Exploring Beauty Standards Worldwide
We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder; this adage, however, takes on a more literal meaning when we consider the diversity in opinion about what makes a person “beautiful” around the world.
I was recently interviewed by San Francisco-based Lifestyle & Travel magazine ~ Jetset Times ~ on a piece about beauty around the world and the underlying meanings behind #beautystandards. My responses were then included in their article covering Desi Beauty In India.
Jetset Times: How do the Indian beauty standards that are set for you, as someone living in India, make you feel like a woman?
Tanya Fontes: We live in a society where we are constantly probed by the thought of beauty standards and how only if we possess a certain box of traits, are we deemed beautiful. More often than not, I find myself over analysing everything ~ from my outfit to my waist size ~ even when I know that it shouldn’t matter. These standards of beauty are so deeply internalised that our minds are conditioned to harass ourselves!
Not judging ourselves based on age, shape, size, or skin colour has barely scratched the surface but with voices of protest getting louder, there is a brighter tomorrow to look forward to. A day where our voices drown out patriarchal expectations of beauty.
Jetset Times: Are there any changes you would like to see in the Indian beauty community? And, how can you make that change?
Tanya Fontes: I am fortunate enough to be born in a country so splendidly diverse and it is time Indians embrace those differences to be united. For years, big names in the game have been exploiting our differences and playing on our insecurities, all to gain mere profit margins.
The 21st century needs to be the era of a revolution where we stop defining a woman by her physical characteristics; we are more than the colour of our skin or the hair on our upper lip. And while external features may be gratifying at first glance, we need to emphasize what lays within!
Jetset Times: What is your most favourite and least favourite beauty trend? And why?
Tanya Fontes: Favourite: The rosy and peachy lip shades that are in right now. It has such a natural and subtle beauty to it.
Least favourite: Full coverage foundations ~ even if you don’t need it. It is just disheartening to see women covering up naturally beautiful and glowing skin.
Access the complete article here: https://jetsettimes.com/beauty-standards/exploring-beauty-standards-worldwide-desi-beauty-in-india/
I hope you have enjoyed reading these influencer notes as much as I did writing them. 🙂