Indian Men Are Obsessed With “Russian” Women
India and Russia are two superpowers in the world right now. They have always been friends, since before the Soviet Union was renamed as Russia. The Soviet Union launched one of India’s very first satellites and it was all friendship and business between them. Yet, for many Indian men, the relationship is defined by a singular, objectified image of Russian women. By what means did this fascination, close to obsession, develop?
Today throughout India, the word ‘Russian’ is thrown around carelessly in the context of women, be it both appreciation or mockery. Elaborate discussions on ‘Russians’ ( strictly women) and their sex appeal, attractiveness and their looks take place in circles of boys as young as thirteen to men as old as sixty. Such topics have been normalized to the extent of them being humorous with people bursting out laughing at these ‘jokes’.
Why is this happening so rampantly? What is so enticing about Russian women that Indian men cannot stop talking about them?
Let’s discuss Indian men first
It is no hidden secret, Indians are obsessed with fair skin.
It starts at a rather vile wish, hoping the baby turns out ‘gora’ like the mother/father and an even more vile thing is publicly expressing displeasure about the child not being as fair as ‘ghar wale’ had expected. In a country where women have relentlessly been called out and mocked for having a darker skin tone, it should not be surprising that Indian men are obsessed with white skin. This notion is so deeply ingrained in their minds that they naturally avert eyes when it comes to actual ‘Indian’ skin – BRONZE.
Women have been bearing the brunts of men and their desire since time immemorial. Be it the besan haldi face pack or empty tubes of Fair and Lovely in average Indian households. Countless women are subjected to taunts and blamed for their child’s skin colour. Biology usually takes a backseat in such cases where people refuse to acknowledge the fact that it’s both the parents’ genes that decide the child’s genetics. But then when have people not enjoyed troubling women because they had nothing better to do?
Children too are not spared. Friends addressing each other as ‘kaala’ is so normal that they don’t realize it’s basically giving insecurities to the one that has to bear it. Imagine your whole existence being reduced to your skin tone, horrifying to say the least.
Russian women : exotic and unattainable
“we always want what we can’t have’’
Let’s face it – what’s forbidden will always make you chase it. The idea of possessing something that we don’t have or cannot have even in the future, makes you desire it with more intensity.
For Indian men, Russian women are exactly that.
It’s not new for Indians to gawk at foreigners on the streets and try to impress them with an attempt to speak miserable English. Russian women are super attractive – fair skin, an hourglass figure, blonde hair. This glorification is also a result of the invasive spread of the porn industry in our country.
With the increasing number of Russian and Ukrainian women working in the porn industry, it will only keep setting an unrealistic expectation of female bodies. Moreover, they are treated as mere sex objects with that being their ‘job’.
For many Indian men, a Russian or for that matter any white woman is exotic. Also, not understanding their language sort of heightens the mystery.
“6000 mein toh Russian aa jati hai!”
While this is not funny on any grounds, it was widely popularized among men (and boys) of all ages. In this utterly disrespectful statement (it is not worth calling a joke), Harsh compared a living, breathing woman to every other lifeless ‘real’ object, which is inhuman in the first place. To add to that, he went to add a price-tag to that woman which not only was a dim witted move, but also indicated how ‘cheap’ and ‘easily available’ they were to sleep around.
As a result of this ‘joke’ reaching the Indian masses, a shameful incident occurred in Udaipur. A YouTuber – Mithilesh Backpacker and his wife who is of Russian origin along with their two year old son were on a visit to the City Palace when a group of men made derogatory comments on his wife. They harassed her with comments like “6000 rupaye?’’ in front of her husband who immediately captured the whole scenario on camera and later uploaded it on YouTube. While he threatened to call the police, the group of men continued to deny the ‘allegation’ by reasoning that they “did not say anything to him and his family’’.
All thanks to Harsh Gujaral for his valuable contribution in ruining India’s tourism prospects.
From Human to Object
Ever wondered why the random women dancing in the background of an item song are completely racially different from the main actress of the song?
It isn’t a surprise wherein the broody hero of the film walks into a dance bar and is surrounded by foreign women in outfits that highlight a flat stomach and long legs. Why are the Russian and Ukrainian women always portrayed as cabaret dancers or prostitutes?
Bollywood has never depicted a Russian/ Ukrainian woman as an intellectual character. We’ve never seen them read books, have logical debates or just be treated as humans and not as ‘objects’ to gawk at. This partly stems from the notion that white women are dumb and ‘too pretty’ to be intelligent and partly from the obvious assumption that they come to India to work in the showbiz to flaunt and display their bodies because what else could they be here for?
Are married men an exception?
Absolutely not!
Marriage has never been a barrier for infidelity. If people don’t hesitate having extra-marital affairs, merely desiring a ‘Russian’ woman is no big deal for the society. Though, morally it is.
A classic example of an Indian man fawning over a fair woman despite being married is depicted in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. While having achieved a cult classic show status, it is disturbingly normalized how Taarak Mehta has made borderline infidelity a comical thing. Jethalal Gada is a character that is shown consistently flirting with Babita Iyer – who is also married by the way.
The fact that Jethalal has a kid and a loving wife Dayaben, it hasn’t stopped him from constantly trying to impress Babita. Also, it is worth mentioning how the character of Babita is conventionally attractive with a fair skin tone, dyed hair and an hourglass figure. She wears ‘modern’ clothes in comparison to the other women of the society.
All such stereotypical depictions have led to the collective downfall of Indian society.
Fair and Lovely thought they did something by changing the brand name to Glow and Lovely – yes they made a fool out of themselves.
We live in 2025 and yet the obsession with fair skin persists, with people specifically mentioning it as a criteria for an ideal spouse in arranged marriages. The fasciation that Indian men have with Russian women won’t stop until the mania of fair skin, larger breasts and hips wears off.
What can be done to improve this situation?
While it is not possible to eradicate this ‘desire’ completely, steps can be taken to curb it in the initial stages of social media exposure. Accepting the fact that pornography is only for entertainment purposes and none of it is real can play a huge part. Refraining from watching porn would be even better, especially for thirteen year old’s.
Kids (especially girls) being taught to be confident in their own skin would ultimately lead to a transitional shift in the thought process of a whole generation. A small discussion wherein they are taught that all skin tones are beautiful can save them and us (as parents) a lot of work.
Basic respect becomes an inevitable part of a child’s holistic development. Instilling the thought that humans and objects are distinct and incomparable for a reason, and that casual disrespect isn’t something they would get away with will automatically make them more aware and sensitive about it.
As for Bollywood, it’s high time they change for their own good. With the audience growing more alert and aware with every passing second, tactics to gain viewership need a transition. Cancel culture is on the rise and facing backlash is a common thing. Bollywood needs to study its target audience in a better way and forget the need to show skin in dance numbers.
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Articulated By Saee Mhaskar, 1st year Student at Media and communication, Fergusson College.
