By: Gabriela Yareliz
Sonam Kapoor has always been an inspiration to me. Before Chrissy Teigen was making provocative statements and making us laugh with her wit on Twitter, there was Sonam Kapoor on Koffee with Karan. She always says what is on her mind, and I love her for it.
Yesterday, I was talking to a friend about women in film, and today, when thinking back, I realized how much of that simple discussion and questions asked came from a male perspective. There is so much a woman juggles and struggles with. One is the concept of beauty. Women have a unique privilege of bringing and displaying a certain type of beauty to the world. And yet, beauty has come to be defined in the oddest ways.
“We’ve been taught that women need to be flawless even when our flawlessness is wildly implausible.” Sonam Kapoor, BuzzFeed
Sonam contributed her thoughts on women and beauty to BuzzFeed India, and the piece made me smile, tear up and get all weirdly emotional. In this piece, she shares some of her darkest moments.
As we get older, we go through so many phases with our skin, weight, body, body hair, hair, fitness, makeup routines– it’s a rollercoaster journey filled with taboos, (sometimes) sadness, courage and acceptance.
Kapoor said, “Real female bodies are so taboo that hair-removal-cream ads show hairless legs even before the cream is applied.”
We change, not only on the inside, but also on the outside. Our skin types change as we age (I have recently discovered this, first-hand); our hair length changes, and our weight may fluctuate in subtle ways that mark us. We should be constantly learning to love ourselves in new ways. We should be learning to see our beauty at every stage.
Sonam Kapoor is a queen. She is smart, stunning and so honest. She talks about her days of not eating, and how her friend, the talented makeup artist Namrata Soni, reminds her that her flaws make her beautiful.
You can find Sonam’s piece here.
Kapoor states:
“Aspire, instead, to giving your body as much sleep as it needs. Aspire to finding a form of exercise that’s actually fun for you to do. Aspire to knowing your body and how to live well in it.
Aspire to confidence. Aspire to feeling pretty and carefree and happy, without needing to look any specific way.”
What journey have you been on with yourself? What do you aspire to?
GABRIELA YARELIZ 
Maybe it’s hitting late 40s. Maybe it’s watching the misogynistic spectacle of Trump. I’ve realized so clearly that the standards women are held to are not remotely feasible.