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Indian American creator questions ‘normalized’ racism toward Indians online
The reel references videos of Indian women at the Mumbai concert that circulated widely, drawing comments suggesting people “didn’t know Indians were hot.”
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 19, Dec 2025
- 12:13 EST
- 16
Seerat Saini / X (Seerat Saini)
Indian American content creator Seerat Saini criticized the normalization of racism toward Indians on social media platforms, following viral reactions to videos of Indian women attending a concert in Mumbai.
In an Instagram reel, Saini criticised online responses that expressed “shock” at the attractiveness of Indian women, arguing that such reactions reinforce long-standing racial stereotypes rather than challenging them.
Also Read: Indian American creator on being “whitewashed” across generations
“Why is being racist to Indians so normalized on TikTok?” Saini said in the video, adding that the sudden shift in tone after the concert clips went viral was troubling.
The reel references videos of Indian women at the Mumbai concert that circulated widely across TikTok, Instagram and X, drawing comments suggesting people “didn’t know Indians were hot.”
Saini pushed back against this framing, questioning why basic recognition of Indian beauty was being treated as a revelation.
“Why is the internet acting like they’ve never seen a desi baddie?” she said, pointing to global platforms such as Miss Universe and Bollywood as long-standing counterexamples to such stereotypes.
Saini also addressed what she described as a reductive portrayal of Indians in both India and the West. In the reel, she criticized depictions that associate India primarily with poverty or limit Indian identity in Western contexts to narrow stereotypes, including the trope of the “ugly nerdy Indian.” She said such narratives erase diversity and reinforce harmful hierarchies of value based on appearance.
“India is incredibly diverse with hundreds of different ethnic groups, cultures, languages,” Saini said, adding that there is “no one look to being Indian.” She further argued that the online reaction revealed a deeper issue — the idea that people are treated as fully human or deserving of respect only if they meet certain beauty standards.
In her Instagram caption, Saini linked the current wave of commentary to her own experiences growing up, writing that it was “heartbreaking” to think of young Indian girls encountering the same remarks online that she heard in school.
She said all people deserve basic respect regardless of appearance and criticized the notion that reduced racism based on physical attraction should be seen as a compliment.
The reel drew widespread engagement, with several commenters echoing Saini’s critique and pointing to broader cultural shifts.
One user attributed the backlash to coordinated online activity, writing, “It’s the counter bots. India is booming,” while highlighting Indian influence in global fashion, referencing luxury brands, sari-inspired runway designs and cross-cultural red carpet appearances.
Another comment praised Saini’s intervention, saying she was “putting desi girls on the map on this social media thing.”
Other users welcomed the conversation more broadly. “Finally someone said it,” one commenter wrote, adding that they were frustrated with the perception that India remains “stuck in ancient times.”
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