Our society and a pressure to be beautiful!

Proma Orchi।।  Last month, as we can all recall, a huge hue and cry broke out as one of the leading newspaper in their so-called reputed fashion tabloid published a controversial “beauty standards” news. The headline titled, “Black, but beautiful” stirred our conscience as we, in general, do not expect racism and colorism to infiltrate our ideology and of course, we don’t want “Colorism” to dictate our beauty standards. But are we free from the shackle that the society imposes on us every day, molding our concepts of “beauty standards”?

A year or two back, a renowned intellectual wrote an article. A piece which was hugely criticized amongst the mass because it standardized a specific body configuration which according to him was deemed “beautiful” for a women. He expressed his regrets about the fact that the regular Bangladeshi women are not tall enough to wear sharees. Although that piece of writing was confronted with a negative feedback from the general readers, however, we are, consciously or subconsciously letting the traditional “beauty standards” guide our day to day lives.

What evokes a sense of “beauty” in a female? Is it always the flawless smooth skin? Sharp facial features? Tall, slender configuration? Hourglass shaped figure? Or is it something more that this physical parameters? Is it the intelligence? The mental capacities? The personality?

The short answer to all of these questions are: the definition of beauty is entirely personal. It depends on the psychology and the perceptions of a specific person, and it is nothing but stupidity to try to blend into the stereotyped concepts of beauty. What one might find “beautiful”, might not strike another as “beautiful”!!

Previously, western concepts of beauty ideals set some incredulous beauty standards which not only focused on “feminine attractiveness” as the greatest asset for women but also set some unattainable body ideals that motivated women to follow only a standard protocol of westernized concept of beauty. As a result, there was a huge disruption of the diversity of female bodies and beauty. Girls were suffering from anorexia, bulimia and other forms of eating disorder because they prioritized “being beautiful” over anything.

I have witnessed women getting very flattered when they get compliments like “beauty with brains”! The patriarchal society made this term so rare and contradictory that as it sounds like there is some sort of hostility between being “beautiful” and being “brainy”.

There goes a saying, “Even if we all had the same diet, and did the same workouts, we would all still have very different bodies.” This is the beauty of body diversity. We all are unique in our own ways, so there shouldn’t be any one ironclad concept to follow. As western society is gradually breaking the chains of “racism”, “colorism”, “body standards”, “beauty standards”, our society is becoming more and more judgmental and obsessed with these issues.

Moral of the story, please do what makes you comfortable and beautiful to yourself. Not to anyone. Not to society. Not to even your family. It is you who are in control of your body. Nobody needs to change it because the “society” has set some standards. Wear make-up not to impress the society, but because you are comfortable with it. Work-out not to achieve a perfect body, but because it is liberating and healthy for you. Do not accept any social pressure to be beautiful, because it is never an obligatory thing.

Be comfortable in being you always!

(The views and opinions expressed by the writers are those of their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Feminist Factor)