10 Times Indian Matchmaking Made Us Cringe & Reach For Some Comfort Ice Cream

If you find yourself reading this article, you already know about the furore that this reality show has created EVERYWHERE on social media. Indian Matchmaking follows Sima Taparia (Sima Mami to those in the know) who calls herself the top matchmaker in Mumbai (and we believe her), on her mission to bring the two most-suited people together as the perfect jodi. Don't get us wrong, arranged marriages have been around for centuries in India and there are millions of happy couples who met through their parents or matchmakers. What made us gag in the show, however, was the knee-high list of absurd potential qualities the participants wanted their future spouses to have. On top of the very colourful cast Netflix managed to assemble, we were treated to a variety of stereotypical views with a good measure of patriarchy dressed up in terms like 'adjustment'. Instead of telling you more, let's just dive in and recap some of the most off-the-charts weird moments Indian Matchmaking gave us (there are spoilers ahead). Fair warning: you'll need to keep that ice cream handy!

1. If Women Are Lawyers In India, People Are Scared!

Picture Credits: imdb

Not even 20 mins into the series and this statement is what you hear. No, we’re not even kidding and if you've seen the show, you already know how sexist that sounds. Since the first to-be bride is a bachelorette who is 34 years old (oh, the audacity!) AND a lawyer, Sima Mami immediately seizes the opportunity to tell her that the world is still scared of a strong, professional woman. Maybe this holds true for certain sections of Indian society, but don’t we all say, “Yehi soch toh badalni hai”. But we don't need to add a spoiler alert to say that that does not happen in this show.

2. When Little Things Like Open-Mindedness Are Supposedly Not Important For Happy Marriages *Come Again?*

Picture Credits: netflix

Okay, if your first thought was that we were making a joke there, we aren't *straight face*. Yup, there’s actually a moment in the series when ace matchmaker Sima Taparia is seen regaling us with this jewel of wisdom. Now, you may have dreamt of looking for a partner who understands you well and is open-minded about your choices & aspirations, right? Well, let’s just say that this whole notion is thrown out of the window. Oh, and BTW, we're still on the first episode here *sighs wearily*.

3. 'Cause Boys Always Want Their Wives To Be Submissive

Picture Credits: netflix

That’s actually the opening line of one episode where an elderly couple discuss their years of togetherness and the wife says, “Boys always want the wives to be submissive, which today’s generation is not going to do”. Just no, no, no! We practically wiped away tears of anger when we heard this sentence. The whole normalization of the idea of wives being submissive is just plain disheartening. We get the entertainment factor that comes in with such sweeping (and possibly inflammatory) statements, but the fact remains that millions of people from all stages of life watch and are influenced by Netflix. Do we really have to bandy about such outdated and 100% pure patriarchal thoughts?

4. When The Term ‘Compromise’ Evolves To Become An Excuse To Settle For Way Less Than You Deserve

Picture Credits: netflix

This is actually the favourite catchphrase of our showstopper Sima Mami. Can’t find the guy of your dreams? Compromise. The suitor doesn’t match your checklist? Compromise. At one point, the term ‘compromise’ is so overused that it becomes an excuse to climb out of sticky situations. Yes, compromising is important in life and we get that. But we can't use it as an excuse ALL THE TIME to settle for way less than we deserve. Maybe Sima Mami is the one who needs to do better - just throwing it out there!

5. The Damn Clock Is Always Ticking *Arghhh*

Picture Credits: netflix

Indian Matchmaking features a plethora of people who believe that a person is incomplete if they don't get married by a certain age. You know, like a carton of milk in a supermarket, apparently we too have expiry dates. Brilliant. In an episode, one mother says this to her son as a counter-argument to the fact that he's not ready to get married. Whatever happened to being ready for marriage when one is mentally, emotionally and financially ready? I guess they threw that out along with the expired carton of milk.

6. When The Criteria For The Most Suitable Match Is Decided By Mom, To Be EXACTLY Like The Mom

Picture Credits: netflix

So, there was a moment in the show when one of the suitors said that his ideal wife should basically be a replica of his mother *facepalms*. Yep. When asked about what else he is looking for in his partner, he pretty much relies on his mother's criteria for the perfect bahu. It’s one thing to trust your parents' choice, but an entirely different thing to request a carbon copy of your mom as your wife. Yuck.

7. Excuse Number 8747747: Efforts Are Meaningless ‘Cause The Stars Didn't Align (Who Cares About Compatibility?)

Picture Credits: humornama

Yes, there were several instances where our matchmaker relies on face or kundli reading to conclude whether it’s a match made in heaven (by relying on the heavens for answers, naturally). We may have come a long way, but it’s sad to see so many educated people relying on astrology to find their significant others. Yes, you can believe what you want, but letting the kundlis make the final decision? For once, we are out of cringes.

8. If Wives Are Busy At Work, Who Will Take Care Of The Kids = Best Mic-Drop Sexist Argument *Insert Applause Emoji*

Picture Credits: netflix

This is an actual statement from the show. One particular bachelor was pretty happy with the fact that his wife is smart and educated, but when it comes to using this knowledge for her own ambitions, he is quick to scowl in disagreement. While this is not a universal thing, but we just found out that there are a number of people in the so-called ‘young generation’ who actually believe that women can’t have a career when they marry, and boy, is it infuriating!

9. When The Ideal Criteria For An Eligible Bachelorette Is "Fair, Slim, Trim & Educated" Because Being A Good Person Has Left The Chat

Picture Credits: netflix

At a time where you have ongoing movements like ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘No More Body-Shaming’, the criterion for the ideal bahu still is the stubbornly persistent ‘fair, slim, trim and educated’. Clearly, the cast of Indian Matchmaking doesn't care about things like being a good person or pesky qualities like compassion. Superficiality is the name of the game when it comes to Sima Mami and her brigade and we can only hope that cooler heads prevail when it comes to a new generation of Indians finding their partners.

10. When Marriage Boils Down To Making Tiffins & Breakfasts. Compatibility And Understanding Who?

Picture Credits: netflix

We couldn’t help but cringe a thousand times when one mother told her son to get married so that her daughter-in-law could pack his tiffin and make his breakfast. Someone - and it won't be us, clearly needs to tell her that what she’s looking for is a cook and not a bahu. Gender-defined stereotypes frolick about with impunity in this here comedy of idiots and we are NOT here for it!

There were countless moments apart from these when we were left questioning the society that we live in and we immediately called our BFFs to talk about the cringe-fest that is this show. Tell which moments made you shake your head in the comments below!

Watch The Cringe-Fest Right Here | Indian Matchmaking