“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.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
