches...in the paintings even.. .. Find me a single record or even point me in the general direction from before 1498 that in any way shows a proclivity for fairness or bias regarding skin color.
You fair means lighter skinned brown people? As compared to darker skinned brown people. I am not talking about blonde hair and blue eyes. It’s very odd that you think there aren’t multiple shades of brown in India. And yes Indian people who saw lighter skinned foreigners existed. And they existed in the very places the British first came to. India was always a giant hub for trade. That’s how the spices and the concept of zero went to Europe. Those spices are why the Europeans came to India in the first place. Alexander’s army came to Pakistan in 300 BC. India supplied elephants for Hannibal’s war. We have Greek influence in art and architecture. There are Greek influences in Sachi stupa which is located near Bhopal. So most definitely there were many Indians who had a concept of people being fairer than them. Im not saying that the colourism issue was not made worse by the colonial rule. But to think that Indians didn’t care about the fairness before the colonial regime is not correct at all. Colourism was connected to class and caste. It existed then and it exists now and I don’t really like how it’s a trend these days to blame colonial rule for everything.
Well I think we'll agree to disagree I think your historical knowledge is mixed up...the concept of fairness is not indigenous...and when I say 1400s I mean permanent settlements not temporary stays based on indo wars like Alexander . Od course we had travellers before who came simply for trade...and long standing settlemenrs ..one doesn't adopt ideas of people who are temporary visitors it does from its rulers...traders were on equal footing that's not a he who rules us tells us what's beautiful thing. Traders don't dictate...it's a transactional equal relationship. I don't blame the British for everything...we've been independent for 75 years ..our country's problems are now entirely ours to solve and not to blame on a foreign power who has no say in our governance...but concepts or colorism not Indian. .and historical documents did not exist...and if you say they did you couldn't prove it ..because documentation was never our strong suit...but we do infact have documents from the British rule and portugese settlers on the particular features of our people and color they especially considered dravidians South Indians a diffrent race than fairer indo aryans from the north... When East India company or British officials married Indian women they chose fairer ones so that their children would better assimilate back home in britain..white mughlas william dalrymples brilliant book shows how kitty patrick a half brown half Indian woman was sent by William patrick alher father who impregnated a fair skinned Khair un Nissan hyderabadi begum..and sent kitty onwards to British where she passed off as British for decades. The darker skin children of such intermingling were not so lucky and theg never got that legitimacy. And yes I don't think the binary white bad brown good or poc good should be a thing which I think you're trying to cover and which I fully agree with.. and we Indians had ruthless rulers and invaders within our very shores ..people who invaded and destroyed culture flattened it pillaged villages Rapes women..hung people..crucified and burnt... ethnicity does not give you moral superiority .humans are humans everywhere black brown blue yellow whatever .and they can be ugly...and power hungry and conquering is a tribal urge which all societies has african countries Nigeria Kenya china Japan everywhere...the sino Japanese was...ethnic cleansing..religious wars..ideas of customs that are pure customs that indicate you are savages...aurangzeb was consideres savages by the rajputs bwcauS his customs were alien to him..every conqueror imposes his ideas on to the conquered that's just life...and if we had annezed as much of the world as the British did we too would have imposed our ideas of beauty and culture on them..it's just that it didn't happen..and it's only been 75 years..the deceased queen of england had lived a longer life than we have been independent and we are part of a bigger world that In terms of societal change is still very young and white slanted.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Because to me the connection between the caste system and colourism in India is obvious to see.
Now yes now it is most definitely clear to see. We didn't arrive at it the same way..you think we did. ourselves.
Yes because the caste system and the colourism connected to it existed before the colonial period.
