A woman’s beauty has inspired art, poetry, films, literature and so on…
Many have maintained and believed that the female of the species is deadlier than the male and also the more attractive. The beauty of a woman has always been celebrated widely over the years.
Legend says that Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships and Cleopatra’s beauty created lots of havoc in the lives of important figures. In literature, Desdemona’s(from ‘Othello’)beauty unfortunately incited envy, enmity and destruction in the lives of many including her.
But only since the last hundred years or so have we been able to see and celebrate beauty more- thanks to the magic of the motion pictures and the revolution in technique thereafter, photography and currently more sophisticated fashion shoots with high tech cameras. Paintings, sketches and sculptures did their bit in the centuries before, but never like this.
Being a woman myself it’s a pleasure to discuss a topic of that sort on my blog today.
Shakespeare and others felt that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Actually one can say, beauty is quite a subjective thing. What may be beautiful for one mightn’t be beautiful for the other. Some people like me find someone beautiful with a reason while for most others it’s rather unexplained.
Babetude has her choices and will tell you in detail how and why she decided to give only some the honor.
Like every little girl and a teenager, I would have always liked to look up to a female role model- a truly beautiful woman.
When I was growing up in the nineties, beauty contests became a big fad in the country of my birth- India. Since then we were kind of taught that the concept of beauty is skin deep.
I remember one of the winners’ winning answers about a beautiful woman was- “She can be a loyal wife, she can be a mother and she can be a career woman."
My country's first Miss Universe’s winning answer was-"The origin of a child is a mother, that’s a woman and who shows a man what love, sharing and caring is all about.”
By the way, I must also mention here that beauty contests are no longer big and greatly anticipated in India. In fact the last Miss World from the country was crowned almost ten years back. There are lots of international cosmetic giants in the country and globalization has already happened.Most Miss India winners and contestants tend to try out acting, television and that's about it. An unfortunate one(Miss India'97) who was going through emotional problems sadly ended up killing herself six years ago. That was just terrible.
So the thinking population say that beauty contests have served their purpose in the 90s and there are hardly any more international winners. And it's been almost accepted well. The beauty contests might become big again, if there's some new path breaking development. Till then they are sure to not hold much interest in India.
Coming back to my topic of discussion, I must say that I grew up with no roles models as such. That’s why, Babetude’s very choosy about who to admire…
Of course, while calling someone beautiful, one would like to consider physical beauty. A really beautiful face has always been eye catching.
It’s said that there are certain characteristics people possess that make them beautiful, like eyes, lips and cheekbones. But it’s been seen that there’ no agreement on the importance of symmetry, as to whether all facial features should be lined up perfectly with one another or not.
A famous fashion photographer who photographed many famous good lookers once said: “There shouldn't be perfection on both sides. The symmetry should always be off. Beautiful faces are the ones that jump out at me and there is no rhyme or reason as to which ones will catch my eye. Personality adds a lot to a person's beauty.” Quite well said, I must say. But at the same, to each his own.
I give my late beloved grannie the credit for instilling in me values and helping me have a good head on my shoulders, which has stood me in good stead even today.
But for grooming and for carrying myself with class, I learned (and still am) from books, magazines, television,the web, cinema and practically during my short stint in the Indian entertainment industry.
I was a student of history with deep knowledge of the subject and realized over the years that one should talk about people who are worth talking about, who get some degree of fame.
Of course I agree that there are a few women in the real world that are beautiful inside out, who are hardly talked about. I salute them as well, but then here I can talk only about the ones I know and the world knows, right?
Quite frankly, I’m not interested in talking about the infamous lot. I only consider the ones who have more to themselves than just physical beauty and other forms of wealth they inherited. And a good body of work to show, in their careers and life as a whole.
Outward beauty, lovely features and a nice body are important but having some substance is a must too. I vote for the woman of substance who’s also beautiful on the outside. It's beauty inside out I'm talking about here.
I plan to be a mother to daughter some day soon and wish to do it totally right.Unlike me, I want my daughter to have at least one or two role models from early on which make things simpler in the growing up years. This can enable the child to later become a good role model for the generations to come. That's like creating responsible, moral and good citizens of the world.
We should always remember that our children are our future( all wise folks say that) and it's always nice if we can leave a good legacy behind as no one is going to be here forever.
Babetude also strongly admits like the few people of her kind, that there’s more to beauty than just a good face and a great body. By the way, I measure 'hotness' and 'sexyness' in a different way. Simply because I'm not a man or a lesbian who gives skewed viewpoints whenever I'm turned on by any nude/ semi nude or skanky chick, some bimbo, some opportunist low life and the like.Period.
