The Ugly Myth: Who Decides What바카라�s Beautiful?

Imagine two islands. Imagine the ocean stretched wide between them. Women get to inhabit either of the two islands: 바카라�Beautiful바카라� or 바카라�Ugly바카라�. Residents of the latter must spend their whole lives trying to make it to the former. Keep trying, or fall from grace. No in-between in sight. This is not speculative fiction. Women of all ages live under the cloud of this constructed binary in real life. Those who don바카라�t fit into the 바카라�beautiful바카라� slot are bombarded with reminders바카라�and threats of varying degrees바카라�from cosmetic companies, the beauty industry, wellness clinics; film, television and social media; family, neighbours, perfect strangers you bump into on your commute to college or work. Everyone has tips to offer to ferry you to destination 바카라�beautiful바카라�.

바카라�Beautiful ugly, pure impure바카라�binaries are just words,바카라� says Paridhi Gupta, Guest Professor in Gender Studies at Ambedkar University, Delhi. 바카라�We pit them against each other. The important question to ask is: who does this serve?바카라� The capitalist enterprise to sell more products profits from it. Patriarchy capitalises on it, fuelling women바카라�s insecurities. Morality is embedded in the binary. A chain of commands stacked on its back: a 바카라�beautiful바카라� woman has to dress modestly, tread softly, tan very little, or not at all. By this count, a plump, opiniated woman with frizzy hair is labelled not feminine enough and 바카라�ugly바카라�. 바카라�The idea that a woman바카라�s primary aim is to look beautiful has been perpetuated for ages,바카라� says Gupta. 바카라�The woman바카라�s body is to be presented as an untouched canvas. Artists from the time of Raja Ravi Varma have been at it. Vicco Turmeric and Fair & Lovely have been selling dreams of fair skin to Indian women for decades.바카라�

The beauty ideal for women in Asian countries has included markers such as fair skin, flawless features, tall, slender frame and long hair. India바카라�s obsession with fair skin and whitening products is well-documented. Skin colour is linked to a woman바카라�s desirability; her social standing (position in the caste hierarchy); and purity (white equated with virginal).

바카라�The measures of beauty in our society are problematic,바카라� says Gogu Shyamala, Andhra Pradesh-based Dalit writer and activist. She quotes a poem written by a Dalit woman which celebrates her dark skin, calling it as beautiful as the dusky Earth. When Shyamala was a young girl, her mother and grandmother used to tell her that pimples were natural. Acne wasn바카라�t treated as a catastrophe in her social milieu. 바카라�Why should I fit into someone else바카라�s narrow framework of beauty? Who gets to say my nose is ugly or that I바카라�m not tall enough?바카라� asks Shyamala. 바카라�The market and dominant ideology set these definitions. There is so much pressure on women to fit into them.바카라� Western beauty ideals dominate countries across the world, but in India, the colonial influence and casteism play a major role in setting beauty standards. 바카라�We are flooded with Hollywood movies and music,바카라� says Samata Biswas, Assistant Professor of English, Sanskrit College and University, Kolkata. 바카라�The cultural space is dominated by the West and that may make Indians want to aspire for global beauty ideals, but the colonial hangover is still strong. Many Indians travel to Arab countries, but you don바카라�t see anyone scrambling to meet their benchmarks!바카라�

The beautiful ugly binary for Indian women is reinforced through any number of mediums. It lurks, either in the open, or as an undercurrent. A Class 12 textbook published by the Maharashtra State Education Board was in the news not so long ago because it declared: 바카라�if a girl is ugly and handicapped, it becomes very difficult for her to get married.바카라� A Class 12 textbook in Rajasthan listed 바카라�tallness바카라� and 바카라�a flawless complexion바카라� as important qualities for young entrepreneurs. 바카라�Four out of ten youngsters (in the 15-25 age bracket) worry about their looks because of our culture of non-acceptance,바카라� says Dr Jitendra Nagpal, senior psychiatrist at Moolchand Hospital. 바카라�This can create components of anxiety, mood swings, depression.바카라� While both women and men are judged for their looks, the pressure on women to meet beauty standards is crushing. They are expected to look young and flawless. To be blemish-free, fat-free. To fight ageing, to turn back time. Need help? Spend your mental energy and bank balance on cosmetics, skin clinics, aesthetic centres, plastic surgeons. The quest for beauty is a continuum바카라�no matter how young or how old a woman may be.

바카라�The binary parameter inflicts severe harm,바카라� says Dr Nagpal. Many women are exhausted by the battle to meet the normative benchmark. 바카라�Some use products or cosmetic procedures without the supervision of qualified professionals,바카라� he warns. 바카라�And then there are the psychological repercussions바카라�non-acceptance of the self, psychosomatic disorders, attempts to self-harm in severe cases.바카라� Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a clinical condition that stems from extreme anxiety about a person바카라�s perceived physical defects. In India, a larger number of women suffer from BDD than men. 바카라�We need to move past society바카라�s shallow expectations of beauty,바카라� says Dr Nagpal. 바카라�The emphasis should be on cultivating good life skills and creative thinking, and on building connections with the world.바카라�

Some public figures have refused to normalise the 바카라�beautiful ugly바카라� binary. Actress Nandita Das, a supporter of the 바카라�Dark is Beautiful Campaign바카라�, has been consistently vocal about the damage it does to women바카라�s self-esteem. Speaking to a news agency, she had pointed out that advertisements for fairness products in India paint doomsday scenarios for dark-skinned women. She called their messaging 바카라�dangerous바카라�. A few years ago, it was reported that South Indian actress Sai Pallavi rejected a two-crore advertisement deal with a fairness cream brand. Pallavi explained her decision by saying that 바카라�this is Indian skin colour바카라� and that it is beautiful.

In the globalised, post-feminist world, the beauty industry hasn바카라�t remained tone-deaf. No one can accuse it of skimping on the jargon of empowerment. Cosmetics and cosmetic procedures are advertised as means to help women feel good about themselves. The term skin 바카라�whitening바카라� is out, 바카라�lightening바카라� is in. Look good to feel good is the new mantra. 바카라�Sounds empowering all right,바카라� says Biswas. 바카라�But what it바카라�s actually doing is setting up another binary. For a woman, caring for herself is equated with being well-groomed or 바카라�ageing gracefully바카라�. You바카라�re not advised to read books or participate in political or social movements. The only mission that matters is to look good. If that바카라�s a success, you바카라�ve made it. If not, you바카라�ve failed as a person.바카라�

Many social media influencers hold sessions about how to get Korean glass skin or build the perfect bikini body. They talk about the dream waist, the perfect pout, the ideal thigh gap. The terms they use may be new-age and snazzy, but the quest stays the age-old one. New trends and concepts come and go. 바카라�But beauty ideals and standards are set for women,바카라� says Biswas. 바카라�And these standards keep shifting. Women바카라�s bodies are scrutinised, body shaming goes on.바카라� The digital world is caught up in the 바카라�beautiful ugly바카라� binary, too. Terms on TikTok such as 바카라�ugly pretty바카라�바카라�referring to women who are not conventionally pretty but could be called attractive바카라�just package it differently. 바카라�Looking beautiful is made out to be a testimony to the kind of person you are,바카라� says Biswas. 바카라�But what is beautiful enough or perfect enough? Where do you draw the line?바카라�

This article is a part of Outlook's March 1, 2025 issue 'The Grid', which explored the concept of binaries. It appeared in print as 'The Ugly Myth'.