Minimalism

I keep hearing this terminology again and again, in various contexts and in multitudes of life. Though the origin of Minimalism dwells in Art and Paintings but it has been adopted in varied spheres of lifestyle. But what doesn’t change is the underlying idea that minimalism brings freedom by reducing distractions and redundancies. Minimalism tends to ward one away from incessant competition and fight consumerism. However, minimalism as a practice is intentional and purposeful. Delving into this topic with people around made me realize that the inference is very subjective and based on a person’s upbringing, conditioning and influence. For some, minimalism is about leading the life with least amount of belongings, for some it is about having a small inner circle to cut out all the energy suckers, for some it is about embracing a lifestyle that enhances the spiritual journey. What clearly stands out to me in most of the cases is that Minimalism as a concept is being adopted in selective walks of one’s life. Taking example of someone senior in corporate world who talks about being minimalist in home and decor, doesn’t shy away from flaunting a brand new expensive car. Another example is of a home maker who wants to go minimalist on furniture but can’t keep away from hoarding cosmetics. Another fellow who travels widely but can’t go minimal while backpacking though his abode is very minimalist. And there are people who live only for food but will give a pass to any other material possession. Giving up on makeup and jewelry is another form of minimalism. Coming of age, we have found our way of picking and choosing from the widespread concepts and everything comes out in a customized fashion.

The Vulnerabilities Within Us

We all are vulnerable. A big part of our vulnerabilities get shaped by parenting, familial bonds, kind of people we are surrounded with and the circumstances that we get to become a part of. Off late body shaming has come up as one of the most powerful tool, used intentionally or unintentionally. While it may seem like a normal innocuous comment to some, what it does to the receiver is extremely disturbing. One loses their self confidence and view themselves negatively. Another aspect of vulnerability is the ideal image with a hairless body, which has led to a common belief that hair in various parts of body are ugly to look at. Dark skin gets rejected during match making and has built a huge following for skin whitening industry. While this has created a perennially flourishing cosmetic industry, we have not given a thought to the vices that are growing in kids mind and making them detest body hair/ dark color even as kids. Out of the vulnerabilities visible to common eye, another one that stands out is beautification of body via jewels or cosmetics. In the race to look stylish and beautiful- we have forgotten to feel good. And feeling good doesn’t necessarily come from being decked up with various adornments but from within when you are happy about who you are and accepting the same. Traditional Indian families are a step ahead in making girls of the house believe that makeup / jewelry is essential to look beautiful and to keep the man smitten. Another aspect is to show off the amassed wealth. And all these have been time and again emphasized by Indian culture and religion too. None of our gods/goddesses are devoid of makeup and jewelry. Our festivities are based on decorating the idols of worship. Hence the fight is against the deeply ingrained system. There are minuscule actions happening hither and thither. While there is lot of propaganda and movements on social media but it is still a long way to go courtesy the beautification and objectification of body image. Glad to see models who are unconventional in their weight, color, have skin/hair issues being brought in the system. Though there might be hidden agenda by the brand to look good but nonetheless, a wave of change ensues. People are starting to lessen down the usage of fairness creams, body wax, color whitening agents and jewelry. Some are making the conscious choice to step out as individuals without any jewelry or makeup. Exposing their vulnerabilities and letting the world know that this is real me, we still have a long way to go and promote a culture that is more accepting and welcoming to the ones that are different.