Veteran Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman, a prominent figure who redefined the image of women in Hindi cinema with her glamour and westernized fashion in the 1970s and 1980s, recently shared a personal reflection on beauty and self-perception. In a recent Instagram post, the actress revealed that she never considered herself to be beautiful.
Despite being widely hailed as a "sex symbol" and having won a beauty pageant, Zeenat Aman confessed that she struggled to fully embrace her physicality. She shared a picture from her younger days on Instagram, writing, "Sometimes I see an old picture of myself and think 'you weren't a bad looking girl, Ms. Aman!'". She humorously added that uttering these words aloud often elicits an eye roll from the millennials in her company.
Zeenat acknowledged that others perceived her as beautiful, and she learned to accept it. She mentioned recently hearing the term "pretty privilege" and admitted to making use of it. "The world can be a cold place, and I learnt early in life to leverage every advantage I have to survive it,” she stated. She admitted that saying this might seem self-indulgent, especially considering her achievements.
The actress reflected on why she couldn't fully embrace her physical appearance. She wondered if she was too caught up in performing beauty rather than feeling it. She also pondered whether the public's focus on her looks diminished her self-worth, or if she feared becoming arrogant. She concluded that it was likely a combination of these factors.
Zeenat emphasized that her struggle with self-perception wasn't due to having "some exacting and impossible beauty standard". She sees beautiful people around her constantly but notices that they often deflect compliments and focus on perceived flaws.
Ultimately, Zeenat believes that physical beauty is meaningless without self-validation. She encouraged her followers to step outside their minds and view themselves through the eyes of someone who loves them. She hopes that doing so will allow them to see their own light and realize that "no cream, collagen or facelift can compete with the lens of love and acceptance".
