I was browsing through the Internet this afternoon and I came across an article that stated that the public were up in arms over Alicia Keys appearing at a music video awards without any make up. I thought to myself gosh, people are dying in some parts of the world; there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed apart from taking away a woman's right to choose how she wants to dress or look. The media and the fashion industry have dictated and literally forced women to dress in a certain way in order to be accepted in society. Women need to be a certain weight or a have a certain height or complexion in order to be considered beautiful. The sad reality is that from a statistical point of view a more attractive looking female is more successful in life as opposed to a woman who is not outwardly beautiful. This mentality needs to change as it is being instilled in our youth and kids from a very young age. I have come across young women who have psychological issues simply because they are being mocked at by their peers or school mates for not being attractive enough. I have had my fair share of verbal remarks as a child for not being fair enough as my brother. I am also a wee bit overweight due to my thyroid issue. But do I care about what other people think about me... hell no. I'm quite comfortable in my own skin. We need to teach young women that true beauty is not about outer appearance. As clichéd as it sounds, it is all about what lies within. When a person has a beautiful soul, a kind heart with pure intentions, that inner beauty transcends outwardly naturally. I know of many young women who are slightly overweight due to illnesses or they have a skin problem due to hormonal issues. Instead of society supporting these teenagers, these young women are being looked down upon for not looking like a girl on a magazine cover who by the way is probably really unattractive in real life but due to photoshop, make up and airbrushing techniques, she looks absolutely sexy. There are teenagers out there who have major skin problems but because they hail from poor families they are unable to afford the necessary treatment. Thus, they continue life with a lowered self esteem. We have created this false, distorted concept of beauty. In the Indian community this horrific perception is taken one step further when a girl is told that if she is not beautiful or fair skinned, she will not find a husband. What utter rubbish. Never mind the guy is no James Bond or Hrithik Roshan, but the girl must be tall, fair skinned with long hair etc etc etc.1400 years ago a wise, humble and knowledgeable man,Muhammed ibn Abdullah (pbuh) liberated mankind from such ideologies. Sadly 1400 years later we seem to have regressed rather than progressed!
