Thursday, June 12, 2014

Vanity’s fair



We all have that perfect picture of ours in mind which we desire. It can be anything from outward beauty to that perfect envious lifestyle. Women in general are very concerned about the way they look. Most beautiful women too will worry about the most trivial things ranging from the way her brows are shaped to the size of her nose (which is perfectly fine by the way). If not this then there are always unexpected zits to worry about, the occasional blackheads and laugh lines which magically are invisible to everyone else. And above all this there is the most raging issue of all ~ weight. In my entire life I have never met a women who has told me “I love the way I look”. On the contrary I have met numerous guys who have splattered this exact statement on my face. Trust me, none of them were worthy of it. Anyhow coming back to women. The VLCCs, weight watchers programs, uncountable yoga instructors would long have been rendered jobless had it not been for the womenfolk. It’s not like men don’t care about the way they look but according to statistics men generally are more inclined towards fitness rather than the for cosmetic reasons. Women on the other hand look out for exercises that reduce the tummy but keep the rest of the stuff intact, work the thighs but keep them stems as is.

World around us is filled with blasphemous notions and standards of beauty. Like what was up with that size zero fad? Overnight skinny was in but not necessary adored. But because Kareena Kapoor was seen endorsing it in hot pants, girls blindly imitated and were seen ditching pizzas and drinking green teas. The most old and ridiculous of all is the 36-24-36. I don’t know why it’s considered to be an ideal shape for women, I would really like to meet the person who set this very unflattering standard for women to follow and men to fantasize. As an erstwhile not-so-proud-owner of a 24-inch waist, let me tell you – it ain’t any fun. Try to buy a jeans of your choice in 24 or 26 waist size and you will know what I am talking about. What I feel is that as long as a person has a healthy BMI, the vital statistics don’t matter. But if you want to be a model or an actresses then that’s different. Even then you can always get some procedure done to “enhance” your looks. Cosmetic surgery is a very popular, surprisingly lucrative and dreaded-ly addictive process. While it’s very popular and somewhat open in Hollywood (celebs like Michael Jackson, Nicole Kidman and Donatella Versace examples of it). In the Indian film industry however it is still a very hush-hush affair, here a lip job is still attributed to sea-food allergy.

After years of wisdom gained by reading cosmopolitans, harper bazars, feminas, vogues and what-nots I can proudly proclaim that atleast 85% of actresses/models have used some or the other cosmetic procedure to achieve that perfect pout, that slender nose and the perfect 10 figure. Anushka Sharma’s duck lips is no make-up trick. Priyanka Chopra’s old pictures from her Miss World days are far from the sexy desi girl we now see. Katrina Kaif was not born with that bee-stung pout she flaunts in the mango ads and apparently it was neither the power yoga nor the 108 surya namaskars that helped Kareena get that chiselled size zero frame. It was a smart liposuction that chucked out all that baby fat. Check out the pictures below and see the differences.






Going under the knife is a personal decision and I am totally fine with it. When you get paid for the way you look (or you have so much money that you don’t know what to do with it) it becomes necessary to look a certain way. So it’s fine, even we spend money and undergo some trainings or take classes to excel in whatever field we are in. But the issue is creating a false standard. Why should a normal person compel and compete with unnatural standards of beauty. If not for the surgery the magazine covers are always photoshoped to give that flawless complexion and sexy bod. Who can forget the racist controversy that sprouted when a very light-skinned Aishwarya was seen in the cover picture of Elle magazine. Very recently FHM has a very sexy photo-shoot of actress Huma Qureshi, who in real life pictures looks pretty healthy, but the toned arms and midriff in the magazine pictures very clearly gave away the Photoshop trick. We really need to stop objectifying women and create ridiculous standards. Beauty is not about a size or a perfect shape. Everyone is unique and there is a beauty in all shapes and sizes. But yes, I do have to say that exercise and eating right is very important for the overall health and happiness. Exercise just for the fun of it, for the toxins it flushes out of your body. For that painful yet pleasant soreness in the muscles and the cute guys you spot while working out. But definitely not to look like Deepika, Anushka or Kareena. And dear boyfriends/husbands, please stop asking/wishing your partners to look like Deepika Padukone (especially when you yourself don’t look like Hritikh Roshan). Instread encourage them to look healthy and appreciate them the way they are.

