How to be truly beautiful.

Many of you must have come across the news items featuring the bearded Sikh girl who has been applauded for her courage, for refusing to conform to what is considered beauty and having the courage to be who she is. In case you do not know what I am talking about do watch the video below.




I came across this a few months ago, when it first popped up on reddit.I, like all other, applauded her courage to stand by the choices she made and her mental strength. Then I forgot all about it.

 Till this morning.

 This morning I came across another lady called Valeria Lukyanova, a model from Ukraine who has got a lot of plastic surgery done to resemble the popular Barbie doll. 



Do check out the link . It left me quite astonished!


Both are extreme cases. In one, the person has consciously rejected the society's norm of 'beauty' and in the other the person has embraced it to the fullest.Both have received large volumes of mails of admiration, as well as hate mails. Does anyone else have a right to comment on their choices? I do not think so.

Yet, physical beauty does drive a whole lot of things. Economists have found out that  physical beauty affects wages even in professions where appearance does not seem relevant to performance.

Here is my take on this whole beauty business.

I am against beauty pageants like Miss World and Miss Universe, simply because it has absurd conditions like the woman has to be, between a certain age and has to be unmarried (why?! How does it matter?!). Also, this whole objectification of women, where she is just reduced to her looks and clothes (never mind the  interview questions that are asked!) and judged on the basis of that, is something I find distasteful. I would rather applaud that girl whose parents were uneducated labourers from the poorest sections of the society and yet, she stood first in her exams, studying by the street-lights. That according to me is true beauty. So is a woman who achieves something in a sport or another who rises to head a multinational. Those are the ones I shall applaud.

Same goes for men. Yes, I may admire a muscular guy who has a great physique, but will he command my respect? Not likely, unless he is a true gentleman.

Beauty is only skin deep.
To be truly beautiful, what you need is a warm wonderful smile, a kind heart and purity in deeds and thoughts.

True beauty is seeing the good in others, making the world a slightly better place  when you leave, by spreading cheer, hope and positivity.

True beauty is not hard to achieve. It doesn't need plastic surgery.
All it needs is a mind-set.
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Comments

  1. True...beauty counts a vital point everywhere..be it a company recruitment, aircraft cabin crew, receptionist everyone is demanding beautiful gals..harsh truth is the essense of inner beauty is over. Biz demands beauty because a charm of face can lure biz tO them..beautiful post preeti mam..!!

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  2. So true even Madhuri Dixit when interviewed about her secret of being so beautiful she said 'SMILE' wholeheartedly and live happy that adds your face look more charming.

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  3. Correct:)
    physical appearance should not me taken into account while judging people's heart because heart is something you carry inside your body not on your outer appearnce but people hardly understand this simply fact!

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  4. I was aware of the first link. It was an eye opener in the "don't judge a book by its cover" sense. But, the second one left me speechless. Fail to understand, why would someone make their physical beauty, something so transient and subjective matter, the be all and end all of their lives. Surely, both women have much more to give to the world than just their looks, and while in the first case, she realises it and is trying to break the stereotype or prejudice that people have towards such thing, in the second case, I am unable to understand the motive behind it at all! Fifteen minutes of fame, maybe?

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  5. Anonymous11:17 PM

    I think it's a personal choice at the end of day. Unfortunately, human brain is designed to get attracted to beautiful things and people in general..and there has been many studies done that beautiful people has far more opportunities than average looking in the first place.. at a first instant .. it is the beauty and then followed by brains in non-media-biz world. true isn't?

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  6. so agree! beauty is only skin deep. I believe beauty is dependent on how we are as people, being kind, polite caring is beautiful.

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  7. I also admire some celebrities who turned down multi crore ad deals for fairness creams, just because they do not equate being fair to being beautiful. I found that worth mentioning too.

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  8. Anonymous1:42 PM

    Awesome post. Perfectly conveyed a great concept in such a precise manner!

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  9. Totally beautiful. A beautiful personality and a beautiful heart is what matters the most . The rest is only....errr umm...doesnt matter :) Eye opener. <3

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  10. I find the pageants as a total waste of time too... Wish we could see more events where the truly deserving ones' were applauded for their brave or humane actions.
    Always love reading your posts Preeti.

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  11. I am against beauty pageants like Miss World and Miss Universe, simply because it has absurd conditions like the woman has to be, between a certain age and has to be unmarried ->>>>> well said :)

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  12. This post reminds me your previous post " is it okay to wear that ".Really we should not be judgmental about anybodies physical appearance.Perception of beauty is all mind set.keep writing mam.We love reading your posts & books :)

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  13. So very beautifully written... awesome,.. so motivating.. to b d way u are and happily accepting it .. with a broad hearty smile..

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