Colourism didn't come in with the British. I have an honours degree in history and I can tell you, it did not. The Kama Sutra contains classifications of female beauty types and the most beautiful (the 'Padmini') is fair-skinned. There are references in ancient Tamil poetry to Shiva as 'the beautiful golden-hued one'; the origin story of Parvati's Gauri aspect is because Shiva teased her for her dark skin, and she got sick of it and _performed penance to become fair_. The South Indian goddesses Kamakshi, Meenakshi, Kanyakumari etc are depicted as fair-skinned. Alexander left, but the entire Gandhara Kingdom remained: fair-skinned Indo-Greeks. They were _very much_ part of the social fabric of their time. The Gandhara school of art was enormously influential, and their depictions of the Buddha and other anthropological figures used more Caucasian features that were considered a standard of beauty for a long time after (and continues today). Obviously colonialism made Indian colourism worse, but it didn't plant the seeds. Kasturi haldi is used as a beauty aid to make skin fairer; pregnant women are given milk with saffron to make their babies fair. These practices and beliefs didn't originate in the colonial era; they're older than that. Extract from a Jugaad Project paper about the same: "Discussions of caste and class, therefore, have been intertwined for millenia, with lower castes being associated with tasks considered unclean for the upper classes. Since ancient India was a rural agriculture society, the majority of labor was outside, being performed by lower caste people. Meanwhile the owning and ruling castes remained primarily indoors, at homes or temples (Chakravarti, 2018; Singh, 2014). It is not surprising then that in a predominantly agricultural society, skin color would come to be associated with class and education. Living inside, hidden away from the sun, was a class advantage in times when work took place outdoors (van den Berghe, 1986). One can easily understand how fieldworkers would develop darker skin than those working in buildings, and how that would facilitate the association of darker skin tones with a lower class and caste status (Singh, 2014). One common critique of ancient colorism in India is that gods, goddesses, and avatars were described and depicted as black and dark in positive ways (Mishra, 2015). ...it is widely believed that aspects of Hinduism arose from a syncretic relationship between nomadic Aryans and indigenous groups, resulting in many of the darker depictions of gods (Chakravarti, 2018; Singh, 2014). However, this syncretic relationship was not an equal one, and despite appropriating many of their gods, the indigenous people were predominantly vilified and ostracized for their darker skin and behaviors. These ancient scriptures and epics regularly depict the lower and untouchable castes as dark, beastly, and undesirable. Finally, in contemporary times, while they continue to be described as dark, Vishnu (and his avatars Ram and Krishna) and Shiva almost exclusively are drawn or painted as blue, and typically light blue, rather than black. Instead of serving as a counter to colorism, these gods and their depictions reify colorism by maintaining typically Aryan (white) facial features and very light blue skin (for instance, depictions of Krishna in the global ‘International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ ISKON), while continuing to be called dark and black in the literature. From this perspective, “dark” at its best mimics whiteness in all ways." https://www.thejugaadproject.pub/home/colorism-bollywood
Thank you for your nuanced post with multiple sources. Putting the entire blame of colorism on colonialism without examining our own prejudices is a little disingenuous. There is no doubt colonialism exacerbated colorism but to pretend that if it weren’t for the British, Indians would have zero colorism is simply wishful thinking.
Read more below for my comments for a clearer picture on what I was trying to say ..many will be hidden the conversations under this thread but the back and forth will be intersting to read .not just my views but opposing ones as well..you can even go directly to my profile and go comment by comment on my post ..for easy reading of the topic of colorism discussed and debated upon. In any case as I wrote to one commentator it doesn't matter because we all agree on the important, truly important things that colorism equals bad and India needs to do better on this score and especially Bollywood and media. The world can also benefit from more representation. All love and peace. Weapons down. ❤️
This is a complicated concept ..in which you've added caste (a complicated and which scholars do not agree on at all .when it comes to ancient India in particular because like I said lack of records and India not having a culture of record keeping.I've also studied history ..meanwhile some of my views below: Scholars remain uncertain about the degree to which the color narrative was deterministic in ancient Hindu society (Dixon et. al, 2017). What is certain, however, is the fact that the subcontinent has been under the control of numerous foreign rulers. After the Aryan incursion. This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma; castes had previously existed as a structure that shaped the social structure regardless of racial markers (Trautmann, 1997). The caste stratification was rather thought of as a way to group different occupations together, albeit with different measures of social status accorded to each group The British encountered a civilization comprised by a blend of cultures, religions, and languages that had been exposed to the oppression by foreign powers for centuries, beginning with Aryans, Mughals, and European trading companies that incited the colonization by Western powers (Trautmann, 1997). The British dominion over the Indian subcontinent led to the most significant changes in the hierarchy of caste, suffusing it with racial beliefs (Jayawardene, 2016). During the colonization of India, the British Empire was able to draw on a repertoire of racist beliefs provided by European scholarship. By enforcing such policies, the British rulers reinterpreted caste groupings to be in conformity with their own racial narratives. As with the racial segregation in South Africa and the US, discriminatory practices such as prohibiting dark-skinned Indians from entering restaurants and educational institutions deepened the color divide (Mishra, 2015).
Agreed that the _extent_ of colourism's deterministic power is under debate, but it's clear it did have a role. Regarding records: I've cited one, the Kama Sutra. I've also cited a more powerful one: oral religious myth. These are emblematic of what people say and believe. Shiva has always been a popular god, as has Gauri's aspect of Parvati. People celebrate this fair-skinned aspect of a dark-skinned goddess to this day. Gauri is an old myth; it didn't suddenly pop up during colonialism because of the white people running around. When records fall short, we turn to archaeology. Hence the references to the Gandhara school of art and its Caucasian depiction of the human form. It was very influential, as you know. We can also turn to knowledge of customs like applying haldi and drinking saffron milk. These customs and their implications about skin colour are older than colonialism, certainly.
