Even before Lucy opened the wardrobe, I knew what would line its inner walls.
Well-cut British coats, skinned stoles and pared-down furs: the colonialist’s catalog of outfits for the ideal presence, the right steps forward in order to dominate societies, silence differently accented tongues and subdue duskier skin into submission, subordination, and shame.
There were no folded saris on the top shelf of the wardrobe. There were no hidden drawers that would part like smiling lips to reveal a hidden underbelly of broad hoop earrings, half-used mehndi cones from a cousin’s rukhsati, glistening fish-scale dupattas and the finely stitched, dream-sheer shalwar kameez they are spun to match, spare Eid cards strewn on the bottom or plastered against its back wall.
None of the cool, collected gowns have found a mate in a flirty set of slippers, curled with pleasure at their tips. The leather purses are empty or filled with coins, instead of spare safety pins and brooches, the odd bobby pin and forgotten tikka stashed away alongside sugared almonds and a stray business card.
I lived in Narnia and other worlds, other books, other lifetimes, like it. I have spent hours on their pages and hardly stirred up dust in their eternally unruffled microcosms. There is no sign of my being there: no hijabs strewn over a bed in a boarding school as though in a moment, red-cheeked and bright-eyed from a grand adventure through time and space, I will return and stuff them back into a drawer.
No gulab jamun offered in the fingers of a kind alley instead of biscuits and tea. No cousins cartwheeling about bright, fragrant platters of pilaf. No aunties furrowing their brows at my dirty skirts since I tumbled heels over head down a rabbit hole and came back a half-size larger than I should be with cookie crumbs around my mouth.
And so, because they would not bend and yield and acknowledge me, I thought I was not worth the trouble, worth the time, worth the magic taken by these hands and minds to carve out such spaces for both worlds where, as Kipling would have proudly noted, a crown and willing subjects awaited, and well-cut British coats and skinned stoles and pared-down furs could wait, cool and collected, for adult affairs and time to pass and another narrative to step into, just biding its time to be acknowledged.
Our words should be enraptured with our brown girl beauty. We live at a juncture between these worlds, all our own, that should be acknowledged, charted out and mapped for others to stumble upon and take pleasure in. We do not need to confine ourselves to plain, flat entries about what we’ve eaten, where we’ve dallied, the straight lines of our mothers’ kitchens—colorless counters and tabletops rather than the jubilee of just washed dates and new-baked sweets and simmered curries that we will dip a fingertip into and let our tongue take joy in every spark of spice.
We can take account of our beauty: unfolding the saris at the top of the wardrobe and holding them up against our bodies, smiling shyly when our aunts advise us to wear them, don’t be afraid of a little kohl, don’t shy away from laughing with your mouth wide and your hip cocked and toss the petals at the bride with a little extra force because we are alive and we are lovely and we live and we love.
Because they would not bend and yield and acknowledge me, I found the juncture between the worlds in which we live. We wear worn Sketchers with jeans and under bright tunics and wrapped pashminas and have our grandmothers’ faces the way they looked in the old sepia photographs-war-weary warriors with a hidden glint in their eyes. We carve out our spaces—business casual with a scarf on top, wedding reception gown with a dupatta slung over our shoulders and a Bollywood track queued up as we’re doing our hair. We make our mark in the stories we weave. We should. We ought to.
And we do it with poise, grace and beauty. We are beautiful. We see others falling to their knees in our wake, hurriedly dabbing the petals that fall away from our heels under their eyes and against their arms—borrowed plumage, that they claim is theirs to begin with. We should own it, and take account of it.
Our stories require magic. To wear glittering fish-scale dupattas and dream-sheer shalwar kameez and don slippers to dance with living stars, to lounge in the shadow of a Sultan’s courtyard and skip love-languid fingers in a foundation and draw them back with a talking fish clasped between them, to clasp broad hoop earrings to our lobes and lean them to the mouth of a charming troublemaker, striking a bargain between heaven and earth in exchange for stepping forward to be their champion.
Even before Lucy opened the wardrobe, I knew what would line its inner walls.
