Reclaiming Indian Beauty
Colonialism, Media, and Beauty Standards for the Modern Indian Woman
Introduction
Humanity’s desire for beauty and preference of beautiful objects is universal. However, this begs the question of what exactly is beauty, and who determines what is “beautiful.” While at one point, the definition of “beautiful” varied by culture and society, the standards of beauty have become incredibly homogenized, specifically defined through a Eurocentric gaze. Women can no longer perceive their beauty as intrinsic to them. The pressure that women across the world are under to achieve a certain standard of beauty is immense. They are held to “today’s aesthetic which is tall, white, blonde, long haired and big breasted” (Ridout). Both colonialism and globalization have played crucial roles in embedding the idea that “white is beautiful” in colonized countries. While these westernized standards were once considered unachievable, today’s beauty industry has capitalized on these narrow beauty ideals, portraying to a woman that she can, moreover, it is her responsibility to shape herself to fit these globalized standards.
The impact of these narrowed beauty ideals can be seen on the women in India, a post-colonial country. While the British no longer physically occupy the land, the impacts of the colonial period remain apparent in cultural and social aspects of Indian society. This paper looks at the role colonialism and globalization have played in defining these narrowed standards of beauty and perpetuating colorism. It also looks at the role the Indian film and modeling industries have played in reinforcing these unrealistic standards. This paper also analyzes the manner in which the beauty industry has capitalized on these beliefs, and the direct actions that Indian women will take to attempt to fit themselves into these narrowed ideals. Finally, this paper attempts to answer the question of what Indian women can do to take back control of their narrative, redefining beauty for themselves.
The Impact of Colonialism
India is still suffering from the long term impacts of the British rule. The colonization of India did not just manifest itself in terms of resource, land, and economic benefits for the British. Rather, the colonial period left a large psychological impact in the manner that the colonized viewed themselves in relation to the colonizers. The British instilled the belief within the colonized that their culture, ideology, and daily practices were inferior to those of whites, making the colonized feel as though they are “the others”(Wardhani et. al 237). The resulting action of the colonized is mimicry, “the behavior of imitating whites by natives’’ (Wardhani et. al 236). Mimicry became a behavior readily adopted by the colonized as it allows them to push themselves closer to standards set by the colonizer by mimicking their actions, culture, and values. Mimicry is the colonized people’s attempt at distancing themselves from the “other” narrative that is perpetuated by colonialism.
The behavior of mimicry is a manifestation of the inferiority complex perpetuated within the colonized by the colonizer. This inferiority complex has a devastating effect on the minds of the colonized people today. (Wardhani et. al 237). It has created a long term system of superior and inferior relationships within the colonized, where people that are able to adopt these new standards, westernize themselves, are considered the superior group, and the group for everyone to aspire to. The global phenomenon of whitening and brightening skin tones, and the desire of Indian women for westernized beauty stems from these narratives, as it represents the internalized belief that “whites are socially preferred” (Wardhani et al. 238).
The Homogenization of Beauty and Global Media
When thinking about the history of beauty, beauty standards used to vary from region to region. Specifically within India, the standard for Indian women was once “fair or medium complexioned, has a narrow waist, but wider hips and breasts, and has large eyes, full red lips, and long black hair…” (Gelles 11). This image was the standard for centuries, encouraged also by religious imagery of Hindu goddesses (Gelles 11). However, Indian beauty standards have radically shifted to a westernized standard. Local beauty standards no longer apply, because women are subjected to the beauty standards set by the colonialist perspectives. In the present day, western societies capitalize on the colonized’s inferiority complex, further instilling the idea that the Eurocentric standard of beauty is universal, that “white is beautiful’’ (Wardhani et. al 238).
Multinational corporations of colonial countries have driven this homogenization of beauty through the international growth of the beauty industry (Wardhani et. al 238). During the colonial period, western societies advertised bath soaps and cleaning products to non-western societies, setting the tone for which new beauty products should be adopted. The global media, by continuously putting Eurocentric features at the forefront of beauty, has created the idea that Eurocentric features are more interesting than those of other races (Wardahani et. al 239). Specifically, the ideas that lighter skin tones are preferred to darker skin tones, that blond hair and blue eyes are more desirable than dark hair and brown eyes, that long, slim figures are more attractive than curved figures. In that manner, global media and globalization have become the new way to spread white supremacy ideas that were once spread through colonialism, continuing to perpetuate the internalized inferiority held by the colonized.