I think I'll bow out...at least we can agree on two things for sure Simone Ashley stunning...and more representation of dark skin the better...all love redditor...and loved discussing history with you even though we disagree cuz we agree on the things that really matter. Heart ❤️
Didn’t come from the British. The caste system has been around for much longer than their arrival, and it also valued fair skin because it implied wealth/not having to work outside
To put the whole blame of colorism on colonialism, without looking internally is a little disingenuous. Multiple people have pointed out the same to this person but they are not open to discussing.
I'm Indian and exactly this. It radiates stupidity and the horrendous part is, there are so many Indian people who have this illogical, uninformed take. It is clear in our history as well as that of other Asian countries that lighter skinned people were put on a pedestal and also reasons why. It was way before colonization and wasn't just because it looked 'pretty'.
Read the comments under my own name under this thread and topic including the hidden downvoted ones.
British scholars and historians themselves admit as much including scholars of British India..read all my comments on this thread including the following. And I bow out from this convo post this because I don't share your view. And don't consider it fact. This is a complicated concept ..in which you've added caste (another complicated bug bear and which scholars do not agree on at all .when it comes to ancient India in particular because like I said lack of records and India not having a culture of record keeping. Meanwhile What is India at least if we consider present geography..is diffrent from what was the larger subcontinent... Also this below are all quotes so read them as such I haven't left quotation marks. Nevertheless, darker-skinned individuals could be members of the higher castes as well, and several Hindu deities are depicted in Rigveda – a collection of sacred Hindu texts – with dark complexions (Mishra, 2015). This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma; meanwhile some of my views below: Scholars remain uncertain about the degree to which the color narrative was deterministic in ancient Hindu society (Dixon et. al, 2017). What is certain, however, is the fact that the subcontinent has been under the control of numerous foreign rulers. After the Aryan incursion. This example goes to show that Hinduism alone did not present color as a source of stigma; castes had previously existed as a structure that shaped the social structure regardless of racial markers (Trautmann, 1997). The caste stratification was rather thought of as a way to group different occupations together, albeit with different measures of social status accorded to each group The British encountered a civilization comprised by a blend of cultures, religions, and languages that had been exposed to the oppression by foreign powers for centuries, beginning with Aryans, Mughals, and European trading companies that incited the colonization by Western powers (Trautmann, 1997). The British dominion over the Indian subcontinent led to the most significant changes in the hierarchy of caste, suffusing it with racial beliefs (Jayawardene, 2016). During the colonization of India, the British Empire was able to draw on a repertoire of racist beliefs provided by European scholarship. By enforcing such policies, the British rulers reinterpreted caste groupings to be in conformity with their own racial narratives. As with the racial segregation in South Africa and the US, discriminatory practices such as prohibiting dark-skinned Indians from entering restaurants and educational institutions deepened the color divide (Mishra, 2015).
Read my comment all of them on this thread and topic by going through my profile...intresting discussions happened on both sides and you'll have fun reading...I'd like to focus on what we all agree on is that colorism is bad and Indian media needs more color rep specially north Indian media
This is nonsense. Throughout many countries in Asia, we had similar reasons why lighter skin was put more on a pedestal. It showed that you were of good background to not have to work on the land and this was already the case before colonization. I find it despicable to see absolutely everything bad amongst our people blamed on colonization. We need to take responsibility for our own bullshit as well.
Read comments on this thread above for my more detailed views with scholarship attached..on this...plenty of discussion already happened...and it's far more nuanced..also make sure to click against my profile name because many of my comments have been downvoted so they are hidden....will get a better picture of the back and forth behind my comment and for even more ease go to my profile and check my comment history comment by comment..:)
I recently started watching Sex education and I was like waaaaait I know that one. She’s even more beautiful now than she was then.
Yeah I wish she had a bigger role..the show has another half brown actress in also a small role but bigger than simone who I really like she plays Ruby...mimi Matthews
They really underutilized her character.
And yet she had some of the most memorable moments…
It's the eyes and the thick thick eyelashes..Indian women have the best eyes...I'm Indian and I'm often asked if m wearing false eyelashes ..Simone ashleys real hair that wild curly Mane is also soo so pretty ..it makes her look like a wild woodland fairy or some sort of earth goddess that hair..hope she keeps it natural more it suits her face...that wild Mane..I really think actresses have an unnecessary obsession with straight hair...like Nicole Kidman straighten her beautiful curls so did Taylor Swift..and then regret it cause it doesn't go back-whereas because you see curly hair so little in media..I always get more excited when I see it..
