“I am not particularly interest-ed in beauty. I think it’s be-come this sort of poison for women to drink,” Jameela Jamil tells me over the phone. It’s perhaps an odd thing to declare, since I’ve ostensibly called her to talk about her beauty routine. Jamil recognises the dissonance. An accomplished actor, performer, radio DJ and former model, she has, for years, been an outspoken advocate against what she considers the unfair beauty standards to which women are held.
Sure, beauty can be fun, artistic and rooted in self-care. And looking good can also feel good. (Who doesn’t feel great after applying the perfect red lip or putting some concealer on a blemish that could have threatened to ruin your day?) But as a 532 billion-dollar industry, is beauty about making sure we have access to glitter eyeshadows and highlighters, or is it rooted in making women feel bad about themselves and promising them products that will help? That’s what Jamil wonders, at least.
Her relationship with the issue is personal. Like many, she has been scrutinised for her looks from a young age. At 26, she gained weight due to medication and was repeatedly fat-shamed in public. A radio DJ at the time, she says, “I was on the cover of every magazine; pictures of my bottom, pictures of my thighs, pictures comparing me to when I was thin...always framing a narrative as if I was unhappy.” But she wasn’t unhappy, and this was a scrutiny her male colleagues were not exposed to.
Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Current affairs
Elif Shafak’s work abounds with references, memories and a deep love of Istanbul. She talks to AANCHAL MALHOTRA about the significance of home and those who shape our recollections of the past
A drop of nostalgia
A whiff of Chanel N°5 L'Eau acts as a memory portal for TARINI SOOD, reminding her of the constant tussle between who we are and who we hope to become
Wild thing's
Zebras hold emerald-cut diamonds, panthers morph into ring-bracelets that move and a turtle escapes to become a brooch -Cartier's high jewellery collection Nature Sauvage is a playground of the animal kingdom.
Preity please
Two surprise red-carpet appearances and a movie announcement have everyone obsessing over Preity Zinta. The star behind the aughties’ biggest hits talks film wardrobe favourites, social media and keeping it real.
Honeymoon travels
Destination locked, visas acquired, bookings madewhat could stand between a newly-wed couple and pure, unadulterated conjugal bliss in some distant, romantic land? A lot, finds JYOTI KUMARI. Styled by LONGHCHENTI HANSO LONGCHAR
La La Land
They complete each other’s sentences, make music together and get lost on the streets of Paris—this is the love story of Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth.
A SHORE THING
Annalea Barreto and Mavrick Cardoz eschewed the big fat Goan wedding for a DIY, intimate, seaside affair that was true to their individual selves.
7 pheras around the buffet
Celebrating the only real love affair each wedding season: me and a feast.
Saving AI do
From getting ChatGPT to plan your wedding itinerary to designing your moodboard on Midjourneytech is officially third-wheeling the big fat Indian wedding
Love bomb me, please
Between breadcrumbing, cushioning and situationships, the language of romance seems to be lost in translation. SAACHI GUPTA asks, where has the passion gone?