The Role of Bollywood and Miss India
The imposition of Eurocentric standards can also be seen in Bollywood, India’s dominant film industry since the 1930s. Bollywood is a significant example of the mimicry behavior within India. Even the word Bollywood is an example of mimicry, as it is a combination of the words Hollywood and Bombay, and therefore centered around making a reference to the American film industry. Despite this inherent reference, Bollywood does have many cultural distinctions from Hollywood, most notably the presence of elaborate songs sung by the characters in nearly every film (Ganti 256). However, even these uniquely South Asian song sequences still suffer from colonialist narratives and Eurocentric standards. Film makers tend to set their filming locations in international areas, most often beautiful locations within Europe such as Swiss meadows, in place of notable South Asian locations (Runkle 46). This preference for the beauty of European locations parallels the preference for Eurocentric standards of beauty for women. It speaks to the constant need of Bollywood to be recognized on a global scale and the manner in which the industry will contort itself to provide international tones to their films.
The beauty ideals presented through Bollywood are also blatant representation of westernized standards and colorism. Throughout Bollywood’s history, actresses have been disproportionately lighter than the population that they represent (Ganti 263). Additionally, Bollywood has a tendency to value actresses more for their appearance than their acting ability. Recently, as Bollywood has begun to be recognized as a global industry, women, typically models, from Europe, the Americas, and Australia, or fair skinned women of partial South Asian descent have gained their footing in Bollywood, despite not knowing the language of the industry. Some of these women, specifically Katrina Kaif and Jacqueline Fernandes, have become incredibly successful actresses as well (Ganti 263).
Many famous Bollywood actresses come from the modeling industry, another industry in which India attempts to garner global recognition. In the same manner of Bollywood, the modeling industry represents India’s blatant preference for Eurocentric beauty standards. Miss India is a huge cultural event, as the winner is a symbol of national pride, as she goes on to represent India on the global stage at Miss World. Miss India contestants consistently emulate Eurocentric beauty standards as there is the underlying assumption that having these features is the only way they will win (John and Gupta). This assumption has proven to be true in the past, with Miss India winning Miss World 6 times, creating a reinforcing cycle in the type of woman chosen to represent India in Miss. World.
Therefore, the internal Indian industries of film and modeling are reinforcements of the Eurocentric standards perpetuated by global media. In a sense, these industries are even more damaging to the modern Indian women. They present the idea of the new modern Indian women, not someone representative by any means of traditional beauty standards, rather someone that is able to conform to Eurocentric standards of beauty. By these women being Indian themselves, the standard that they present feels more attainable to the average Indian women. These Indian women, put on the national stage, become the standard that the average Indian woman aspires to be, and the standard of beauty for India the world comes to expect.
The Impact of Westernized Beauty Standards
The desire of Indian women to fit Eurocentric standards of beauty most prominently manifests itself in their desire to attain a lighter skin tone. The desire for fair skin is not a new concept in India, as colorism manifests itself into nearly every aspect of Indian society. Skin color plays a large role in determining social status, and the preference for only fair skin tones represents the “internalized belief that whites are socially preferred” (Wardhani et al. 238).
By centralizing light skin tone as a prerequisite for beauty, the media reinforces colorism in Indian society. Fairness is so essential to beauty in India that just having fair skin and no other specific facial “deformities can be enough for a woman to be considered beautiful” (Gelles 13). The pressure on Indian women to acquire a lighter skin tone causes them to participate in a form of mimicry, contorting themselves to fit these new standards however they can. The beauty industry capitalizes on the internalization of these ideas, with the skin lightening market in India valuing at over $200 million (Wardhani et. al 235). The most prominent example of this within India is the infamous product, Fair and Lovely, “a cream designed to increase fairness” “first marketed in India in 1975.” (Wardhani et. al 240). This brand was followed by other brands such as Carefair. Beauty salons began to market skin lightening procedures to attract customers (Gelles 13). The skin lightening industry makes women feel as though by using their products and paying for treatments, they will improve their social status. (Wardhani et. al 240). Furthermore, by making these options so accessible and so permanent around them, the industry makes women feel as though it is their own fault if they do not fit into the narrowed beauty ideals.
In addition to skin tone, the culture and discussion around body image has also changed drastically, largely due to the media and the ideal that actresses present. The modern ideal for Indian women is a “slim and trim figure” (Gelles 18), drastically different from the traditional body ideals once presented in India. Women will go to drastic lengths to change their bodies to fit this ideal, seen by the notable increase in eating disorders in India in recent years (Gelles 27). This increase in eating disorder cases, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, is a central part of the westernization of beauty in India and a central example of how these standards are directly harmful to women.
Eating disorders are just one of the consequences of homogenized beauty standards. Centralizing fairness as a prerequisite for beauty reinforces society’s negative treatment of dark-skinned women. Dark-skinned women in India face “social segregation and name-calling” (Gelles 31). Mothers will scold their daughters for playing out in the sun and getting tan, as tanned skin is called “dirty.” In order to avoid these issues, women will subject themselves to extreme treatments. Some skin-lightening products are specifically designed to bleach skin which is very damaging in the long term. Other products contain mercury or hydroquinone, which can cause cancer (Gelles 29). The long term physical and emotional damages brought by the westernization of beauty for women are vast, and begs the question of how Indian women can escape these standards and narratives imposed upon them.