One smart alec once said how he doesn't give a damn about a good looking woman who's brain dead or who stinks as a human being. Now that might not sound too good but that's how I feel too.
Likewise I wanted my beauties to be very good looking but with a good brain and a good heart too.
I found my beauties after years of internalizing, analyzing and so on...
They are mostly from the world of showbiz. They are the ones with name, fame, wealth, beauty of the mind and body and adulation from people but mostly importantly they knew/ know how to handle it all well, with grace and dignity. Now that's an important point since not everyone is good at handling things of that sort.
Babetude’s favorite beauty since a while now is Audrey Hepburn. This, in spite of the fact that she never considered herself to be too beautiful.
Now Hepburn was a gamine.
According to wikipedia, in the 20th century, ‘gamine’ came to mean in its more modern sense a slim, often boyish, wide-eyed young woman who is, or is perceived to be, mischievous, teasing or sexually appealing. Waif described this type of woman as well but “gamine” is often seen as conveying an additional sense of style and chic.
Now I strongly think, individual style is of utmost importance. In my work as a journo/ editor/ media person, I’ve realized that it’s very important for any woman to dress up well. It’s dressing up classy ; I’m talking about here, not dressing down and stripping and ending up looking like a skank.
Another smart guy once said that the truly sexy woman can turn anyone on with all her clothes on. I think it stands true in a big way. It always a pleasure to see a woman turn out well in public. It's an art as well, the art of dressing up.
Hepburn had an impeccable style sense which no one has outgrown as yet. Her hairstyles and the way of dressing are being copied, over and over again.
Wikipedia again says: She was a “naïveté which did not rule out sophistication” and described her as “the first gamine to be accepted as overpoweringly chic.”
In the 1950s, Edith Head designed a classic dress used in the Audrey film 'Sabrina' of which she remarked, "If it had been worn by somebody with no chic it would never have become a style”
But most important of all, she was intelligent with great knowledge of art, cinema, and the world, a good person, a great wife, a humanitarian and a great mother, very compassionate and kind. Her body of work is outstanding with memorable performances in talked about movies such as 'Roman Holiday', 'Sabrina', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'A Nun's story'.
Her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer has given many accounts of her efficiency as a mother and a person as whole in his book about her, a copy of which I was luckily gifted. It's nice to know that the proceeds for the same went to the Audrey Hepburn children's fund.
He chronicled her work as a philanthropist, how she had a difficult childhood during World War II and never forgot the same and hence dedicated a part of her life working for needy children. She also bravely faced many issues in her personal life.
Now have a look at the video where she describes the beauty of a woman. It’s taken from Sam Levenson’s "Time Tested Beauty Tips" which it’s said he wrote for his grandchild, and it became one of Audrey's favorite poems( another one was Tagore's 'Unending love') after she liked it and had read it to her children. She's often miscredited for the same as well.
Well, it all sounds very idealistic in today's tough competitive world, but Babetude proudly states that she's happy to be a fan of something of that sort.
Audrey didn't consider herself flawless but stood out (and still is standing out with a loyal fan following vouching for her goodness and class) in the crowd even with the likes of the much desired and admired contemporaries Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy around. The Hepburn legacy lives on and will live on for many years to come.
There's Esther Williams’ too whose fascinating athletic skills and strong screen presence in movies such as ‘Million Dollar Mermaid’ made her very attractive and fascinating for Babetude. The fact that she at 88/89 still looks healthy and is passionately promoting swimming and stuff related to it, is even more amazing.
Grace Kelly is another favorite classic beauty of mine. She made great movies too, especially with Alfred Hitchcock. And her style sense was amazing just like Hepburn’s. It's being written that millions of women adopted the 'Grace Kelly Look' as she possessed a style and charisma that has an enduring appeal and can be seen referenced season after season in the international fashion weeks. Some said it embodied the secret of true elegance : simplicity, beauty and functionality
But she had a fuller figure.
And when she became Princess Grace after marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco, she left her film career and her films were banned in Monaco, but took to her new life as a mother and a member of the royalty pretty well.She knew how to conduct herself with poise, class and grace( standing true to her name) and she'll always be remembered for that.
Talking of royalty, apart from the late Princess Diana who’s still admired world wide, Queen Rania of Jordan has stood out with her beauty, elegance, work in her country and abroad in various areas apart from being a mother of four.
Actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Rebecca Romijn, Monica Belluci, Diane Kruger who played Helen of Troy & followed up with many nice roles, Naomi Watts, Penelope Cruz, and Rachel Weitz have caught Babetude's attention for their beauty over the years too.
Some of them are Oscar winners and all have great work profiles, and some really made it a point to show off their mothering skills as well as their humanitarian sides in the process.
