I once grabbed a " beauty test " online, and it demonstrated that I am 91% beautiful, assessing I had facial symmetry, a small mouth with fuller lips, a sharp and small nose, fair skin, and a good interocular distance between my eyes.
Not that it did any good to my self-esteem and those never-ending fusses at that time.
Goddamn, those stupid teenage years! Aaah!
I was fortuitous enough to not get inundated with those critiques and judgments of society on my self-worth but what about those girls who didn't score well in "the test?"
A DILEMMA OF A MODERN WOMAN.
Since the time immemorial, we women have been subjected to various rituals. We have always been told, what to wear, what to apply on our complexions to become "fairer" (trust an Asian on this to tell you that) what not to apply, how those chemicals are harsh, not to apply makeup, how to talk, whom to talk, when to talk, how not to talk back, What to believe in, what to do with our bodies, what to believe in, what not to believe in, what clothes to wear, what clothes not to wear and don't overlook the fact that they took away so many basic human rights from us! My blood is already steaming.
A modern woman is done with all these objections.
She is sick of hearing," this is beautiful, that is not beautiful." And all those nuances and judgments.
LET HER CHOOSE WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO, IT'S HER FUCKING CHOICE.
In our new age, contemporary women don't want to compromise on their freedom and independence.
Beauty Brands must be prudent about it especially when the majority of their customers are " female".
Most makeup brands have come to the terms with their marketing and brand message about their product letting women accentuate and highlight their best features.
Be it those gorgeous eyes or their luscious lips!
BUT CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY DOES PLAY A ROLE IN MAREKITNG:
Because of the halo effect and the blink theory.
The blink theory suggests that our brain forms quick judgments and opinions. Majority of the time, we rely on our intuition which is based on our subconscious biases. Indians have Eurocentric features as an ideal model of beauty in their subconscious and it has severely affected how we define beauty in our day to day lives.
The halo effect is hugely useful in marketing as it suggests to the brain that if a person is beautiful on the outside, they will be beautiful on the inside as well. This pioneers trust among the audience believing in the goodness of the product.
OUR OBSESSION WITH EUROCENTRIC IDEALS OF BEAUTY.
So what are these ideal features you ask?
Apart from the usual pale skin, light colored eyes, long nose
small mouths( because big lips are Afrocentric and small but full lips would suit a Caucasian colonizer and therefore be considered more attractive.) do act as defining features.
Once a casting director, Maurilo Carnino famously said and I quote, "One time one of my clients was like, ''No, no, no, I need a black model, but she needs to be a white girl dipped in chocolate?" End quote.
Our indefinite features such as large noses, thick lips, big curves don't fit into Da Vinci's "Golden ratio" stereotype.
The entire Asian countries are China, India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea considers white and pale skin more beautiful than the dark and tanned skin of a woman. The volume of pressure and injustice that such societal norms create is frightening and downright insanity.
Why does the world angelize such Eurocentric features?
India was colonized for 200 years, and the white ideals of beauty slipped into our psyche and still control our perception of beauty. White people have still mulled the pinnacle of beauty. That is why so many ad campaigns and billboards have Caucasian models even today.
How does your facial feature and appearance affect these Bollywood women and their role in the campaigns of the brands?
1)Alia Bhatt, has done ads for Maybelline, Garnier, Nokia, Lays, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, Lux, Frooti… the list goes on and on. She ticks almost all the requirements of the Eurocentric ideals of beauty.
2)Aishwarya Rai has got the whole element of Eurocentric beauty, with those light colored eyes and she has endorsed L'Oreal for years on different verticals, ranging from makeup to hair care. She advertises luxury segments like Nakshatra Diamond Jewelry, Kalyan Jewelers, and Longines too.
3)Karishma Kapoor, who has long retired from cinema, still scores big endorsement deals like Ponds, McCain, Olay, Kelloggs, unlike Kajol (who was heavily airbrushed for an Olay ad and never seen in one again) or Tabu.
4)Anushka Sharma, a giant in the advertising department, has done campaigns for Nivea, Pantene, Elle 18, TVS, Lipton, Joy, Godrej, Colgate, Manyavar, and Clear, among others.
5)Yami Gautam also makes for an interesting case study here, because despite mediocre performances at the box office, she endorses leading brands like Fair & Lovely, Cornetto, Emami, a brand of mixer-grinders, and a footwear brand.
The beauty standards of women in the marketing industry mirrors the beauty standards in the society as well.
But there have been certain reforms and some brands are taking the charge for it like Dove in their "reverse selfie campaign."
It’s important to lift the veil off conventional beauty standards because there are real-life implications of these ideas. These ideas have pervaded our matrimonial ads, govern what our grandmothers describe as beautiful, and affect the average woman’s self-esteem in numerous ways. We can try spending on makeup, plastic surgery, and fairness creams, but in the end, isn’t the solution accepting all forms of beauty?
Comments