You may be surprised to find such a topic in a blog meant for recipes and cooking ideas! It all started from an interesting contest ad I read on IndiBlogger and was tempted to share my thoughts on this topic. Er...actually, it's a joint effort by me and my sis :) Both of us have let our thoughts explode, rather :)
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, goes a saying. Easier said than done, beauty cannot be perceived without looking at external appearance, in reality. No one can deny that. Which is why umpteen number of beauty pageants are happening all over the world. But personally, I do not find most of the ‘Miss World’s or ‘Miss Universe’s (barring a few) beautiful at all! No offense meant, but many of these bikini-babes may be ‘sexy’ or ‘sensual’, but that can definitely not define ‘real’ beauty. At a more basic level, even choosing one’s life partner is dominated by external beauty!! Worse, even the ‘Opportunities’ columns seek candidates with a ‘pleasing’ personality!
So, ‘real beauty’- does it even exist?? Yes, it does, but needs a certain level of maturity to recognize & appreciate it. U can see it in a child’s innocence, in a pregnant woman’s blush,…. you can go on with such talk. But the blatant truth is: in today’s world, the search for ‘real beauty’ may find you nowhere. ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’- is my dad’s refrain on what real beauty is. I second him and it’s quite true indeed! What may seem beautiful to you, may not appeal to your friend.
Beauty is only skin-deep, many-a-time. "Love at first sight" may not last a lifetime, for they are so enamored by one's external appearance that they fail to see the other person's inner beauty. It should be a good mix of both. A beautiful soul is what differentiates humans from a cute puppy or a pretty parrot!
Why leave the poor menfolk? You can find real beauty in a man too! It's a beautiful (but rare) sight to see men who can perceive their unemployed wives as "home-makers"! Men who are proud of their wives even when they out-perform them at work and bring home the bacon and men who encourage their better-halves to pursue higher education and advance professionally are the most handsome indeed! A guy who affectionately gives a massage to his wife's tired feet after an entire day's work, a man who caringly (or daringly) prepares soup for his lady when she's ill with flu or a bad cold and one who appreciates a burnt sandwich as a lip-smacking dinner - yes, you get the idea :) So, tall n dark does not maketh a man handsome!
My grandpa is always proud of his wife and found my grandma the most beautiful woman on Earth, even when she was greying, with wrinkles & worries writ large on her face. And, talking of age, only some (like my grandma) are blessed with the gift of 'aging gracefully', which is a beauty in itself.
Hi akka.It's Manas here.Though I have visited your blog in many previous instances,I have never taken the effort to comment on the topics;and that's what I was going to continue religiously this time around too.But then, on second thoughts I decided to rather appease my "little" sis:)Better late than never,I guess.
ReplyDeleteI am just 16, and my brain's not ripe yet. The poor thing fails to understand its more philosophical counterparts(the adults in other words).So, you see, I am just making a small attempt to comment on Beauty,the topic that you have come up with.
During all the commercial breaks on TV, probabaly more than 50% of the adds promote beauty products,fairness creams et al.It clearly indicates the audience's, or the Indian audience's (to be particular)increasing belief in the myth that anything 'fair' is attractive.Well, what about the darker HALLE BERRY, or the gracefull Mallu nurses.Aren't they BOMBS?!They surely make every man pump more blood than required!
And now,men too are getting lured by men's fairness creams.(Needless to say, they might start applying lipsticks and nail polish too!)I find this whole thing simply absurd.
Quite an insight, Manas:) I second your opinion. Some of the most popular Indian(or even Hollywood) heroines have been black beauties-which bears testimony to your statement. And, by the way, I was quite surprised to read your 'matured' thoughts on 'Beauty':) U've grown up, indeed!:):)
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