In the eye of the beholder

The idea of beauty is undergoing a global transformation; ‘beautiful’ is today an inclusive word that makes space for all hues, every shape and size, wrinkles, grey hair and warts.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall…Who’s the fairest of them all? Just an evil queen’s question to a mystical mirror in a children’s tale or something more sinister? Such tales have often defined our conceptual understanding of what is beautiful and what is not, since eternity. Though ‘embracing oneself’ and ‘being natural’, are phrases dropped into most conversations, offline or online, are we actually doing that in reality?

Even if actual ‘radical’ changes are minimal, an itch for transformation is now clearly visible. After all, 2020 was the year of campaigns. A ‘skin whitening’ cream brand dropped ‘Fair’ from its title after realising it was being quite unfair, #BlackLivesMatter was tweeted most, and inclusivity was discussed across webinars, online forums and social media platforms. The evolving is slow, yes, but evolving it sure is.

A picture of an international footwear store displaying plus-size activewear was much appreciated on the www. Ramps in the last few years have asked models of all sizes to walk. Colour, tone, shapes and background — so-called beauty stereotypes are all being broken, left, right and centre.

Amidst these, there are awkward moments in films, where light-skinned actors are painted darker to portray dark-skinned characters. And at the other end of the spectrum, dark-coloured actors do not make it to lead roles.

A matter of social milieu

Actor Shahana Goswami, recently seen in ‘A Suitable Boy’, a dusky beauty who has played many true-to-life roles, says she’s lucky that she has ‘never been asked to fit in’. “I’m aware that I have had a lucky streak. At the time I started, there was a convention of how things were, but also an offshoot of Bollywood started at the same time. I started off with ‘Yun Hota To Kya Hota’, which was a different kind of film and had an amazing team, followed by other interesting roles,” she recollects.

During ‘Ru Ba Ru’, Arjun Bali liked Shahana’s naturalness, which helped her with the character. “I am a dusky actress, yet I was chosen to play the lead role, when there were 20,000 others who probably fit into the ‘fair and lovely’ category and the aesthetics of the role,” she says.

Shahana feels that in the past five years, “actors are chosen on the basis of what one brings to the character” in Bollywood. “There still exists a certain ratio of actors who are rejected on a pre-set criterion like skin colour and appearance, but the ratio is much healthy now. Supply of actors is now falling short, which has opened up things,” she says.

Have OTT platforms helped actors be as natural as possible? Shahana believes that all ages have had all types of women in them, fuller-bodied to dark-skinned.

She says, “Till the 80s, things were more natural. It’s the late 90s and 2000s, when ramp-model lookalike actors became popular. If OTT platforms existed then, they wouldn’t have showcased roles as they do now. People are watching all kind of shows and cinema, some of them widely experimental, which has broadened the spectrum.”

It really depends on the social milieu and gets reflected in the content being done, she adds.

A definite plus

Plus-size model, body activist and feminist Payal Soni, notes that the Indian fashion industry is evolving, but game-changing opportunities from bigger brands that focus on hard work and visibility for big-sized models are much needed.

“I hope the change is fast, but it will take time. I am glad that the fashion industry is considering artistes who are on the bigger side for important roles now. Earlier, such individuals were mostly chosen for comical roles; which used to upset me,” she says.

Payal recalls facing discrimination. “Some brands call themselves ‘Body Positive’, but in reality, they are more focused on the financial aspect and not on being supportive towards unconventionality,” she mentions.

Indian brands need to understand that Indians have different body types. “People of all sizes should feel accepted and confident to be in their own skin. The obsession towards conventional models should give way, as the world is moving ahead,” she says.

On the stage too

Discrimination does not only affect the glitz and glam world, but also cultural forms of expressions. Chennai-based Bharatanatyam dancer Nrithya Pillai says that the whole notion of how appearances mattered in classical dance is problematic, because it comes from an upper-caste stewardship of art.

“The notion that a certain look is necessary for Bharatanatyam or any classical dance is etched in the minds of many people. Linearity in both the body and the form are being noticed,” she says.

If one delves into history, it is easy to realise that neither did just slim women perform the artform, nor was it ever linear. “In families like mine, it has been a well-rounded artform; it’s all about curves and grace, and not so much about lines,” says Nrithya.

History is propagated wrongly, with such notions. Nrithya, who has a dark complexion, wore a significant amount of makeup while practicing the artform initially, but has weaned off it with time. “I now wear makeup to enhance my features and define my eyes, and not to match a certain concept of a skin tone,” she says.

Dating the dance form to hereditary courtesan communities like the one her family belongs to, Nrithya points out that archival pictures clarify that many dancers were dark-skinned.

