Why do we insist on women and transgender people conforming to a certain norm of appearance, to appreciate their value?
Like the different parts of our body, our skin is also susceptible to different kinds of medical issues. There are specialised fields like dermatology dealing with these problems. A dermatologist or a skin specialist is someone that you should consult for taking care of skin ailments and conditions that can prove to be hazardous to your health if left untreated.
Your physical and mental well being cannot be compromised and thus seeking proper skincare with the help of professionals is the right thing to do.
Unfortunately, the problem is that women and transgender people around the world are judged, humiliated and even subjected to physical harm at least a million times more than men when it comes to the way they look. We (read men) are shameless and shallow enough to discriminate against other genders and ridicule them on things like skin colour, body shape, body hair, face etc.
We cannot take refuge in the excuse that we were not aware of our own biases. That may or may not have been true when we were kids but not anymore. Any adult who makes another person feel small by their words or actions cannot has no right to claim that they didn’t realize what they were doing. We all know very well what we have said and done as a society over the years and how we have behaved towards women and transgender people.
We expect them to maintain a particular look to appear desirable to our (read, men’s) senses, not realising that there is something horribly wrong with us for making the other person go through so much pain, just to cater to our whimsical nature.
We tell them to be individualistic and different but we don’t like the way they look, think or conduct themselves.
We tell them to hide what we (again, read men) perceive as flaws within them, using products that are not only expensive but can also cause adverse reactions while endangering their health at the same time. Many of these products have been subsequently banned due to the clear health hazards that they pose to their customers.
Companies and celebrities have often been guilty of peddling such cosmetics to the general public in the name of these absurd beauty standards that no one should have to aim for. Why the hell can beauty be seen as a metric that needs to be standardised and how have we been okay with this nonsense for so long?
If this is what we have become as a society and as a civilisation then I am sorry to say that there is something awfully wrong with us and the way we think.
Shouldn’t we be more accepting towards the other person and create an environment where they are free to live their way without constantly acting as the self-appointed moral police?
Image credits Matt Moloney, via Unsplash
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In recent times, the issue of gender neutral or unisex toilets has come up frequently in the US. But what about in India? Here's why they are important.
In recent times, the issue of gender-neutral or unisex toilets has come up frequently in the US. But what about in India? It is not common to see such toilets in Indian public spaces. However, unisex toilets are important to consider since there is a large transgender population in India, many of whom are children.
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