Beyond denise, elle and my right brow

“Like any other singale woman on the planet, I wake up and the first thing I see is me – no mascara, no foundation, no gossy lips. Just me.”*
-Denise Keller

For the moment:
Humko Humise – Mohabbatein**

*I suppose in the village where she comes from, non-single women go to bed with makeup.
**On really contentful moments, I sing this song to my pre-teen sisters. They ‘love’ it.
***Photo from Bilal Zaheer.

Today I read a relatively well written article by Denise Keller (MTV VJ, among other things) in the Singapore Elle Magazine (December 2007). Well enough that I might offer her an internship placement here at RA. The article crossed my path when I was reshaping my right brow in the lift mirror while sipping Ribena. Because that’s how I lead my life.

Excerpts of Beyond Skin Deep,

“I have made my name through a combination of genetics, hard work and some characteristics that are part nature, part nuture.

And the older I get, I have come to realise that, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I am holding onto whatever I have. That means I take care of myself, watch what I eat, manage my stress levels and try to do good.

While I had naturally straight hair, I wanted curls; I grew up wanting to emulate the beauty of stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Iman and Gong Li. A gentle conflict, it seemed, from very early on but the clash of cultures and the often diametrically opposed ideals of beuaty helped shape me into the woman I now am.

That we perceive beauty as black-and-white is only because we have been sold the idea that it only comes in a certain form and packaged in a particular way. Beauty has become something created by the media, for example, to be sold in stores, and to be consumed by the masses. Conformity has become the new individuality.

Beauty is a philosophical debate, which preoccupies with concepts such as taste and expression.”

The last sentence sounds deep, but actually it does not make sense (first reading). Must drink more Ribena.