CHENNAI: The image of feminine beauty is an ever-changing one, often designed and popularised by societal perception. Where once demure, traditional women embodied the idealness of femininity, confident, outspoken women thrive ages later. This evolution is also readily available to analyse in art and media that have captured the trend over the years.
Taking us back to these narratives and notions were Kahnu Charan Moharana, a fine arts student and intern at DakshinaChitra and Nivhasini V, student of Masters of Architecture, through their online talks ‘Feminine Beauty in Indian Art and Literature’ and ‘Indian Advertisements: Identity of the Feminine’, hosted by DakshinaChitra on Friday.
Unravelling ancient art
“The main purpose of ancient Indian art and literature was aesthetic enjoyment and that was linked with aesthetic beauties, sublime in nature, bliss, and delight. Since the idea of art and understanding of the idea of women has changed over the years, it is important to revisit it,” began Kahnu, as he displayed sculptures from Hinduism and Buddhism, and interpreted them based on the book Feminine Beauty in Indian Art and Literature by TN Mishra.
He emphasised that nature was a major theme of ancient and medieval art. “Nature was personified and incorporated in human forms to represent them in a more symbolic way. A common trope of early Buddhist art was Salabhanjika, which had, as its subject, a woman next to a tree, and can be spotted in places like Bharhut and Sanchi,” he said.
The youthfulness of a character was an essential feature of both art and literature of that period. “Yakshi, Vrksaka, Devata, Salabhanjika are all conceived as young women. They are also portrayed as sensuous and seductive. According to Hinduism, Kama is one of the main goals of human beings. Erotic depictions were permitted into religious arts because they were considered sacred and a part of life that helps a person achieve the final goal that is Moksha,” explained Kahnu.
References were also made to sculptures of women embracing nature to women in literary works like Kalidasa’s Sanskrit play Abhijnana Sakuntalam.
Speaking of media
While ancient art gives us a look into concepts of feminine beauty in the yesteryear, the media shows us the evolution of the same, as one can infer from the subsequent presentation by Nivhasini. Starting from the first phase of advertising in India in the 40s, we time travel forward to see the change in what is considered feminine beauty.
“In the 40s, advertisements were more inclined to show just the beauty of women and many would portray them in a sensual way (especially in ads targeted towards men), which may not even have been necessary to market the product. I think now, while advertisements objectifying women still exist, there is wider knowledge and awareness of (women empowerment).
Advertisements go with the trend of how people think, to appease their taste. Values and cultural nuances are opening up now, thanks to globalisation and the digital world and so, something inappropriate now could cause opposition,” Nivhasini told CE.
The change is evident when you analyse early media, such as a certain advertisement by Usha in 1972 that showcases a mother and daughter with the tagline ‘Sewing your way to a good marriage’ or another by Tide in (even as late as) 2011 that reinforces the idea that washing clothes is the job of a woman. “In the latter, despite talking about the chore as a woman’s job, there is hardly any woman featured. This advertisement shows us the kind of mentality people had in that period,” she explained.
When we move on to more recent ads, such as one by Dove in 2021, we see a different tone of messaging. The advertisement lays forth the stories of five women with unconventional beauty traits — dark skin, a scar on the face, curly hair, ample height, and weight — and celebrates these. “We see how the idea of beauty has changed overtime. Earlier, we see examples of how beauty and fairness are used as a selling point. Now, we talk about a different kind of beauty, there is more acceptance and inclusivity,” she added.
As advertisements move towards social impact, we also see an extension of femininity beyond cis women. In a 2020 ad for Brooke Bond Red Label tea, we witness a grandmother with her granddaughter in a car accepting tea from a trans woman, an offering that transforms or rather negates/questions her prejudices. This is only a drop in the ocean of advertisements but hopefully, such ideas of femininity will become commonplace in the future.