And I knew, to the very marrow of me, that should I open my wardrobe, Narnia would not fall on its knees for me. But, in between the half-empty purses and spare Eid cards and half-used mehndi coins, I’d see the glint of another world—a broader, richer, world with fox burrows to dart into instead of already explored rabbit holes and the occasional prince to rescue and syrup-sweet sunsets in societies that stood in their own sunlight, spoke differently-accented tongues and wore their skin with pride, determination, joy.
We can take account of our beauty, in our writings, in the stories we weave.
We can open each wardrobe and list the marvels within it, for others to stumble upon and take pleasure in. It begins with this moment, right now. It begins with a closing of our eyes and a smile on our face because this is our heritage, our voice, and it is smooth and soft as silk between our fingertips and does not choke us when it glides about our necks and over our hair.
There are and there will be beautiful stories folded away between rich brocades and fine cloth, with our names in them. There are beautiful poems with our legacies and epics and adventures.
We are worth the trouble. We are worth the time.
We deserve magic and unexplored horizons and fantastical worlds, too. We deserve those stories. We deserve that beauty.
Kaye M. is a biracial Muslim-American YA writer and overworked undergrad. She has been published on The Toast and Love, Inshallah and profiled on MTV and Buzzfeed, among others, for creating the viral 2014 hashtag #YesAllWomen. When she is not advocating diversity and feminism online, she is hard at work on adding her voice to the growing list of authors within the Muslim YA canon and obsessing over tea, magical girls, Studio Ghibli, and lip colors.
Holistic beauty trends are more prevalent than ever — that makes ayurvedic beauty brands incredibly sought-after, as well. Do you find yourself asking what your beauty products are actually made of? A lot of us even resort to food products for a skincare routine such as honey for face wash.
The term “Ayurvedic Beauty” is getting more recognition outside the South Asian world as well.
Ayurvedic beauty is coined upon the term “Ayurveda,” which originated in Hindu culture as the basis of utilizing the five life forms — air, water, ether, fire, and earth — to heal the human body.
Ayurvedic beauty brands focus on using herbs and natural ingredients to create their skincare range and consumers around the world are attracted to these natural products.
Scroll down to see some Ayurvedic beauty brands founded by South Asians.
Is your skin feeling a little dry this winter? Nourishing your skin with body oil will lend it the right amount of moisture — Soma Ayurvedic’s jasmine body oil can do that trick! Shop the oil, and their full line of products, here.
If you’re familiar with author and podcast Host, Jay Shetty, then you may have heard of his tea line, Sama Tea. Herbal teas provide many natural benefits. Has it been a stressful week? Try their lavender rose chamomile tea for some TLC. Check them out here.
Know the Netflix show “Ginny & Georgia?” Loved the actress’ fresh-looking skin? Sahajan Skincare is behind that glow! They’re a must-try, featured in both Vogue and Elle India. See their full range of products here.
This unique company showcases its brand with an emphasis on ‘holistic.’ Whether it’s bad hair days or excessive shedding, not only do Shaz and Kiks provide the products to help but also break down the science behind the problem. Go on your very own shopping spree by clicking here!
Looking for accessible ayurvedic beauty products? Look no further! Ranavat is now in Sephora. With a beauty line that covers both hair and skin, there’s something here for everyone. See for yourself here.
UMM Skincare is known for its brown sugar body scrub, made with natural ingredients, and Bakuchi oil known to improve signs of aging and hyperpigmentation. Try it for yourself by shopping here!
Are you looking for brown skin-friendly sunscreen filled with nutrients? Look no further. Inde Wild has its very own SPF 50, with natural substances such as liquorice extract and cica, and it’s a mineral SPF suitable for all skin types. See what the brand is all about and shop it here.
I’m always in the market for brown girl-friendly lipsticks, and ones that are made of natural ingredients are a huge plus. Mango People does just this with their unique lipstick colors that suit all brown skin tones. Try them out here!
Need to swap out your shampoo for something better? Try Kama Ayurveda’s Ayurvedic Hair cleaner, infused with a variety of herbs and pulses with key ingredients like vetiver, tulsi, rose, moong beans, and shikakai. They have a variety of products to choose from so start with your hair and keep shopping for more here!
According to Forest Essentials, night time is the best time for hydration. Check out their night cream, filled with nutrients to enrich your skin. You can shop their wide variety of products here.
