Taking a little break from our featured weddings today. Because I had the chance to do something amazing last week.
I met Miss America! Our first Indian American desi girl, Nina Davuluri!
The Miss America contest is conflicting for me. While I love their support for scholarship and service, I always wonder, “is it necessary to do it in a bikini?”
I don’t believe so. But today is more than just bikinis and answering questions about world peace. Hearing Miss America speak was enlightening and encouraging. Nina is a real role model.
Unfortunately when Nina was announced as Miss America last year, the Twittersphere lit up with comments on everything from happy feet to downright racist comments. People called her “Miss Taliban” and “Miss 7-11” and some told her it was just un-American.
Yea, talk about intolerance in the melting pot of the United States.
See what Miss America has to say about those racist comments after she was crowned.
Miss America, Nina Davuluri on Racism in America
As an born American Telugu Indian, Nina grew up in a household that values education above anything else. She began doing pageantry contests not because she was a “skinny hottie” but because she wanted to raise money to pay for her college tuition.
Currently she has raised over $100,000 to pay for MBA school in fall 2015. She plans to debt free when she graduates. And really, what Indian parent wouldn’t be proud of their MBA daughter without debt!
In the interview session at Macys with Nina, she spoke about her passion for encouraging young girls into the STEM program, science, technology, engineering, mathematics. Most of us South Asian raised women in the US can be safe to say that our parents encouraged (or maybe made us) study the hard sciences, but many minority women don’t have that support from their families.
Miss America on education and acting
And how lovely it was to hear Miss America talk about education, not makeup, being the foundation for women’s success and mobility.
Nina also talks about the traditional gender roles Indian women face. At an event, she met someone who asked, “excuse me, but can you cook?” See what Nina responds in the video below!
And which Desi woman hasn’t been there and done with sexist, gender questions from men, but even South Asian men.
At the end of the discussion, guests had a chance to meet her in person and take a photo.
Isn’t Nina just stunning!
Oh, and for those of you wondering she isn’t *that* tall. I was wearing ballerina flats and she was wearing 4in platform pumps. Not a skinny supermodel and definitely has those beautiful desi curves (just like Mindy).
I think my favorite moment of the evening was learning that Miss America struggles as any child in a South Asian family. Her family still wonders what she “does” as a beauty queen. And that her sister, a fourth year in medical school, is indeed the golden child.
The beauty of impressing our desi parents, even Miss America is still doing it.
Of course, when I met her, I just had to her something on Indian weddings. That was, “Miss America, what is your favorite mithai at an Indian wedding?”
Miss America’s response?
Rasmalai.
Excellent choice Miss America, excellent choice.