IN MY MOTHER'S IMAGE

Author Fariha Róisín pens a heartfelt note on learning to view yourself differently.

- Fariha Róisín

“I was raised by a mother who was beautiful, breathtaking in an old-world way, a blend of Bangla and the West. At parties, her beauty was revered and praised. She was regularly compared to Bengali actress Sharmila Tagore, with her smiling eyes and rapturous dimples. When I was younger, old photos of her would strike such a chord, her cheekbones perfectly lining her face. My mother had a very specific idea of beauty, but also propriety, which was the standard in Bangladesh, where she spent most of her early life. For the longest time, my mother was the epitome of beauty for me: a blend of grace and mystery, a symposium of all the things I wasn’t.