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Ex-Miss India and actor Namrata Shirodkar shared a family selfie on the eve of her husband Mahesh Babu's new release Maharishi, and a man asked her if she was depressed as there was no make-up.
Ex-Miss India and actor Namrata Shirodkar shared a family selfie on the eve of her husband Mahesh Babu’s new release Maharishi, and a man asked her if she was depressed as there was no make-up.
I don’t know why but, reading a news article with Namrata Shirodkar’s response to one of her Instagram followers asking her why she “does not put on make-up and if she was depressed”, made me feel a sense of happiness that is very rarely achieved these days.
You can see her post on Instagram here.
Namrata replied to him saying: “You might love women with make-up. Maybe you should follow someone who is always made up and suits your criteria! You are not going to find it on this page!! So maybe you should get off it… sincere request.”
The troll has since deleted his comment.
Was it because here was a woman in her 40s, and an ex-Miss India nonetheless, with one of the best bodies in business back in the day, sharing on her Instagram page, an absolutely make-up less picture of herself, with her seemingly ageless and hugely popular filmstar husband?
Or was it because she replied to the comment with a kind of grace that too is becoming rare these days?
In an age of filters and flawlessness and the constant demand of nothing less than perfection, especially on the female face, a woman backing up her no make-up face assertively is a great reminder of individuality, and why there are those of us who are not afraid to hide our dark circles and our ‘dull’ skin.
I think this news resonated to me on a more personal level too, because as a woman in her 30s, I have to admit I still do not very well know, what constitutes the various make-up components. Why is a blusher for example required? Do I need to contour my face? Should I apply a lip-liner or should I just directly apply lipstick? And then isn’t an eye-lash curler scary? How does it not end up plucking the damn eyelash?
And for as long as I can remember, I have been questioned and put on the spot on why I don’t do anything about this! My answer to this of course is simple. I have never felt the need, never felt that this load of fancy products would do or add anything more to my personality or well-being, or whatever else that I hold as important or necessary.
The pressure to look good has never been higher. Just go by the sheer amount of followers for the influencers and make-up experts on Youtube. The make-up industry is burgeoning and the sheer amount of ‘Make-up’ apps blow my mind away. I have to admit such was their allure, I even tried one myself, much to my own amusement.
As if the pressure to prove themselves wasn’t enough, women these days have the added onus of keeping themselves extra presentable. I know many women love doing this on their own because they want this too. But for every such woman or girl out there, there are others who would much rather live without all of this.
But the pace at which this is fast becoming a norm, and less of a voluntary interest, leaves me amazed. I would not be surprised if in a decade or two, people like me would be termed a ‘fossil’ for not having ‘moved’ with the times.
And most often than not, just like Ms Shirodkar’s ‘critic’, the constant pressure of proving that a naturally dull face does not mean one is depressed, or sad, or sick, or anything else. One could just be having one of those days. And it is perfectly alright to not have bright, glowing skin, everyday, or any day. One doesn’t have to do anything with the other. Depression is a serious business. Make-up is definitely not one of the things, that goes (or comes) with it.
Namrata Shirodkar’s old school charm and resolve, struck a chord somewhere. It was nice to see that Instagram was used for just sharing pictures of a warm get-together, and less as a means to showcase a perfectly made-up face. More power to this tribe.
Image source: YouTube
Writer and technologist currently based out of Bangalore read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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