We keep hearing celebrities talk
about how a negative body image is being created by the media and how even
people around us creates unrealistic beauty standards and how we are misleading
the youth from the truth of it all. This is absolutely unacceptable. It’s
horrid. Especially young girls are victimised more than boys. Without a doubt I
can say that. It gives boys the wrong idea that a girl should look like this or
that. It gives girls the wrong idea that we should be in a particular shape
size or colour. It makes us believe we have to wear certain clothes to look
cool and accepted. The pressure is huge. Now there are filters and so much
digital edits are being done; nothing you see on the screen can be believed.
Growing up I had this belief that
I need to wear western clothes to be seen as a modern person. I was overweight
throughout my teenage years and even now; making it pretty difficult to fit
into jeans and t shirts that would suit my curvy shape. As Twinkle Khanna
famously said salwars are more forgiving than any jeans! I was embarrassed
about my weight and how I looked. My attitude towards my body image changed in
the recent past say about 6 years or so.
I used to think in order to look
stylish I have to fit into that jeans and top. Now I don’t. I own my curves. I
no longer desperately try out those ever tight jeans up my legs. Thanks to the
fashion industry in focusing on ethnic wears and bringing beautiful and
convenient designs to our everyday wardrobe. I personally love the Kurtis that
come with pockets. Convenience over fashion any day.
The media still wants you to have
lighter skin tone, wear the latest fashion and dab your face with all the
makeup you can get. So what really made my attitude change? I listened to
sensible people for one and I realized I have nothing to feel ashamed about. I
accepted myself. Yes I am over weight. I have all the curves and more a women
should. That’s my body shape. I am not encouraging people to eat unhealthy or
not work out. Actually I do try to eat as healthy as possible(rather than going on some diet that deprive me off good nutrients) and work out as
much as I can. But I don’t have unrealistic goals. I know I am 35 years old and
I have given birth to a baby and I have my curvaceous body. So my only goal is
to work out and eat healthy to stay healthy and wear clothes that makes me look
and feel good and not try to fit my body and shape according to standards some
people out in the world has set up.
Every day you are bombarded with
ads saying you need to eat this and that to stay fit and healthy. You have to
wear this skin lightning cream or must wear this clothes to look slim and
attractive. And today we have more diets than ever. So how can one get out of this false reality? First don’t believe
what you see in ads. Companies are only focused on their sales and they will
say and do anything to achieve their goal. Second think organic. Whatever you
put into your body or on to your body should be something that you can find in
nature in their natural state without too much processing. That’s said, I am
not saying you shouldn’t do any make up or eat anything processed ever. But not
on a regular basis. Eat sugars once in a while, put as much as less make up you
can. I use lipsticks and kajal for special occasions only. So whatever little
you can do you do that. I don’t use much make up. I am a house wife currently
and don’t go out much. So I can do away with it. May be you cannot because you
have to be at work or may be your work requires you to have some make up.
Whatever you do; do it because you want to not because some people have pre
decided that for you. I don’t wear heels because I have never been comfortable
wearing them and I couldn’t learn how to walk in them and I kept falling down.
So I don’t wear them at all.
At my work place I was asked not
to wear ethnic clothes because it was affecting the image of the company and
everyone should be in western clothes. That seemed highly prejudiced to me. I
changed my office wear but I wondered why the HR dept. didn’t ask those who
were coming in their burkhas to change as that would also be counted as ethnic.
Of course there’s a religious belief involved in that. While mine was just a
personal choice.
The world needs to accept
diversity and stop trying to put a uniform on everyone. Our diversities makes
us unique and interesting. Imagine a world with just one ethnicity, one
language, only one cuisine, one art form, one profession, only one taste, one
colour or even just one country. How boring it sounds already? We should remain
one as human race but it is our differences that makes us want to experience
life. Let us celebrate the uniqueness than destroy it.