Another aspect of obsessive weight loss is the whole theory of dieting. Dieting as a concept is very good if undertaken in a proper manner so as not to starve the body. However recently celebs have come up with this concept of crash diets and juice diets which works but leaves the body weak. It helps to lose those kilos very fast but the moment you come back to your normal routine the kilos all get pill-ed back in an alarming way. And not to mention the crazy-bitch-quotient (a term concocted by me) which comes free with dieting. This is basically the irritation that sprouts from deprivation of food me. Trust me, I fast on Thursdays and my colleagues in office e refrain from talking to me after 4 PM because I am ready to bite-off their head at any slight provocation. Dieting also promotes disorders like anorexia and bulimia amongst girls. Most of the stick- thin models you spot on the ramps are on religious diets of caffeine, wine and drugs, which is just so sad I mean with all the delicious food out there.

Photo Courtesy - www.googlygooeys.com

All I am trying to say by blabbering so much is that you may call a girl fat (jokingly or seriously) and forget about it. But what does inside a girls mind after this is something you have no idea about. She just starts getting obsessive about it and everything around her, friends, photographs, food, mirror, clothes etc all seem to be shouting – FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT. She will start on some crappy diet that worked for Beyoncé, Rihana and Nargis Fakhri. Gets cranky with hunger and fights with friends/parents/boyfriends and then comes the phase of do-hell-with-dieting, where-is-the-dutch-truffle. One dutch truffle will lead to another and there will be a consistent increase visible on the weighing scale. Now the button of favourite pair of jeans will refuse to budge and the entire cycle repeats. So in short, a simple comment like that just messes-up our head. Next time think twice before you call a girl fat, or ask her weight, or her age, or comment on her make-up or clothes, or make fun of her accent or ___________________________________________________________

The list goes on, but we don’t want to give away all the secrets cause then there would be no drama
And we all love some drama, don’t we ;)

Love:
Sepo!


8 comments:

  1. ha ha ha ..lol..Is this a grudge note or feel goody type to express out yours tiny secrets??

    Btw i think kareena has a bit of complexion of urs ;)

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    Replies
    1. Suman, its a mixture of both :) and thanks :)

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  2. Haahahh ur look awe some in every cloth u wear dear...
    But ya calling fat make us eat more after a good round of diet cycle
    ....
    Love this post
    Please write more......

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  3. First of all, full marks to you for all the background research you do before writing a post!! Appreciate the passion and intensity to express and explain things very clearly and comparing what's good and what's bad - out there in the world.

    Well, in my opinion, I believe that every girl should eat what she loves and enjoy all her favourite dishes without any worry on calories. A busy lifestyle will anyway burn calories and only overeating leads to unhealthy weight gain.

    Of course there are trends and fashion but there isn't any pre-defined universally standard way of how men and women should look. You gotta be confident on how you look and set your own style statement. I believe that every girl is beautiful in her own way. Personally, I find chubby and healthy girls very attractive and more feminine than skinny/bony girls. A girl's natural curves make her look more beautiful than girls who starve to look super slim. A girl's smile is the most sexiest curve on her body, so every girl should be proud of her curves and enjoy her freedom in the choices she makes in life and not be under any kinda pressure/restriction.

    Coming to cosmetic modifications, I am not a fan of makeup or cosmetics - I believe that a girl looks more pretty the way she naturally is without any artificial additions.

    A real man loves his girl not for her perfect physical shapes but for something more than that - he craves for the truth that lies within her - her kind considerate heart, her innocent smile, her precious eyes, her fragrant breathe, her delicate lips, her generous soul and her compassionate spirit.

    Well written Sneha,
    All the best,
    Cheers!! :)

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    Replies
    1. Loved your comment Sai, such a feel-good type of words you have chosen. I will make all my friends read this :)

      Thanks a lot !

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  4. Congrats for coming with this superbly honest post and so well put. I find it amusing when boys and girls try to emulate models& film stars in terms of eating habits and dieting. I mean, its always good to adopt healthy life style but not trying to be yourself is such an absolute no-no. This whole Size Zero is such an aberration.

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