Non fiction 

Unconventionally Beautiful


Unconventionally Beautiful

Soni Bhattarai

When we take note of the word “beauty”, with respect to another human being, our mind instantly goes to how attractive one is and their aesthetic features like- their face structures, eyes, lips, body structure, etc. We fail to understand that human minds have been conditioned to have a typical box for the standards of beauty and if one checks all the boxes then the person is said to be put under the ‘beautiful’ category. These standards have been created by us and as we evolve these standards too have been witness to thousands of transformations, which not only vary among time periods but also among different places. Every standard set for a society takes into account the ‘conventional beauty’. However, being conventionally beautiful does not always mean one will still be considered to be beautiful in every corner of the world. Complex human nature can never be a part of only one criterion, hence, if a person is considered to be beautiful for having a slimmer nose and chiseled features but not fair skin then she would not be considered to be conventionally beautiful in India. This is because of the deep-rooted mentality of Indians about people with light skin colour to be more superior as once India was subjected to British rule and they were all treated badly and were racially discriminated against. However, naturally Indians are of the Brown race and so being brown- no matter what shade- is normal. In East Asian countries too light- skinned girls are preferred, however, with smaller face structures, lips and big eyes. Again, having smaller eyes is natural for most Asians along with not having a proper fair skin, but that does not include one to be conventionally beautiful. Ironically, in the Western countries, where the majority of Caucasian people reside, due to being heavily influenced by the African – American and the Latin culture, has witnessed a massive increase in people making their skin colour darker using spray tans and make-up. Also, their general body structure is lean but at present being ‘curvy’ is seen as the preferred choice. These changes make us aware of the differences in people’s mentality which forces one to change themselves physically to look beautiful. People go to extreme lengths to reach the beauty bar by even starving themselves to be skinnier, which later may result in eating disorders such as anorexia. Being beautiful, especially, for the women is seen as something which decides how accepted they would be in their society as in most patriarchal societies, people resort to arranged marriages and prefer only beautiful girls. The parents force their girls to try various remedies in order to make them more alluring. It is important for us to know that there is never any way to be beautiful and please everyone, especially by changing oneself. Due to continuous evolution of broader-thought processes, these standards have started being condemned all over and people have become more comfortable being who they are. These problems may also lead the already conventionally beautiful people to harm themselves just to stay the way they are. Usually models and actresses go through this as a result of the colossal pressure on them which qualifies them for their jobs. The beauty and fashion industry contributes to how a society perceives beauty and the use of diverse people to showcase beauty also helps in making the people more aware. Seeing someone with the same natural features as you, in a cover of a magazine, does help in boosting one’s inner self-worth. True beauty can only be achieved if one has a sense of confidence and is much more valuable than their external appearance. It is your aura that allures people around you, as beauty is never constant and can only be attained when one genuinely loves themselves despite their insecurities. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and different features are what makes us unique. These differences should not be turned into barriers and seen as an opportunity to make people feel like an outcast and destroy their spirits.

Soni Bhattarai is a first-year BA, LLB (Hons.) student of National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam. She is also a member of the National Service Scheme’s Intellectual Cell of her college which aims in providing service to the community. Apart from writing poems and articles, she also has a passion for dance- of all forms- but especially Bharat Natyam and she also holds a diploma in it. 


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