Most Apprehensive Fiancée

From the "Unsuitable Girls" Series

Once upon a time—and still sometimes today—Indian parents in America raised their sons and daughters to be suitable candidates for marriage. Suitable daughters would be skilled cooks, immaculate housekeepers, and dutiful servants to family members. Artists Anjali Bhargava and Swati Khurana staged and photographed young, “unsuitable” desi women, awarding them handmade trophies for their unsuitability, and raising questions about the sexist origins and contemporary relevance of such standards.