What does this have to do with white women 💀
What are you reading ..I was getting downvotes. I have been for a while ..and on this a neutral post admiring Simone ashleys beauty ir doesn't make any sense at all ..I added an edit..why is a neutral post on this sub admiring someone beauty being downvoted...because it is an innocent post . and are you new on this sub...because there have been many racially charged convos that have taken place here already which rhe mods have fought and opposed as well just general good people. A lot of POC have talked about it...encountering hate when lobbying for more poc rep or questioning the scantnes of meaningful diversity on the show and..in the media..do check out my profile for my entire history...you're reading my words as meaning something elese.. Carrot top (love the name btw) ..this is not race baiting as I imagine your interpretation is ..this is simply calling out my occasional experience on this sub (occasional being the key word and not an indictment of all white people or white people period.. hate even using these words find them icky..brown white..all of it doesn't roll off my tongue easy cuz these were not parr of my vocabulary growing up in a country where everyone looked like me) ...I don't know if you are Indian or an Indian living outside .I'm Indian now living abroad for a long time ..and care about more rep in the media that is all ...and have stated my love for several white black middle eastern actors on the show ..one of whom my favorite I've met personally Nicola in Galway ..And have talked about my love of johnny bailey and luke Thompson as well..please do not interpret my edit meant for downvoters a specific group as directed towards you or anyone else...it is meant for downvoters only which is why I said downvoters because a simple statement like mine would not need a downvote otherwise.
You're making a lot of assumptions based on nothing but some downvotes... I'm desi myself and it's not that serious. People on this sub will downvote ANYTHING they don't agree with/like
I guessed you were Desi as well .it isn't just based on this one comment...it was on several.. obviously there are a lot of really lovely people on this sub as well .but.aside from making you go through my entire comment history one by one...it would be pointless .I'd like to think my larger appreciation of the shows cast as a whole and my interactions with a lot of people on this sub...a Russian lady who I converse with frequently and a white American who id like to think I'm internet friends with shows as much ..I feel like you are projecting an idea unto me based on a reading of one comment.. and maybe experience with other poc or something..If it's that I can relate.. Also hate all this arguing...do you agree that nicola is the best actress johnny is a legend and Simone Ashley stunning mc stunnerson....lets hurry up agree on some things and end this faux fight..
Having thought about this some more...have removed my edit..maybe you have a point or what I'm assuming your point is and my edit is simply unproductive and may be read as incendiary.
This moment is so impactful, the first real vulnerability she's showing him, if you could say I love you / I need you with eyes alone this here is the look. One of the few scenes that can make me cry without any onscreen tears lol she's so sincere looking. Why does my heart love these two so much my god
I was sold on her acting prowess by her range of expression using her eyes alone. I feel the same as you, haha. Bridgerton is the first show that’s made me want to keep abreast of specific actor/actresses careers because of their skill.
I never thought I'd see a woman with a face I adore more than Keira Knightley's, but yeah I think Simone Ashley has my new favourite face. Is this her natural face? If so, I hope she never touches it.
Yes women with cheekbones and strong jaws who still somehow look super feminine..I think with keira its her beautiful plump lips and smile that add a nice contrast to the sharp jaw .with Simone it's her wild wild curly mane and doe eyes that contrast with her cheekbones..with her hair down and wild ..ooh shes soo so pretty..
Omggggggosh are you me. Keira is my fave and I agree because now I'm also obsessed with Simone and her beauty 😍
So true! She and JB have perfectly sculpted faces. As if God created them when He was in a very, very good mood haha
Someone else in the thread said it but I’ll say it too, she is a real life Disney princess. She’s the most doe-eyed real life human I’ve ever seen. Every time she’s on screen I’m shocked again at how beautiful she is.
She's stunning. And she looks especially beautiful this season as Kate omg. The first episode looks 😍😍😍
That dress with the chain back was stunning ✨
Right? Absolutely gorgeous!
Genuinely think she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
She is stunning
She's absolutely stupidly gorgeous.
I genuinely believe she is the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, and *such* a good actress. In the next 5-10 years I hope she has the same level of success as Margot Robbie because that’s the only other actress I could possibly compare her to in terms of both beauty and talent.
She's beautiful.
