Grace vs. Glitter: Elegance vs.Vulgar: Beauty vs. Bollywood

I picked up this pamphlet a few years ago when I first arrived in Sweden. I have kept it for years until a few days ago when I decided to scan it, so that I could get rid of the paper.  

I was mesmerized by the beautiful woman who has no make up on her face, is wearing truly traditional outfits of the nomadic people who  live in the desert of the Indian subcontinent.  Her brown eyes, her simple smile, tell the tale of an authentic life.  She is not trying to be anything but who she is.  Not trying to be feminine, not trying to use her body to attract anything and yet, she is both feminine and attractive. Even magnetic.  I remember talking about this to a student in Fiji, because we were talking of Bollywood and what it has done to the images of Indian women.  I told her that nomadic women wore this charm that they did not need to shed clothes to get attention.  They got attention just by being who they were.  Their carefree walk defied the weight of clothing and jewelry they carried on them, that could --if not carried with grace make them seem clumsy.  

However, following are a few pictures of the how these women, their outfits and bodies have been depicted in Bollywood.  Bollywood, as is the nature of media, reduces the dignity with which people carry themselves everyday.  But the main problem is that it is only a representation.  These women are very obviously trying to be something they are not, and something they do not understand.  The director certainly is not using this as any sense of Indianness, but an idea that he creates in his mind--for no other reason that increasing the length of time people watch these images.

That there has been a fracture in how closely images portray reality is obvious in the following pictures and the years these movies were released.

1990s

1990s

1990s

1960s-70s

1960s-70s

True beauty however does not require any sensationalisation, it is obvious in an inherent joy that person radiates.  As in the very first image on this post--taken from a UNIFEM pamphlet.  The woman does not appear needing any help, she is not destitute or backward --she just is---participating in the world--without calling attention to herself.  Just like a flower that exudes color, freshness and fragrance, and therefore is Graceful, elegant and beautiful!