Never Have I Ever arrives with its third season, and the show is as Brown as it can get. From Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) being asked to stay away from boys to Kamala (Richa Shukla Moorjani) expecting an unattractive Indian boy to approach her for marriage, the Indian-ness of the show is what kept everyone hooked. With the new season as well, the Brown representation just got better. Especially, with the brown mom just being the sometime-rational-sometimes-irrational self that everyone could relate to.
Interestingly, so was the case with Ms Marvel. The show embraced the Pakistani culture so well that it was lauded for it after every episode. More than the Brown dads, the annoying siblings, and the religious aspect of it, The West had us affixed to how well they represented the Brown moms in these shows, who hardly get mentioned in conversations about South Asian representation in the West. We take a look at how these characters were absolutely relatable for any Brown kid.
No Late Night Parties or Boys
Be it Poorna Jagannathan in Never Have I Ever or Zenobia Shroff in Ms Marvel, both the moms were always against the girls going to late parties or hanging out with boys. This is something every brown girl could relate to. Their concerns are legit, but the tension that it creates was felt by every kid watching these shows.
The Go-To Person
No matter how much they scold us, we always go running to them for advice. Be it boy trouble or fights with your friends, moms are always there to rescue you. They give the best guidance and never let you sail through something difficult alone.
The Fear of the Society
Brown moms are always thinking about ‘log kya kahenege‘, and both Ms Marvel and Never Have I Ever has instances where the moms talk about social norms and how one should behave. We know their intentions are in the right place, but a rebel kid has got to do what a rebel kid does.
Teaching you the Traditions
While brown fathers might not care, brown moms make very sure that their kids know of the traditions. Be it Jagannathan dragging Ramakrishnan’s character to the temple or be it Shroff asking Kamala to take part in Eid festivities, we all related to being dragged to functions like these by our moms.
Being Protective
No matter how much we fight, how much we argue, and how much we disagree with each other, the love-hate relationship is protective. Brown moms will do anything to keep their kids safe and we see many instances of this in the two shows.
(Featured Image Credits: YouTube @netflix & @disney+)
