Constantly Seeking Inspiration

Quote: "Age Exquisitely"

The ultimate secret to aging exquisitely is to identify more with the part of yourself that doesn't grow older-the inner part-and less with the outer part that metamorphoses through ages and stages all your life long.

Author Victoria Moran

Vogue in India and other thoughts

I would like to think people have grown past the outdated notion that beauty is assessed by skin tone. Unfortunately, for some beauty is still defined by that very thing. I do not agree with it or support it. Being a South Asian myself, I remember all too well, the sad importance paid on achieving fairness. I would like to think my generation is beyond skin color and is not abusing bleaching creams to find some kind of fortune or good luck. Dark is lovely. Fair is lovely. All the colors in between, equally lovely. Can you dig it?

I am sure there are plenty of people who feel the way I do. I am not generalizing and trying to stay away from any kind of stereotype. I know regardless of how I feel, sometimes the media and fashion advertising can foster such negative stereotypes and ideals.

Just recently Vogue launched its magazine in India. Wonderful thing for fashionistas abroad and here. What made me a little sad was the cover. Here you have two beautiful Indian Women, [thats seem okay right?] balancing the center Model who is not Indian. The model is equally beautiful. Why not All Indian models? It's the first issue especially geared for Indian women. Maybe the intentions weren't rooted in some marketing ideal. However, it does make me think. I guess we should look forward to future issues.

With that being in mind, I ran over to Youtube. I thought of the "Fair and lovely" bleaching cream. I remember how crazy those old commercial were. A girl, who was down on her luck, found her saviour in skin lightening. Her luck changed. Suddenly she was more successfull and happier.

Women have suffered long enough to what marketing campaigns have labeled beauty. We have ate the bread and butter they served us, and we are still fat. At 30, I know better not to buy into that. What scares me is some women in my age group still eat that bread and butter.

Not to go into another topic, but I am all for self improvement. I believe we should always be working towards our best, both mentally and physically. I do not think that we should be ashamed of what we are. We should not feel insecure about our given gifts of individual beauty. We are all unique and little bit different on purpose. No one is the same. We are all beautiful.

Find the "Fair and Lovely" commercial HERE.