We live in an era of stereotypes. A society where judging others is the only way forward, where criticism is a must and taking one down, piece by piece is a practice.
I'm ashamed to belong to this era where condemning others is a trend that never really dies out. The whole "We v/s Them" concept is rather disgraceful to humanity.
Society outdid itself when it questioned Creationism and its being. Questioning the existence of the Creator, really, how far is that going to take us?
And then there's the belief that Fairness equals beauty. It's ridiculous how many companies are cashing in on this drift. We all went to school, we KNOW that your skin tone can only change temporarily and not to mention, hamper with your skin and cause it to age faster than natural. Yet, we're brainwashed by the dark skinned actresses who claim that Fairness Creams are part of your physiological needs and that only the possession of one will bring you success, fame, money and love. Pitiful? No, what's pitiful is the fact that the companies are minting money. What's the point of all those hours in Bio class now?
That women believe that beauty can be defined by a color. That's what is pitiful.
No matter how white your skin gets, if you're not happy in it, you'll never be pretty.
Instead of fighting the practice of skin lightening, we have women lining up outside skin clinics and buying fairness creams to "fit in".
Why would anyone want to fit in? Whatever happened to standing out and being unique?
It's more of a social pressure than anything else. It's because there's discrimination of the dark skinned that they're pressurized to adopt these measures.
Our society has progressed in terms of technology and economy but the mindset froze and has remained stagnant in the yesteryears.
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, not color of your skin.
Society hammers the minds of the consumers and influences them to believe that there's a list of norms which if not followed will result in rejection of the dark skinned, making them social outcasts.
We have to stop discriminating on the grounds of color. Rejecting a proposal because of color, secluding a fellow classmate because of his color, treating them like aliens, it all has to stop.
This vicious wave has now caught on to the men as well. Fairer skin equals more girls, more lucrative offers, more success in life. Really? What age are we from? Stone Age?
There's a reason the "Tall-Dark-Handsome" is a cliche. There's a reason estrogen levels go for a toss at the sight of a T-D-H. Not White, Dark.
One of my best friends is dark skinned and I believe she's one of the prettiest women I've met. Simply because she loves her skin, doesn't over-expose her photos or try to be what she isn't and instead takes pride in what she is.
Being white doesn't make you pretty. But wanting to be white sure does make you not you. And that's the worst version of you.
Take pride in yourself. Your color doesn't define you.
And even if it does, you're beautiful. Dark is beautiful.
It's only the second week of the new year and the turnout at gyms has already taken a tumble. All the "I'm going to take my workout seriously this year" has drowned in the Tequilas and the Cokes.
So what's the big deal about this weight loss frenzy anyway?
It's Bollywood, which in turn caught this flu from Hollywood.
The whole must-have-perfect-figure-if-you-want-to-feel-beautiful disease started with the Firangs who barely nibble at their bread once a day. Now that it has caught on in a country like ours where we have the people worshiping food like their deity, it's raised some perfectly shaped eyebrows.
I'm 19. I live to eat.. and write, but mostly to eat. I don't believe that I must have zero fat to be at peace with myself. I eat to feel better. I tend to eat more when I'm under pressure or stress. Sue me.
I'm not one of those who can starve to get the Kareena Kapoor figure, which by the way she didn't achieve by just "eating healthy". There's a lot more that goes into the process, but let's not get there. But since we took that road anyway, consider this.
Were the yesteryear actresses any less beautiful than those today? Did they draw any less audience than those of today do? Were they any less fantasized about than the scenario today? They were a notch higher if not the same.
Same gender. Same field. Same profession. Same techniques. Almost the same audience.
What has changed? The mentality. The ridiculous concept of Size Zero has marred the way girls look at themselves. To find clothes of a size for people that actually eat has become a task.
The Indian woman is symbolized by her curves. What is she left with if you take that away from her? A flat stomach, sure. But what's different about her now? Nothing.
We're focus so much on looking good that we forget to feel good. I don't believe in the "look good to feel good" crap. Spare me.
We become so conscious about our extra inches here and there that we stop eating what we like, dressing how we want and living our life. We're so busy sucking our stomach in that we're ignoring all the fun things life has to offer. Like cheesecake.
Whilst saying this, I don't ask you to be fat. Work on your body, yes, strive to look good. But not so much so that you start worshiping your trainer and starve yourself.
It's okay to eat the occasional slice of cheesecake and scoop of ice cream.
Life just gets better when you're a foodie.
Don't laugh, I'm actually going to make resolutions and live up to them.
1. Slap a woman on the train.
Too many women have left their heel marks on my feet or elbowed me in the face and gotten away with it. It's payback time! I swear to the smelly armpits and screaming salesmen, I will slap someone on a train.
2. Stop Swearing.
"If you continue to swear like that, nobody will ever marry you." My mother's ghastly response to me having said "Bloody Hell" has scarred me for life. I swear like a man, probably worse than one. I wonder if one will ever marry me. No chances taken, I must stop swearing.
3. Buy more clothes.
I've got to stop saying "I've got nothing to wear" every time I'm stepping out. New. Clothes. Needed.
4. Figure out why my phone dies ever so often.
I'm no engineer, but I'm crucially interested in knowing the math behind scaling to 66% from a 100% in a couple of minutes when it comes to my phone battery.
5. Write a decent Blog post.
When I look back and read all my blog posts, I feel like a child who was gifted a pen on his birthday and took the words "Write whatever you want" ever so seriously.
6. Lose weight.
This one is a permanent. It's been on all my resolution lists since I started writing them. Nevertheless, tradition is important. So I must lose weight.
7. Get a boyfriend.
No, seriously. Being single for so long almost makes me doubt my charisma. I'm pretty. And self deluded. Anywhichway, get a decent boyfriend who ain't got no swag.
8. Become a doctor.
No, not literally. It's more of a "give them a taste of their own medicine.", but I'm smart, cool, innovative and umm self deluded. Either way, I hereby swear that I will tell everyone what I really think of them. I'm pretty sure I'm through with all the pretense and sweet nothings. Rise, devil in me, rise.
9. Watch Notting Hill a hundred more times.
It's my favorite movie of all times and I've watched it a thousand times and haven't got enough of it. Get me the DVD, someone!
10. Live a little.
I've spent most of 2013 being depressed about something or the other. It really is time to drop all the sob stories and live a little.
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| Live. Laugh. Love. |
Every new year we make resolutions that are too godly to live up to. You probably quit smoking for a while but you can't really keep up with the pressure. Which is fine, really.
This new year, let's all resolve to make just one resolution and live by it forever. Be happy.
Your ultimate goal is happiness. So why take a detour? Take a direct hit. Be happy.
Live, laugh, love.
