I was always fascinated with models walking on the ramp. As a kid, I loved watching Fashion TV for hours together. The beautiful dresses the models wore , the make-up which concealed every bit of flaw on their skin, the hair which was always well done, their shoes and their confident walk, all of it was just so mesmerizing.
Now that I think about it I realize that none of the models walking the ramp were ever fat? None of the models were skinny? None of the models were dark skinned? Can’t a black big woman or a woman with freckles who is skinny qualify to be a model?
As soon as a girl is born, we condition the child in a way, whereby she is forced to believe that “only fair and thin” means beautiful. We live in a world which has set parameters of beauty, which unfortunately are regressive.
The world is a global village and in every part of the world, people look a certain way. A fair and blonde woman is as beautiful as someone with black skin and big hips. Beautiful in their own way.
However, it is going to take a while for the world to acknowledge and normalize the existence of women of all shapes and sizes. Even today, the majority of fashion brands are not size inclusive. A skinny or a big woman has to always face the embarrassment of being turned away from a shop, as her sizes are unavailable.
Fashion Houses and Designers do not realize the frustration and bad shopping experiences a woman has to go through, for not having their sizes available even for basic clothing, forget cute clothes. A lot of brands have gradually started to market themselves as “size inclusive” , however in reality never include too skinny or too big women in their sizing.
To go a step further, the society does not forgive a woman who does not fit in their “token representation” of a perfect size. The hatred a plus size or a skinny woman receives on social media, is mind boggling.
I was going through some reels posted by makeup artists who specialize in bridal make-up. None of the artists thought of enhancing the natural skin shade of a “not so very fair” bride. Every artist wanted to loathe the bride with kilos of foundation, concealer, skin corrector and what not, in an attempt to make her look “fair and beautiful”. I was surprised that the majority of brides too did not insist on retaining their natural skin tone and were elated with the “fair and lovely” look.
Are we too ashamed to accept ourselves just the way we are? Why do we try to impersonate someone else just for the sake of being accepted by the world?
Cosmetic brands have made billions of dollars every year and continue to do so from India alone. Cosmetic Companies have been marketing and shoving down our throats , products which attack our existence. Skin Lightening creams, Concealers, Skin Correctors, Toners, Foundations , every single product aims to change the way you naturally look. Women mindlessly buy them. Even I have. I have spent a lot of money and time for a very long time, until I realized that my body , my skin are a part of me. My existence.
We don’t realize that these companies are actually capitalizing on our insecurities. Women mindlessly buy them.
I firmly believe that the world calls itself “Modern”, however with every passing day we are only getting premitive. We are all so bothered about what people think and say about us, that unknowingly it starts impacting our credence and confidence. We gradually become a version of how people want us to be and not what we actually are.
It’s time we realize that we cannot control what people say to us or their opinion about us, but we can certainly control how we let their opinions IMPACT us.
It’s time to get up and shout out loud, “ I am what I am and I am the best”.
