New Girl: The Influence Of Indian Culture

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The influence of Indian culture can be seen in countless movies or TV shows within the United States. From movies like Wizard of Oz that holds many Buddhism ideologies or The Jungle Book that names characters after their Hindi name. Unfortunately, not all of these movies show a positive light on Indian culture, and often contain many offensive or racist ideas. However, some TV shows attempt to enlighten its American audience through jokes or storylines that show parts of the Indian culture. In the television show, New Girl, produced by Fox, the Indian character Cece brings a glimpse of her native culture to the viewers. This show displays some racist qualities, but also educates viewers on some old Indian traditions that are admired by others.…show more content…
He puts a light on the many stereotypes Americans have about the Indian culture. When asked what he loves about India, he lists a lot of inaccurate or stereotypical things about India because he does not really know much about India. For example, he says his favorite thing is “Slumdog (referring to the movie Slumdog Millionaire), pepper, Ben Kingsly, has respect for cows, the Taj Mahal, monsoons, and cobra’s in baskets”. For Americans who do not know much about India, they would probably think of things like those listed above. Schmidt makes a fool of himself by trying to look smart and like he knows the Indian culture when really he has no idea. This sheds a light on the struggles that Indian Americans face with people who are uneducated about their culture and end up being…show more content…
This episode shows the traditions of Indian marriages. The ceremony lasts three hours because of all the traditions that are to take place during the ceremony. Additionally, before the ceremony Cece gets her hands hennaed. This tradition symbolizes the bride beautifying and adorning themselves for the special day. Henna comes from a plant that is made into a paste when applied to the skin and then is absorbed into the skin when it cools, making it last for many weeks. Many other women who attend the wedding or are related to the bride have get henna designs done on them as well. Cece’s wedding attire is very traditional Indian wear. She wears a red two-piece dress with a long red veil/shawl that drapes over her head and down to the floor. Her dress has gold elaborate designs and jewels. She has a gold band around her head with large red jewels that hand down onto her forehead. On her wrists she has many bangle bracelets that are gold and red as well. Red is known as one of the most admired colors in the Indian Hindu culture. Additionally, it is a tradition for the bride and guests to wear gold jewelry which explains why she was wearing gold bangles on her

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