“We are Tamil-speaking indigenous people and there is no way all of us were fair. Gradually, the hereditary courtesan community was criminalised and the artform was taken over by the upper caste, which is when beauty standards set in,” observes Nrithya.

A lot of people want to say a lot of things; many are vocal about ‘problems’, but there seems to be no actual change, she adds.

Is whatever little change that is seen around for real? One must wait and observe, as changes might be just part of a passing fad, feel some.

Just politically correct?

Author-dancer Anuja Chandramouli notices that nowadays everyone likes to ‘mouth things that are politically correct’. “We say inner beauty counts, talk about not conforming to societal expectations, and rejecting superficial standards. The starved, size-zero look is no longer fashionable, we talk about health goals now. But, I feel we are still enslaved by impossibly perfect Instagram photo standards,” she says.

One might talk a big game but looking good for the camera is still a requisite. “When we feel such pressure, we should stop and ask who exactly are we trying to impress? Girls spend money they can’t afford to look fabulous. We are caught between personal vanity and consumerism,” she says.

Anuja, who has two daughters, “hopes their self-esteem isn’t tied to how they look”. She adds, “It’s not just women, even men ‘have to be’ tall and ripped.”

Many are woke now and unconventional topics are being discussed more, certainly, but often it feels like just ‘talk’. “Rational discourse still seems impossible as most of us listen only to people who share the same echo-chambers we inhabit,” she says.

Stop saying ‘beautiful’

Mala Sridhara, associate professor and head of the department of psychology, NMKRV College for Women, Bengaluru, who observes young girls on a day-to-day basis, says that the concept of wanting to be beautiful and looking beautiful is at crossroads with notions handed to us from the West, especially the idea of being fair and about marketability.

She says, “When most foreign corporations wanted Aishwarya Rai or Sushmita Sen to be beauty queens, they were not inherently valuing their beauty. The big businesses saw that they could capture the cosmetic market of India by crowning these individuals.”

This largely depends on the overriding ambition of women to be seen, picked and get attention, and find the right man to date, live with or marry, she adds.

“It’s a nasty run to present themselves as beautiful. Girls, since they are toddlers, are told about how pretty they are and should stay. The need to be attractive all the time is instilled into them,” she says.

The need to be accepted keeps one in the race. “This notion won’t go away till women realise that it’s not just their physical attributes that make them attractive. The change has to start from education, from school to college, parents to teachers. Don’t label your child ‘beautiful’,” she says.

She recalls a recent incident where a college student who always wore skirts had switched to jeans, since the salons were closed. “Practices like waxing changes one’s concept of beauty and even dressing choices. Until people learn to accept themselves for who they are, things are far from being changed,” she says.

From harmful practices to waking up

These beauty norms have forced some to undergo harmful look-altering processes too. Journalist Judy Wanjiku Jorgensen, who hails from Kenya, but resides in Denmark, recollects her generation being bombarded with Eurocentric (white) beauty standards — from artificial braids and wigs to perming hair with scalp-burning chemicals, all in an effort to match the beauty that was (and still is) constantly projected through Western films and TV shows.

“To look professional, one had to straighten their hair, which required strong chemicals and it was really harmful. However, in the last 10 years, there is a certain degree of inclusivity, where people can be who they are,” she says.

Judy wore her hair in dreadlocks for around 10 years, and recollects being asked at a job interview if she was willing to chop off her locks, if offered the job. “I was flabbergasted. I was denied the offer for taking a stand, but I’m glad I was. Now, from teachers to CEOs, most women are embracing dreadlocks,” she says.

Hair products that helped handle Afro hair better were not easily available years ago. “The world has finally woken up and now there are more products available to keep hair like mine healthy and manageable,” she says. She adds that in Africa, like India, light-skinned people are considered to be ‘desirable’. Skin bleaching was another concern around 20 years ago. “Being dark-skinned wasn’t considered beautiful and we didn’t have too many role models in the media too,” she says.

Actress Lupita Nyong’o has often spoken about how she has faced bias and has been breaking stereotypes, and many young girls are growing up watching such role models now, notes Judy. “It is encouraging to see how the Sub-Saharan film industry, most notably Nollywood (Nigerian film industry) and South African films, are featuring more dark-skinned actors.”

The sense of awakening among dark-skinned people is a big step, Judy adds. “The realisation that one doesn’t need to live up to Eurocentric
beauty standards is liberating. More magazines and movies are featuring dark-skinned women now. It is important for dark-skinned people to realise that lighter skin doesn’t equate to higher status, privilege, and beauty.”