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Acne and pimples can play havoc with one's self esteem. The trick is in accepting them and realizing that inner beauty that is not affected by them!
Acne and pimples can play havoc with one’s self esteem. The trick is in accepting them and realizing that inner beauty that is not affected by them!
My relationship with the world of acne and pimples started exactly 25 years ago! And this year I officially celebrate my silver anniversary with my precious and sparkling set of pimples.
Ever since I hit puberty, I was bombarded with a good dose of pimples that was splattered all around my face and added that extra blush, which obviously I didn’t need and detested to the core. Initially, with this new virus that I had acquired, everyone including my parents, my siblings, my uncles and aunts, older cousins, overzealous aunties in the neighbourhood all gave me a very sympathetic look and loads of advice on ‘What to do when you are expecting ‘PIMPLES’?
I was internally battling an ocean of mixed emotions – one of confusion and discovery of having hit puberty, anxiety and disappointment at the onset of acne, utter sadness at seeing my lovely face getting conquered by some external particles that had safely made their nest on my cheeks and forehead, and showed no signs or interest of leaving it in the near future.
There wasn’t a single anti-acne cream treatment or medicines that I may have not tried. From allopathy to homeopathy, from Clearsil to Pro-activ, from Pears to Chandrika soaps, from blood purifiers to face masks, from sandalwood paste to besan-haldi, all the possible foundations and concealers, and the works! I tried everything and nothing worked!
The only thing that worked was during all this acne-ship, my self-esteem and confidence was still intact and I must thank my parents and siblings for this. Never did they, even once, say anything negative or disheartening on that topic. In fact, my mother once categorically told me ‘Don’t worry, all this will disappear once you get married and have kids!’ I had tears of joy and sadness, both, on hearing this. I was happy, because someday, somehow this will all vanish and sad because I need to wait for at least another 15 more years for this miracle to happen. Phew!
During all this, I madly fell in love with my best friend who is also now my husband and he too, was deeply in love with me and my pimples. He even accompanied me once to a leading dermatologist, but that was more for my sake, as he gave a damn about all this.
In a very filmy manner, he once said ‘Chaand pe bhi toh daag hota hain!’ I am sure he didn’t mean it, but who cares? That boosted my confidence even more, and slowly and steadily, I started accepting and internalizing my pimples. I no longer fretted over the sudden attack of acne just before an important occasion / function. The only time I prayed to God to protect me from them was on the day of my wedding and thankfully, my prayers were answered. All credit goes to the Almighty and my make-up woman who did a fab job of ensuring that I looked like a million bucks with a super, flawless complexion (Even minus Adobe Photoshop in those days).
Five years later, I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, and the pimples stayed with me throughout all – my pregnancy to my post-partum days and rejoiced in me being a mother. My boy successfully completed his Terrible Twos and there was still no sign of the pimples bidding me adieu. As he grew older, the pimples started getting smaller but they didn’t ever leave me. There would always be a couple of them to remind me of my jawaani and I wasn’t complaining.
My son, who is now 11 years old and while he declares his mother is the most beautiful woman on this earth, he has fondly nicknamed me as ‘Pimpu’ without realizing what impact it makes. At first, I would squirm and feel terrible about it, but since the last couple of years I laugh it out and have accepted it gracefully. There are still times, when I get be a little disgruntled at seeing the onset of a brand new, big pimple, but that’s when my husband lovingly hugs me and reminds me how he fell in love with me with those pimples and how they always remind him of our good old days. There can’t be a better morale booster than him and he has tremendously helped me fall in love with my natural self!
I have happily turned over 40 and the hormones have started working over-time. There are days and months of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam. Some days the skin shines brighter than sunlight and then, there are days when the acne hold center stage.
I am absolutely convinced that beauty is not just skin-deep and the quality of your thoughts, actions and behaviour reflects on how you look. No concealer in the world can conceal your true image and your face only reflects what’s inside you, right at the core. I feel great at being 40 , those subtle marks and signs of acne continue to remind me that ‘I am still young!’ I am at peace with my pimples, and have accepted this acne-ship that shall now be my constant companion in life.
Its’ extremely important to stay healthy, happy and kind and that what makes a person beautiful. Ek pimple se mera kya hoga!
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
I am Rachana Gupta, a happy and highly spirited woman, who loves being the sunshine in the life of my dearest 10 year old son and my loving husband, Vishal who was my schoolmate and read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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