The Public Obsession with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Appearance

It's unrelenting and has long crossed over to being weird.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was introduced to the world via a beauty pageant where as the term states, superficial aspects of beauty are judged and consequently a winner is crowned. After being crowned as Miss World and being declared as one of the most beautiful women in the world, spotlight on her beauty, her features, her body, only intensified.

Bollywood is filled with beautiful women, so what is so special about Aishwarya? 90’s was when India was on a rise and international representation was only increasing, something Indians value a lot - validation from the west. Between that and Aishwarya’s ambition, which translated into her doing a lot of movies, she received a lot of attention. But one of the biggest focus points in her persona were her blue eyes. She was often described as being sort of a symbol of beauty that was able to cross over to the international waters.

The “beauty” in this context is very steeped into the colonial beauty standards that prefers white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. So, it’s no coincidence that Aishwarya’s fair skin and blue eyes have always been narrowed on when her beauty traits, or any traits for that matter, are being talked about. The implication is basically that she’s like none other (because blue eyes are uncommon among Indians). Of course, her slim figure was also a big part of why she was considered beautiful. Fat people after all can’t be considered as pretty!

So, a decade ago, when she had gained some weight after giving birth (just like any other mother would), the Indian media and public at-large was relentless in fat-shaming her. Granted women, especially public figures, have always been a target for fat-shaming, but this scrutinization of Aishwarya’s body felt different. The public was reacting as if she had betrayed them by not sticking to the conventional standard of beauty.

Fast-forward to the present time, where we find ourselves witnessing Aishwarya’s face becoming a trending topic. Her alleged use of botox and fillers is noticeable, hence everything about her actions are being called into question. From her smile to her choice of keeping her hair down, everything is being commented upon. Every time she appears in public, the focus on her face has taken on a different meaning. People are baffled at why ‘the most beautiful person’ would resort to cosmetic procedure, but here’s the thing, what’s more baffling is that people aren’t questioning why she wouldn’t do that.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Personifying what beauty looks like is, I’m sure, very stressful (as it is enjoyable), especially when you know that youth is a big part of what people are considering beautiful. Adding on to that, the general pressure women in entertainment industries have to face for fitting into the beauty standard and having easy access to cosmetic procedures would naturally lead to people “fixing” the perceived flaws which happen to be signs of aging, something that is considered bad.

This obsession with Aishwarya’s beauty has always been a bit weird. Even when she was fitting into the conventional beauty standard, it was weird. Granted she profited a lot from the ‘most beautiful’ tag. Her social and financial status got a boost from this public obsession where she also contributed in setting the standard of beauty for women, but regardless of what she gained, it is important to introspect and question why have we latched onto her iconography so much? Is it because beauty is often conflated with youth and seeing a public figure getting older reminds us of our own mortality? Or is it the 90’s nostalgia that she brings with winning Miss World when the economy was booming and middle-class was on the rise? Or is it both? Either way, it is time to move on.

Seeing Aishwarya getting older, see her face change and her making efforts to maintain the youth she has been so cherished for, reminds us that we are aging as well. It is also reminding us how the world is not the same, but instead of harping on this one celebrity for changes in her appearance, it’s better if we all did a little soul-searching and try to understand why ‘aging’ and ‘change’ feel like such scary terms when they can be the opposite. Aging and witnessing change is an honour that many don’t get. It should be valued and appreciated.

After all, commenting upon a celebrity’s appearance won’t change how we feel about ourselves. This obsession has to end.