Changing the Narrative
The biggest hurdle that Indian women face in dealing with Eurocentric beauty standards is their internalization of colonial narratives. This internalization is what needs to be targeted in decolonial efforts, specifically learning how to unlearn things the colonized have been taught to believe. There is a degree of individual agency in creating that shift, and can be seen in relation to beauty and personal perception. In the film, The Illusionists, activist Gail Dines says
“If tomorrow women all over the world looked in the mirror and if they liked what they saw reflected back at them, then we would have to reshape capitalism as we know it” (Zellinger).
However, that massive of a shift in personal perception and ways of thinking is much easier said than done, especially with the media inundating women’s lives with products and advertisements that reinforce narratives that women need to fit Eurocentric standards in order to be beautiful. It feels too idealistic to hope that the large commercial industries discussed in this paper, the beauty, film, and modeling industries will begin to present standards that are not homogenized and embrace types of beauty, as that will not drive profit for them. So it falls into the hands of individual people to limit their consumption of this mass media in platforms in which they have agency to do so. If that limitation is not possible, hopefully women can begin to critically analyze the harmful narratives presented to them, and understand that their perception cannot be dictated by global corporations.
Indian women can also begin to look to people and places in which the narrative about beauty has begun to change, specifically social media platforms. People that are dissenting from the Eurocentric standards of beauty can establish strong, impactful platforms on social media. For example, the 2016 campaign #unfairandlovely, “asked dark-skinned people to put their photos on social media, generated lively discussions on Twitter and Facebook and saw nearly 1,000 people posting their photos on Instagram” (Pandey). Another account attempting to redefine south asian beauty in the social media space is “Brown Girl Gazing,” who define themselves as a “space to unlearn shame together, talk about women’s relationships with their bodies, and re-define beauty” (Kelkar). These accounts start the necessary conversation about the harm in perpetuating narrowed Eurocentric beauty standards and begin to change the narrative.
Additionally, movements on social media have the power to influence the behavior of large corporations. In light of the protests and awareness brought about by the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, the South Asian community has begun to critically analyze colorism present in its society. In June 2020, “Fair & Lovely trended high on Twitter in India with hundreds demanding a ban on its advertising and sale” (Pandey). The mounting pressure from social media and 3 petitions on change.org pushed Unliver, the parent company, to change the product’s name to “Glow and Lovely.” Unilever also said that they would change their future campaigns to “feature women of different skin tones, representative of the variety of beauty across India and other countries” (Pandey). However, the change in name of the product does not get rid of the damage that the company has done by perpetuating colorism throughout its history. Additionally, the product is still on the market, and in essence will “remain a fairness cream, no matter what they call it” (Pandey). However, the name change is a monumental step in changing the discussion around skin tone and colorism in India, and shows the power of social media in mobilizing people working towards change.
However, when talking about social media as a tool for decolonization, it is important to acknowledge that social media is, on one hand, a tool that can strongly reinforce colonial perceptions of beauty. However, there is a much greater degree of individual control on the type of content that individuals consume. If individuals are able to cater their feeds and change their media consumption to the ideas that are presented by the campaigns mentioned above and other similar accounts, they are taking the first steps in unlearning colonial narratives.
Conclusion
Beauty standards play a powerful role in society, as the pursuit for beauty is universal. However, these standards do exist on a fine line between empowering women and harming women. There is not necessarily inherent harm in beauty standards, rather the harm comes from the homogenization of beauty, where the traditional conceptions of beauty that varied by place and culture have disappeared. The legacy of the British colonization in India has left a long term power imbalance between the two people, leaving the colonized to feel as though they have to change themselves to fit Western ideals. Colonization no longer is the method by which these ideas are spread, rather it is the globalization of the beauty industry and media. The internal industries of these countries further perpetuate these narratives, seen by the type of Indian women the Indian film and modeling industries present as the standard. Indian women face the direct impact of the narrowing beauty standards, as they feel as though they must subject themselves to skin-lightening treatments and will develop eating disorders in their pursuit for the ideal body. Society’s negative treatment of dark-skinned women and the extreme westernization of beauty in India is so representative of the long term psychological colonization of India.
While there is no obvious short term solution in terms of decolonizing the minds of the colonized, there is opportunity where colonial narratives can be changed. A great place for women to mobilize and be exposed to new ideas is social media, as there is already so much work being done in this space. Social media has the opportunity to give the power of narrative back to the hands of the colonized, a place where conversations can happen, and rhetoric can change. The decolonization of ideas and norms will happen slowly, but by giving platforms to those that promote diversity, the standards of beauty widen again. Women can once again define their beauty as intrinsic to themselves, not as something dictated by globalization and colonial ideas.
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