Kareena Kapoor may or may not be size zero, but the idea has definitely struck a chord at the dying-to-be-westernized Indian. There would be very few of us who would actually know what exactly does size zero imply in the fashion industry, but, that doesn't stop us from buying Shilpa Shetty's yoga CDs or joining some obscure power yoga sessions by amateurs.
My idea here is hardly to applaud or criticize the whirlwind phenomenon, much has been already written and spoken about it. I would, however, like to focus on the growing sense of insecurity among youth and middle agers because of their "look".
In the past 5 years, the number of health clubs and Gyms have increased at least 10 times. Besides, these regular and sweaty methods, there is also another class of health "specialists" who claim to tone your body via more relaxing methods. It is a different story that going by the amount they charge for their services, one is most likely to feel "lighter". And, for the class aparts, there are medical procedures like Liposuction et all.How, effective are these in long or short run is anybody's guess.
Again, this obsession with a "good figure" is not new. Our society has always been biased towards the 36-24-36 kinda female. Yes, this obsession catching up with the male species is fairly new. But, is it so important to have a beautiful body? Doesn't a more sane and healthy mind deserve more attention than a mere well toned body? Why is it that glamor has taken over our minds and soul and we've forgotten who we really are. How far is it correct to alter with your basic metabolism via syringes to look forever young?
We, as a society have forgotten to believe in healthy bodies. Children no longer are crazy for sweets, young moms are thriving on sugar substitutes, Ghee has vanished from the new age modular kitchens. In spite of all this, the rate of obesity is on a higher side. A deeper understanding would reveal that moving away from our good old granny's ways has only given us health problems. random diets across the country have only led famished faces.
We must, first of all,learn to accept ourselves before we accept the way "others" have looked. There is no point in starving oneself to death just as there is no point in over-stuffing oneself. You must master yourself. Beauty lies in being comfortable is one's own skin. Let's be ourselves, we are a beautiful country, lets believe so.
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