Critical Review Assignment

ENG*1030- Effective Writing (DE01) W22

Anushka Joshi
Student Id- 1202724
Friday, 8th April 2022
 Social media plays an integral role in deteriorating women's mental health by

promoting unrealistic beauty myths. Just a coin, social media has two sides, averse and

buoyant. Some influencers are trying their best to change the social stigma and reverse

people's perspectives by promoting self-love. Howsoever, we can not look through the actual

lives of the models and television personalities. This only results in comparing our lives with

them and belittling ourselves.

My eyes landed on this thought-provoking masterpiece on Instagram while I was

scrolling through reels. Dove has launched a campaign called #StopTheBeautyTest to

discourage people from taking beauty tests on women. Since this film was significantly

marketed, it must have touched thousands of other people like me. The film walks us through

the lives of five women in the matchmaking process. Their so-called "flaws" became the

subject of mockery for the Groom's family. These women were humiliated for not being

beautiful enough, showcasing the unrealistically high Indian beauty standards.

Mahek is a plus-size female who can be seen getting ready for her matchmaking

ceremony. When she was almost done, one of her relatives walked over and mocked her

mother since her "fat" was visible. This mockery instantly ruins the smile on Mahek's face as

she feels humiliated. The second case is of Noor, who has dusty skin. When she comes out to

meet the Groom and his family, the Groom's mother ridicules her because of her skin tone.

The following story is about Rajeshwari, who is petite. The Groom's mother mocks her by

stating that she would probably need a ladder to talk to her son. This comment on

Rajeshwari's height leaves her father appalled and helpless. The fourth story is about Hemali,

who is curly-haired. Her future sister-in-law jokingly refers to her hair as "noodles." The fifth
story is about Deeksha, who has a mark on her face. A lady can be heard pitying her for

having a giant mole mark on her face.

The commercial, which criticizes the practice of shaming brides, tries to emphasize

that such criticism is neither helpful nor conducive to healthy transformation. To be deemed

appropriate, women are expected to whirl, serve tea, sing, and perform a variety of other

things in front of in-laws. This test includes a significant portion of beauty. We are supposed

to be tall, fair-skinned, scar-free, and possess various other physical characteristics over

which we have no influence. A bride doesn't appear to have the right to feel attractive or

enjoy her marriage unless she looks like Angelina Jolie or Anne Hathaway.

These beauty myths existed with us for as long as I can remember.

However, these ideologies got embedded in young minds because of the media. Technology

and Media are the culprits of this negative development of Beauty standards. In its true sense,

the word 'media' means "the main means of mass communication." The primary means of

media are presented to its viewers visually means that the viewer grasps the first knowledge

of the content through their eyes. This creates an opportunity of attracting viewership through

means which does not truly justify the need for media. A sharp rise in the existence of

"beauty standards" can be seen since the 1840s. That is when people started idealizing what

was shown to them in the media.

Naomi Wolf, in her book, "Beauty Myths," has made a remarkable comparison of

Charles Darwin's theory of "Survival of the fittest" with the Beauty myth of "Survival of the

most beautiful." Beauty has now become nothing but a competition. In the arranged marriage

process, the Groom keeps on meeting different women until he finds the perfect match. In
this short film, nobody has once questioned the flaws in the males. External appearance

criticism is a problem that affects both men and women equally.

The rhetorical question, "how much beauty is enough?" compels me to think that you

would never be completely satisfied no matter how much you gain. There will always be a

cell in your head that would shout for more. Moreover, launching a campaign like such is

ironic since Dove started with just "beauty bars." For more than one instance, Dove as a

brand has a history of racial advertising. The brand's message is admirable, yet the motives

look dubious. At the end of the commercial, a voiceover tells viewers to accept individuals

for who they are, and then "#Stop the beauty test" appears on the screen. In the last few years,

we have seen an ideological shift in the mindset of the people. People have now started to

accept reality and have begun praising body positivity. This realization that beauty is not just

about flaws will diminish the beauty myths. This short film would act as an eye-opener for

everyone who views it.

References

Dove India, 2021 Take the pledge to #StopTheBEautyTest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEpTa2cMl_I

Wolf, N. (1991). Beauty Myth. Anchor Books, pg 12