Academy award winner Halle Berry is remarkable as well. She is diabetic but still looks superbly sexy and fit in her forties. She triumphed over bad relationships to become a happy mommy today.
The extremely talented Chinese martial arts expert/ actress Zhang Ziyi who loves children and hence aspired to a kindergarten teacher, the youthful looking Latina Jessica Alba, now a yummy Mummy, singers Shakira and Norah Jones as well as tennis star Maria Sharapova also earned my praises over the years.
One of my bigger favorites however is Natalie Portman, another modern day gamine. She had a fruitful career from her childhood days('Leon' which she made as a child was simply mind blowing) and has managed it pretty well in her adult years by playing a variety of roles.
Like how an actress should, she's experimented with her looks and even went bald for the movie 'V for Vendetta'. She's very youthful and says she's all set to embrace motherhood( must say, she showed off those skills really well in 'Where the Heart is) when the time is right. She's known for her commitment to social issues as well.
This girl refused to be a part of 'Lolita' years back because she thought the idea of a man and a child together looked like 'exploitation' to her.
Now you might think, I've a thing for gamines like Hepburn, Portman and Audrey Tatau from 'The Da Vince code' who's very pretty as well. That could be right in a way as Natalie has also been called the new generation Audrey Hepburn.
It's always a big plus point when someone from the entertainment industry or anywhere for that matter doesn't let age show on her face or body for a long time. Well, it's always healthy when one treats age as just a number. And most of these woman, I mention in my post here today have/had that quality.
I must also tell you that I'm not a big fan of so called plastic surgery beauties. I prefer natural beauties any day, who aren't scared and are okay with aging gracefully in life.
Though there are many other beauties- Anne Hathaway with an lovely style sense, who many consider the new generation style icon especially after 'The Devil wears Prada' and Scarlet Johanasson,I vote for Natalie.
I think child actor turn teen star Dakota Fanning has a chance to shine bright as well in the years to come. Over the years she has shown some incredible acting skills in films such as 'I am Sam', 'Man on Fire', 'Dreamer' and 'The Secret Life of bees'. She looks like a very warm talented young girl and has the capacity to flower into a beautiful woman. Well, I felt the same about Anna Paquin who's now in her 20s. She was the second youngest Oscar winner at age 11 for 'The Piano' and did another amazing movie' Fly away Home' and still flaunts a kind of innocence.
By the way, it's not only just showbiz that my favorites come from. I also found and still find the Indian American writer who got international fame, Jhumpa Lahiri and Burmese novel prize winner,Aung San Syu Ki beautiful. They are intellectuals and have dedicated their lives to important causes.
I liked Arundhati Roy too especially when she became famous with the Booker Prize way back in 1997. At that time I was still almost a child. But her radical comments have troubled many, including me recently. Many find them insensitive.
Okay,reality is harsh but her comments about issues like the Mumbai terror attacks needed to be toned down. So I had to take her off my list.
Closer to my home turf and the Indian entertainment industry where I come from, it would be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who has been recognized internationally for her beauty.
Well, there were reports that even Julia Roberts called her the most beautiful woman in the world.
This woman proudly flaunts her devotion towards her husband and in-laws and also maintains a very successful career. Many of her contemporaries have stopped after reaching a certain age as the Indian industry is even more youth obsessed than Hollywood but Ash goes on.
There was Sharmila Tagore(from the famous Indian Tagore family) before her, who married at the height of her successful career and raised three children(Saif Ali Khan, Saba and Soha Ali Khan) who grew up to be successful in their fields. She still continued her career. Her marriage to a famous Indian cricketer has survived for more than 40 years now. Even Waheeda Rehman who was a classic beauty and still looks quite attractive in her 70S.
Amongst the younger lot in B-Town, Amrita Rao, Genelia D’ Souza and classy dresser and fashionista Sonam Kapoor seem to be on the right track. Many have argued with me saying that there are bigger stars than them to like, they are not hot enough and so on, but I've my reasons.
I think they have lots of physical beauty, have careers which earn both money and fame and yet remain very homely and connected to their roots.
By now, I'm sure you know my type. Babetude's favorite beauties are a balanced lot. An amazing and rare mix, must say.
I must mention here that yours truly was 'discovered' online from another part of the world( now that's a long story which I shall share some day in my book) and complimented greatly for her talent, goodness and for being a combo of inner and outer beauty.
But then, Babetude's someone who desires near perfection and is too modest to talk much about all that right now. She still thinks she has a long way to go, but is happy to be on the right path. Really and truly happy to be so much like her beauties!!
No comments:
Post a Comment