Face off

When I was combing my hair today through the mirror’s eyes, I couldn’t resist contemplating a TV show which talked about increasing ‘face’ fairness. In the show, the difficulties of their facial skin problems were narrated by the participants and the experts were giving advice for tackling them. On second thought, I did realize that this was not the only show which talked about ‘facial’ problems. I remember many shows in where questions being asked, from hair fall to acne.

 The emphasis on ‘looking’ good is embedded rather deeply in mind. It is not a new phenomenon and has been prevalent ages together. TV shows on facial fairness and innumerable commercials on beautification products are only extension of what existed for centuries. This is elucidated by the description of heroes and heroines in epics, poems and sculptures. There hardly existed a queen or a king who didn’t want them to be depicted as beautiful though reality might be the other way around.

Throughout our lives, advice for facial beauty is received unwarranted with the maximum received during our teenage.

“You should restrict eating oily items. The pimples are getting worse.” “Have this visiting card. He is the best skin specialist in the city. He should give a solution for your daughter’s acne problem.” 

“Don’t go for any cosmetics. Try naturopathy for your son. It gives you delayed but a permanent solution”.

With time when we meet friends after a long time the first reference is to our physical features. “You seem to have become darker”, “It is a pity that you’ve lost all your hair”.

The primary reason for such references and advice could stem from the fact that people are still being judged based on appearance which they have hardly control over. It is misinterpretation of the line, 

“Face is the index of the mind”. The person who made the statement intended to say that the face could reveal emotions and nothing else.

It is ironical that humans who attach so much importance to their ‘face’ are rarely concerned about what lies beneath it. When we flip through the matrimonial supplements which we receive for brides or grooms wanted, there is still a reference for ‘fair complexion’. It might not make sense for many to look for  ‘hard working and truthful’ brides or grooms, but a slight introspection tells us that a ‘fair complexion’ reference is ridiculous.

Though we come across so many people in our lives whose inner self has no correlation to how they look, we still refuse to leave out the excessive importance we give to the external component of beauty. Maybe we consider it important due to a false perception that power has a positive correlation with how beautiful a person is. The greatest example to break this myth was given by my history sir when he told us that, “Asoka was one of the ugliest ‘looking’ kings to have ruled India”. Ironically he ruled the largest empire in the Indian subcontinent.

Maybe the importance we attach to the 'looks' comes from the fact that there is no correlation between what we are deep inside to the one whom we see in the mirror. The face on the outside conceals the truth beneath. If humans were cursed that their faces would reflect their minds, I’m pretty sure that we wouldn’t like to see ourselves in the mirror.

From the watchman who guards the gate to the flower-seller on the pavement we meet beautiful people throughout the day. We turn blind to this open truth.

Last night I was staring at a photograph which had Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton. The picture was a grim reminder what age can do to the ‘looks’. The fact that we attach so much importance to the ‘looks’ could arise from our habit of ‘holding onto things which are temporary’. We’ve rarely valued things which are long lasting and give us eternal happiness.

When I woke up from my day dream, I was still standing in front of the mirror. When I ran my fingers over my cheek, I heard a voice from the mirror.

“முகமே உண்மையை மறைக்க முகமூடி எதற்கு”

“When the face conceals the truth why do you need a mask”.