The craze for beauty
By: K S S Pillai
Though we have heard from childhood that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and that God created human beings in his image, we usually exclaim in disbelief when we hear about a handsome boy’s wedding to an ordinary-looking girl. Believing that something is fishy, we discuss the whole affair thread-bare.
During Vedic times, beauty was considered a sign of good luck and fortune and was associated with fertility. Many religions say that inner beauty matters, however ugly one may look outside, and what is important is not one’s appearance or wealth but his heart and deeds.
One is expected to have the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit irrespective of the birthplace. Beautiful flowers on plants with their roots under dirty water or stinking soil are cited as examples.
The passage of time is a slow destroyer of beauty and health. We often see photographs of once-beautiful personalities losing all their charm, with wrinkles and sunken eyes, seeking the help of others in walking and even performing daily chores.
People have become more beauty-conscious than earlier generations. While females were considered sensitive about their beauty in the past, frequently looking at the small mirrors they carry, males have joined them now. They dress in expensive costumes and visit beauty parlours regularly to appear more handsome.
It is said that beauty should not come from outward adornments such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes, but there is a thriving business in these items.
Some religions exhort women not to alter their natural beauty by wearing jewellery or by reducing their beauty with blemishes like tattoos, but they are not taken seriously.
The demand for gold ornaments and their prices have been going northward, and the number of people getting their bodies adorned with tattoos is also increasing. The beauty industry has been growing fast throughout the world.
Even people born with deformities want to look attractive through any available means. Despite religious disapproval, cosmetic surgery has become popular with surgeons trying to alter the looks of their customers with expensive surgeries.
We often come across reports of rejected lovers throwing acids at their lovers’ faces to disfigure them permanently. The victims then seek the help of cosmetic surgeons to repair the damage, which is often expensive.
Historically, barber shops periodically cut hair and shaved faces for a modest fee. Barbers even visited village houses and patiently waited for their clients. They were often paid in kind, like paddy, after every harvest.
Considered way below in the caste hierarchy, they were also supposed to do jobs like digging graves and personally conveying the death message to distant relatives.
The situation has changed dramatically. Name boards like ‘Hair Cutting Salon’ or ‘Barber Shop’ have been replaced by ‘Beauty Parlour’ and other fancy names, with separate air-conditioned sections for males and females with technicians in uniforms. There is always a long waiting list at such places.
The beautician’s courses are in great demand. Many people go for time-consuming and expensive beauty treatments. Even the dark colour appears fair after such treatments. Beauticians have become essential parts of weddings, costing much money and time. Make-up items are much sought after, and manufacturers spend lakhs of rupees for advertising. They are also available ‘online’ now.
Eyebrows are no longer raised in disgust when women take out their looking glasses frequently to apply lipstick. They look different without make-up and are advised, in a light vein, to keep away from water, which may wash it away.
People have become so beauty-conscious that to counter their sedentary lives and food items with lots of harmful hormones, which were available only in other countries until recently, they try to keep themselves physically fit by joining health clubs managed by physiotherapists, which have mushroomed everywhere. Dental doctors who keep their teeth shining and symmetrical are another tribe frequently visited by them.
(The author is a retired professor of English. A regular contributor to ‘The Kashmir Vision’, his articles and short stories have appeared in various national and international publications)
