IN 2019, after the photos of 30 finalists of the Femina Miss India pageant came out in public, a massive social media backlash ensued, accusing the contest of being 'racist'. When the photos of these women-mostly with similar haircuts and fair skin-found space in one of the leading national newspapers with the headline, 'Who will be crowned Miss India this year?", Twitter went abuzz with a cry against such typecasting. One of the users shared the photo and wrote: "Why can't a Miss India be a dusky or a dark brown or darker chocolate brown? So much for the love of fair skin. I believe we are the most racist country in the world...!"
Notably, this was the same beauty pageant that crowned Priyanka Chopra the title of Miss India.
Anti-colour activist Muna Beatty, while talking to the news agency Reuters, said, "You have youngsters, kids watching this and thinking to themselves 'if I don't fit these criteria or this skin tone, then I'm not beautiful' and... 'I'm not good enough"."
Though these protests were confined within the walls of social media in 2019, the history of beauty contests and the women's movement suggest that since the 1960s, it has always been a matter of concern for the feminists who have been trying to fight the essentiality of beauty and its determination through the male gaze. The Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth contests, better known as the Big Four of beauty pageants, that have been around since 1951, have seen an evolution of the stipulations, regulations and the platform through the decades.
Denne historien er fra March 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra March 21, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee