The Indian Arranged Marriage System Publicly Updated Its Vocabulary, But Remains Prejudiced Privately
Indian Matchmaking has infamously made the arranged marriage system appear twee and normal — sweeping its unsavory bits under the rug of vulnerability and humor. Meanwhile, on dating apps, many young Indians are looking for matches themselves — but only the kind their families would approve of; “arranged love,” in other words. In this pursuit, however, individuals end up filtering for caste, class, religion, and appearance markers — under the guise of modern, empowered millennials making their own choices. Meanwhile, courtesy of the plethora of content showcasing matchmaking and wedding spectacles on TV — and the Western gaze they endeavor to appeal to — the global audience has developed an obsession with arranged marriages in India. After all, they’re selling the cutesy spectacle of love, set against opulent backgrounds and glittering traditions; who doesn’t love love, right? The illusion of freedom and agency thus attached to arranged marriages today, leads to many Indians being gree...