Feeling good inside

Right in the middle

Harnaam Kaur, a 23 year-old teaching assistant from the UK, proudly sports a beard.

Because of her polycystic ovary syndrome, her facial hair became very dense and thick.

As an 11 year-old in school, she had to face lots of bullying.

She was even called ‘she-male’.

Harnaam became so scared even to leave her room, dreading all that harassment.

She was constantly haunted by suicidal thoughts. 

But she fought back and won over her own insecurities and the world’s insensitive attitude.
  
She stopped all efforts to hide her facial hair – she started sporting a beard.

“This is me. This is who I am. It’s my inner beauty, outer beauty, my oneness, and wholeness. I am different and I have learned to accept it- fully,” she told her interviewers.

Does she not stand as a powerful model to all those women and young girls who are excessively concerned about and are continuously anxious about some ‘perceived’ defects in their physical features?

Does she not stand as a messenger of ‘body-positivity’?

Seeing the air-brushed and photo-shopped perfect pictures of models in glam magazines, many young girls fall prey to what is called as ‘body dysmorphic disorder’, which makes them perceive and complain of defects in their physical features.

They will develop a low self-esteem and terrible body image.

They become psychological wrecks, impairing their personal and social lives in turn.

There was this model, who became from an attractive woman to a devilish-looking plastic figure after undergoing more than 100 facial and body sculpting surgeries.

No effort on this earth can ever bring back her God-given original shape. 

There is a French saying ‘bien dans sa peau’ (feeling good in your own skin).

Yes, accepting one’s physical appearance and respecting it for its uniqueness is a mantra which is fundamental for one’s happiness.

It does not in any way mean that one should not try to enhance their appearance to look chic and beautiful.

One must know what style works for them.

A self-assured, confident woman can always stand out in a crowd.

Globally, gender justice has gained ground and woman has been given the proverbial ‘half the sky’ status long back.

A woman must strive to expand her ambit, not get stuck in negativity and disharmony within herself.  

Women are treading a progressive path in every sphere – let there not be any oppressive climate in their minds pulling them in a regressive way.

Let women, who are happy inside-out, address all issues with national and transnational resonance.

International Women's Day comes and goes every year, but the celebration and the spirit must go on.