When I saw the powerful video of Indian singer Sithara Khrishnakumar, I just had to blog about it!
For non- Malayalees, Sithara spoke about some of the hate comments she gets on her personal pictures and posts. She removed her make-up, lash and hair extensions and said she likes herself like this and it’s a personal choice.
I have grown up fighting with my mom about this. I don’t wear make-up, don’t like to dress up while my mother prefers to always have her hair done perfectly and wear bright colored dresses as she believes it uplifts her mood. We are at a happy place now where we made peace with each other’s choices and we both don’t mess with each other’s style of dressing anymore!Even today you’ll see my mother with a phone case with all bling while mine would be a boring white or cream.
When my father passed away, my mother was very young, in her early 40s. And suddenly she stopped donning flowers and started wearing dull colors that looked absolutely like my wardrobe!
My brother and I told her, not donning flowers can be a personal choice, but not wearing colorful clothes just because people might snicker and say ridiculous comments is not acceptable. We couldn’t bear seeing our mother in plain dull clothes. Nobody should have to suppress their choices just because others don’t like it!
I don’t wear makeup, but I have friends who enjoy wearing makeup and I also have friends who are like me and wear no makeup at all. Some of my friends wear bright colors, while I prefer nude colors. Both are personal choices and both are absolutely fine!
Name calling someone for their choices is not right. I have a friend who wears green pants and I always make fun of that. But that hasn’t stopped her from wearing it! We should be confident about our choices and stick by it.
I wasn’t like this a few years earlier. I was at the extreme end of pleasing people around me and that led to innumerable problems for me. Now I’m at the other extreme end where I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.
My life situations taught me that all these people who have an opinion about us are never around when we really need help. I also realized that people who pretend to be our friends and agree with every opinion of ours are also never around when you need them!
I come from Kerala, India where not just for girls, but for boys too, your family, your neighbors, your uncles and aunts will have opinions about you and choose how you should live your life, but you're not allowed to hold an opinion!
So friends, stick up to your choices, stand by them no matter how much you are criticized. You know your life best and you know best what you need the most!
May the force be with you! ;)
