Pink Lips

What lengths should we really go to for cosmetic upliftment, is that a very tough question today? In the olden days, the answer was very easy. Have you lost your mind, my great grandmom and grandmom would've asked me in return. When it came to my mom's generation, it was about being well presentable, that is it. Forget about plastic surgery being on anybody's radar, it would've on the other hand been totally unimaginable back then.

A South Indian actress has reportedly died of a cardiac arrest, resulting from a liposuction surgery she underwent. It makes one wonder, what is really the idea of beauty in current times. In the celeb world today, your natural beauty is no longer enough, it has got to be picture perfect beauty. So if you do wanna make it big, correcting any slight deviation from the ideal is a given. The tummy needs to be tucked, the lips need to be well-defined, the nose needs to be slender. Doesn't matter what price you pay for it.


The Bollywood Bit ....

Look at Anushka Sharma. I mean look really hard. Check her out in her debut movie, then compare it with her look in the latest one. Is it her, is it not? Is it her, is it not? Everybody knows that her odd shaped lips were a subject matter of mockery widely. One day they looked weird, and one fine day they again looked okay. Another surgery to correct the one gone wrong! But what really drove her to do this? What drives all of them? I've never heard anybody talk of Katrina in this regard, but you gotta observe her face, or lips to be more precise, in one of the Bang Bang songs.

Why didn't actresses earlier have such compulsions? Madhuri Dixit looked much more natural sporting pimpled cheeks in the 90s. She's still considered one of the most beautiful faces in Indian cinema, isn't she? Is it thanks to Botox injections, I do not know that. Funnily, if somebody was genuinely looking younger than they should, the mind shall naturally attribute it to Botox today. Look at the Khans. Nearing 50s but still young as daisies and romancing actresses half their age. When Amitabh Bacchan tried to do that 15 years ago, he was hugely criticised. Coz he looked like the heroine's father. The Khans should we say learnt a lesson and made (aesthetic) amends?


Hollywood Inputs ....

Oldies try really hard. Susan Sarandon openly declared the procedures she had undergone, eyelid upliftment, breast augmentation, etc etc. So many of them would never admit but might as well wear a badge! Young ones are never far behind. So called reparatory procedures are routine. And then there are cases like Michael Jackson. Over the years he got transformed into something he was totally not!


TV Catches Up ....

Makeovers are very common now. So even a contestant on a Reality Show would sport a much refined and polished look by the time he exits the show. But thats no needles business. Makeup and hair styling is so advanced today that even without such aids, talented beauticians in the showbiz can give you a new look. So again the question remains, why go under the knife! Even when you want to be presentable cos you are constantly under media glare, there are solutions.


Non-Celeb World, Not Far Behind ....

In the developed world, its very difficult to differentiate between the celeb and non-celeb category, when it comes to cosmetic surgeries. And in the developing countries' metros are fast picking up. The London Underground is always packed with hoardings of next door cosmetic surgery clinics. So is the internet. 

If any of you do remember, in 2013, there was a major issue worldwide about these faulty breast implants. A UK report had revealed that these PIP implants had double the rate of rupture. Around 300,000 women had received breast implants across 65 countries. And most women underwent another surgery to get the implants removed. The next Halloween, just do a quick search on the net for cosmetic surgeries having gone wrong. Huhahahaha!!! 

Botox injections are so common these days, ladies simply step out during their lunch break and get their doses fixed! A friend in her early thirties just told me today morning that she was advised to go for Botox right away. Reason? Its just easier for the skin to get adjusted and push those wrinkly years as far away as possible. The guy wants business woman! No barber ain't gonna tell you that you don't need a haircut! 

Ageing is a natural process. And playing with nature, can never be the 'in' thing! Not everyone may have had horrifying experiences, agreed. But are any of us know aware of the long-term effects? Again, would they be passed on through your genes?


Society's Corrective Procedures .... 

We live in a patriarchal society. And whether one admits or doesn't, women live with the pressure of being desirable, a deep rooted idea which is only promoted by glossy magazines and commercials. Celebs do their bit by setting wrong examples. In their quest for a flawless skin, a toned face and a perfect figure, women get a complex and develop insecurities. Totally unhealthy. And they end up getting caught in this big bad net of corrective surgeries. Expensive procedures, in every sense of the word. It's like paying upfront for buying likely trouble.

Where did all this begin? Whatever happened to the idea of being comfortable in your own skin and then ageing gracefully? Lets focus on grooming not on trimming or altering. Lets believe in ourselves. 

Guys, assure your wives and sisters that they are beautiful. And more importantly, instil positive thoughts in children. Cos with changing times, there is quite a chance that a young cousin, or a daughter or niece may soon fall in the trap, and it may be too late to take action.