If you are an Asian living in the US, you will definitely connect with the Asian stereotypes portrayed in the show Never Have I Ever. Well, nothing negative but we love this show for all the right reasons. The show has a brown girl as the protagonist who has her room to shine and take the spotlight as the lead of the show.
Besides, the show’s cast is super diverse and it shows us how it really is to be a first-generation kid from an immigrant family. The show is super realistic and shows us the struggles of the 15-year-old high school girl Devi who literally has the same issues any native kid would have.
Well, the story revolves around Devi Vishwakumar, a Tamil-American girl who is an academic genius. Devi loses her father and is paralyzed, and after she gets back on her feet, she wants to make her sophomore year a memorable one by dating the sexiest person at school, Paxton Hall Yoshida. Well, there are a lot of other interconnected stories in this series, where we see each character struggling in his/her own way.
The Definition of a Good Kid is The One Who Listens to Their Parents
Well, if you are a brown kid, we are sure you know what this means. From where they come from, brown parents have a very different way of parenting and they want their kids to be super obedient to them. When you are a brown kid like Devi, you are either a rebel, or you know your way with your parents like Aneesa does. Both ways, an obedient child who shows a lot of inclination towards their parent is the definition of a good kid.
Indian Moms Can Be Overbearing When You Have Exams
If you know an Indian teenager, or if you are an Indian yourself, we are sure you know how overbearing an Indian mom can be when it is ‘that time of the year’. Well, one of the major reasons why Indian people are so intelligent and always score the best is because they have moms who are after them at all times. This is the reason when Paxton goes to Devi for tutoring; she plays pretend as his overbearing Indian mother.
The Cultured Grandma
When we say cultured grandma, we mean Indian grandmas are super inclined towards their culture and religion. In Never Have I Ever, Devi’s grandma hardly approves of Manish because he is born and raised in the US and isn’t aware of his culture or religion. While Kamala does take a stand for Manish, the beauty of the values she is taught is that she still tries to make her grandma like Manish.
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Besides, when Manish makes an effort to make Patti happy by learning about Indian culture and by looking out for Devi, Patti starts liking him. So, even though Indian grandmas are inclined towards their culture, they have a very soft heart.
Being a Born Genius
Well, as we discussed, Indian people take grades very seriously. So, all the Indian people we see in this show are true geniuses. Nalini is a successful dermatologist who runs the house, Kamala is getting her PhD as a biologist, Manish is a school teacher, Devi is a genius at high school, and there are other Indian characters who are true geniuses. Well, this fact is not at all limited till the series and is an actual thing because as we discussed, Indian’s take grades and career seriously.
They Are Awesome but They Don’t Know It
Well, as we see in this show, there are some real kickass women of color. Because of being born brown in a place that had been ingrained with racism at some point, these women underestimate themselves a lot. Well, when Devi never believes Paxton or Ben when they tell her she is hot or awesome. However, it is the first time Devi comes to know that she is hot and attractive and much more when she dates Des who is not from her school.
This one fact gives Devi confidence to some extent and she realized that she is likable but she never believed it because of her image at her current school, which had also changed after Paxton mentioned her in his speech.
Marriage Proposals Are Taken Seriously
Well, the most important part about Never Have I Ever especially when we see Kamala’s struggle towards choosing the right person, we see how Indian grandmas would want the best of the best for their daughters in terms of marriage.
Rejecting a pretty decent marriage proposal, or breaking off an engagement becomes an issue of honor for Pati, but those are just stereotypes. When we watch Never Have I Ever, Kamala’s grandma stays mad at her for rejecting a man who would have been perfect for her, but Kamala tries to break the stereotype and tries to explain to her grandma that one needs to be fully ready before getting married, which she eventually understands. From this, we understand that Indian grandmas stick to their values but the most important thing for them is their children’s happiness.
Final Thoughts
In order to watch this TV show and similar ones, all you need is a good TV service, and for that, we suggest you to check out WOW TV. WOW channel line-up has plenty of channels for you to enjoy, plus it comes with on-demand content which you can watch at your own convenience. So, get your TV service now and enjoy similar shows.
Well, we hope you enjoyed reading this article and learned a thing or two about brown people and their grounded values. We love how Never Have I Ever portrays the Indian culture so beautifully in its most raw element.
