Soulmate Gem
Soulmate Gem
Photo: Sorapong Chaipanya
Not everyone is beautiful. There are people who are not beautiful and it is okay. Everybody is born with different attributes and beauty is just one of them.
Here's what these feelings might look like in action. You feel charged and euphoric around them. ... You can't wait to see them again — even when...
Read More »
10 Tips for Protecting a Vacant Home After You Move Lock and secure all windows and doors. ... Give a neighbor or friend an extra key. ... Take...
Read More »Editor’s Note: This month, that is July 2020, FII’s #MoodOfTheMonth is Feminism And Body Image, where we invite various articles about the diverse range of experiences which we often confront, with respect to our bodies in private or public spaces, or both.. If you’d like to share your article, email us at pragya@feminisminindia.com. The ongoing celebration as well as the backlash surrounding the dropping of the word ‘fair’ from the brand name ‘Fair & Lovely’ is suggestive of the possible progression of our collectively colonised mindsets beyond colourism. I am hopeful that the rebranding may perhaps be a step towards reducing colorism and the backlash against mere semantic changes might also move the discourse forward. However, what troubles me is that the whole push for such rebranding originates in the notion that beauty matters and in the discourse which asserts that dark is beautiful too; and that fair does not equate success and conversely, dusky does not mean failure. In other words, it is a fall-out of the belief that ‘everyone is beautiful’. Fat persons (yes, I am comfortable using the word fat because fat is a value-free word for me), trans persons, dalits (how often have we heard, ‘looking like bhangi/ chamar’) people with disabilities, persons with burqa and skull caps, aged and ageing persons (and all axes of physical differentiation) are all beautiful. While I believe people are saying this out of very good intentions to show they care about us, they value us (no matter what our BMI is), I agree to disagree. Not everyone is beautiful. There are people who are not beautiful and it is okay. Everybody is born with different attributes and beauty is just one of them. Not everyone has an athletic body or imaginative mind. Naomi Wolf in ‘The Beauty Myth’ asserts that while beauty is undefinable, an objective measure of beauty exists and we are all conforming to and contributing to construction of a very narrow definition of ‘beauty’. The world has already defined and limited the value accorded to the word ‘beautiful’ and therefore, the more we use it, the more we are adhering to the normative value attached to this word. In this context, the moment we attach value to physical traits and call them beautiful, we are saying that beauty matters. While beauty is undefinable, an objective measure of beauty exists and we are all conforming to and contributing to construction of a very narrow definition of ‘beauty’. The world has already defined and limited the value accorded to the word ‘beautiful’ and therefore, the more we use it, the more we are adhering to the normative value attached to this word. In this context, the moment we attach value to physical traits and call them beautiful, we are saying that beauty matters. When different aspects of varied body types (for instance, greying hair or wrinkly skin) are called beautiful, ultimately what we are doing is reducing bodies to their physicality and undermining the other capacities and performances that bodies are capable of. And that is not okay. What is rather okay is that one does not have a ‘beautiful’ body. So, I don’t quite agree with the body positivity movement and would rather push for body neutrality which accords value to other aspects of life rather than appearance. Can we see beyond how bodies look and stop our desperate attempts to compartmentalise every ‘body’ and its parts into the bracket of ‘beauty’? Because, it is not the kind of inclusion which matters.
All and all, it's important to remember that it's perfectly normal for friendships to change after marriage. It's just part of life and how...
Read More »
words of affirmation Chapman's original five love languages are physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and receiving...
Read More »
This level of understanding, empathy, is truly the emotional glue that holds all close relationships together. It allows us to slow down and try to...
Read More »
Although it may sound like a plot in a romantic movie or book, this is actually a common experience. In fact, statistics indicate that two thirds...
Read More »Also read: “Beautiful People Need Protection” – H T Sangliana Outdoes Himself Yet… So, it is okay if one is not beautiful. One cannot do anything about it, one does not have to. I am not arguing against someone being called beautiful, I am arguing against the notion that beauty matters the most and we should just treat it as one of the attributes people are born with. Physical attributes of my body are given; I can only accept and focus on those aspects which matter (a functional hand or a thinking brain). Let’s compliment our achieved traits and increase usage of compliments like well educated, creative, kind or imaginative or articulate; after all, we work very hard to achieve these!
5 Steps Of Finding Your Niche As An Artist Recognise your skills and passions. This is something very basic but very important in the process of...
Read More »
All figures refer to men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 years. In the US, the average male is 1.77 m tall. The average US-american woman...
Read More »
While they can be romantic relationships, these deep connections can also be completely platonic in nature. After all, sex isn't everything, and...
Read More »
This can also help relieve cramps The effect of dilated blood vessels and increased blood flow can help relieve cramps — a boost in feel-good...
Read More »
Promotion
Promotion
Promotion
Promotion