Growing up as a fair to wheatish-skinned girl in Mumbai, India, I wasn’t really subjected to the nit-picking and scrutiny that my duskier friends had to deal with. But, I did notice how certain beauty standards excluded or flat out rejected them–think being picked on because of your skin tone or texture. Indian beauty norms require women to have unblemished, clear, fair skin that is utterly hairless (expect our brows) and thick, luscious, long hair. This is, of course, paired with perfectly dainty looking brows and large eyes with full red lips.
These subtly devious standards have been so deeply embedded in us as a society that breaking out and accepting yourself is no mean feat. It goes without saying that there is a severe lack of representation, whether it is beauty campaigns or TV shows and although we are seeing more diversity now, there is still a long way to go in terms of us ditching toxic beauty standards.
This is why today, I look at all the six women who spoke up in this video (all of them a part of Her Circle) with great respect and awe. They have spoken about embracing themselves the way they are, “flaws” and all included, and in turn, unknowingly made so many women of colour feel seen.
So here’s to these women who are smashing beauty standards one at a time, and living a better and happier life in the process. Hopefully, they’ll inspire you to do the same!