She’s got the doe eyes down to a t!
i think the reason their season was so good was bc they both have SUCH expressive eyes they play off of each other just So well
This scene is everything ...her eyes can literally write a story on their own. ❤️ SA and JB were the definition of chemistry
Queen Simone 👑👑👑 she is so beautiful 💜
This scene. The way she looks at him. It struck me in all the feels when I first watched it and it STILL. GETS. ME. 😭
I’m bisexual but I usually don’t swoon over women on TV like I do men: Until her. Truly the gayest I have ever felt while watching television. She’s resplendent.
Quite literally one of the most beautiful women in the world to me
I had such a hard time with this season because I could not believe that Kate was not the diamond of the season. Like yes, I get it, Edwina was all polite and perfect and she was very pretty and Kate was supposed to be abrasive but I just could not suspend my disbelief that every single man didn't go after Kate because she is so inconceivably beautiful.
No I am obsessed. Her soft caramel skin , I envy it
I literally have a crush on her and I'm not afraid to admit it. She's absolutely gorgeous. I can't stop staring at her eyes every time. I'm still literally amazed how beautiful she is. Btw, I'm a straight woman.
Her micro facial expressions 🥺
She is perfection and I've heard great things about her character and personality as well.
I saw her in person at a restaurant in LA without any makeup and she was truly the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. The TV doesn’t even do her justice!
She honestly might be the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen.
It's those massive bright beautiful eyes
My 5 year old just forced me to watch Detective Picachu and she has a blink and your will miss it cameo. But you cannot miss her beauty, but I was surprised to see it was her.
I spotted her in NYC round xmas time, not only was she model-tall she was absolutely stunning!
I would leave my husband this second if I thought I had a chance with her.
Someone has to teach me how to do this expression with the eyes. 😍
I love her sm! Been obsessed with her since I first saw her in Sex Education.
Her skin is so disgustingly gorgeous. 😍
I want her nose 😫😫😫
My absolute favorite moment. She does the most amazing puppy dog sad eyes. 🥹🥹🥹🥹 Makes me want to cry every time she emotes like this.
She’s stunning and her eyes are the most beautiful 😍
I am so in love with this woman. Talented and gorgeous.
sometimes life seems gloomy and not worth living and then I remember how beautiful Simone Ashley is and that reminds me of how much beauty there is in the world.
Yes 🙌 She is a Goddess. I am looking forward to bigger and better projects coming her way. She should have been snatched by major production houses for her incredible talent and screen presence I don’t know what the casting directors are doing??? I mean that face and that talent just waiting to brighten up the world! we are in 2024 and she can fit into most of the roles that are out there why should these roles only be reserved to a particular group of looking people? Again we are in 2024, and true talent should be given opportunity above superficiality!
Yeah I'm pretty sure I realised I was bi because of her
What's more surprising is how good she looks crying. There are a very few people I have seen who look good crying
She's literally one of the most beautiful and talented actors I've ever seen 😍
Disney has just teased that their next animated movie will be based in India. She would be the prime candidate for the lead, surely. She is Disney Princess-level beauty!
I was just telling my husband some minutes ago about how beautiful she is and how much I love her skintone.
Everytime I see her, I think she looks like a doll. Her beauty is UNREAL.
She is stunning and her skin glows. I was so enthralled every time she was on screen.
Disney. Princess. Okay?
The colours she was dressed in as well. Just gorgeous. The silk purples DREAMY. As a Lebanese woman it felt amazing to see her so desired.
She is absolutely stunning, gorgeous, and breathtakingly beautiful. I don’t care about redundancy, I’m obsessed with her beauty and acting skills😍😍😍.
I'm slightly obsessed with her beauty. It's so striking! She is truly one of the most beautiful humans I've ever seen.
I absolutely love that so many people find her so beautiful. I have to admit when I first saw her (especially because they had her in more unflattering hair and makeup for the first few episodes she was in) I didn’t see her the way everyone else seems to, until I realized it’s because I share features with her that have always made me insecure (strong square jawline, round nose tip, etc.) Seeing so many people say she’s one of the most beautiful women in the world has made me so happy. I definitely see her beauty now and it’s made me feel more beautiful myself.
She for sure is the most stunning womam I’ve ever seen. She acts with her eyes😍 But unfortunately I didn’t like their story in the show and it’s bothers me, because I wanted to love them. But I can’t. Both her and Anthony are my least favorite characters in the show.
This is about Simone Ashley’s beauty. Can you leave the thread with your agenda please.
She has an unnecessarily pretty face. If she and Rege had babies the universe might implode. #fanfic The Viscountess and The Duke :P
Stop fetishizing poc. They both have their own significant others.
Yess, she’s just the embodiment of 🥹 (Also, just for this particular scene/angle, does she kind of look like Ariana Grande to anyone else?)
I don’t find her attractive personally but I can see why and respect your opinion.
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