Looking for a new face mask to try? AAVRANI has a variety of face masks and explains in detail when you should apply the mask during the week depending on your skin type. Take a look here!
Just getting into skincare and don’t know where to start? PRATIMA skincare has starter sets, with basics, that every woman can use such as vitamin C serum, essential oils, and collagen creams. Grab yours now by shopping here!
Struggling with hair care recently? Fable & Mane includes various hair oils in their collection that help grow and nourish your hair. Not only that, they have a scalp detox line as well — definitely worth checking out. See their full range of products here.
In a world that’s becoming more conscious of holistic living, embracing Ayurvedic beauty in your day-to-day is a step in the right direction, and these brands are here to help you get started.
Ever since we can recall, the Cannes Film Festival has been a merger of movies and glamour. On one side, there are hand-picked films — ready to premiere and make their mark in the world of entertainment — and on the other, audiences and paparazzi alike are served epic moments in fashion.
The festival, aimed to preview upcoming films from all over the world, invites a wide variety of guests that span the film fraternity, of course, but more recently, has opened its doors to many digital content creators, including renowned South Asian creatives.
With a more vast guest list comes a more recent debate: Cannes is a film festival and not a fashion showcase. Kickstarting the debate this year was none other than ace Bollywood director, Nandita Das, who in an Instagram post shared:
Sometimes people seem to forget that it is a festival of films and not of clothes!
In short, Das wants Cannes’ narrative to continue to focus on films.
But of course, there’s been a paradigm shift in the guest list over the last few years; this shift has allowed talents from various industries — including lifestyle content creators, entrepreneurs, etc., who showcase their work in fashion and beauty like fine masterstrokes — to walk the carpet and represent their craft, making space for others in their industry.
Influential names like Dolly Singh, Kaushal, Diipa Buller-Khosla, and Shivani Bafna — all of whom made a raging impact on the red carpet this year — weigh in on the significance of representing South Asian artists/influencers on the red carpet, and how they feel they’ve been part of this paradigm shift at Cannes Film Festival.
Diipa Buller-Khosla
I believe that each step we take at events like Cannes sends a powerful message of diversity, cultural richness, and artistic excellence. Representation matters, and the presence of South Asian creators on the red carpet at Cannes helps broaden the narrative of beauty, talent, and creativity. It allows us to showcase our unique perspectives, narratives, and contributions, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive industry. By actively participating and making our presence felt, we help create more opportunities and spaces for South Asian creators, encouraging others to share their stories with the world.
Since 2015, the first time I walked the red carpet, till this year I have always been invited by L’Oreal Paris, one of the main sponsors of the event. It has always been such an honor to be invited to the festival through the makeup brand that I have been using for almost two decades, and, before my social media career began. Personally, I feel a sense of acknowledgment from such a prestigious brand, and its head office teams that sponsor Cannes Film Festival, and value the work I have done and continue to do as a South Asian content creator within the beauty space. Makeup, hair, and beauty will always play a big role within the film industry and it’s something I have always created my content around which is why I am proud to attend.
This is a proud moment not just for me but also [for] my peers and the entire content creator ecosystem given that we have reached such new global stages and presence. Of course, as you said, such film festivals, once considered as an exclusive hub for a congregation of the finest acting talents have, in the last few years, opened their arms to more people from the entertainment industry.
This is not just a sudden phenomenon with a burst of Indian creators at the festival this year but there is increased participation from non-film and non-South Asian celebrities across various spectrums from different sides of the world. Along with the many filmmakers, actors, producers, etc I also met some amazing influencers and entrepreneurs from other sides of the world. It’s amazing to represent India and celebrate and champion the advent of the digital ecosphere on such a prominent platform.
The confluence of actors and creators signified the amalgamation of traditional cinema and new-age digital influence, highlighting the transformative power of creative expression and how festivals like Cannes have become more forthcoming and progressive in their approach.
Cannes, like any other prominent festival, boasts of a red carpet that is synonymous with fashion and glitz, and I wanted to use this opportunity to represent all the amazing Indian fashion designers on the carpet besides, of course, attending the screenings. As someone who is just not an influencer but also an actress, I thoroughly enjoyed all the red-carpet screenings and meeting like-minded film talent from around the world at the event. At some point in the future, I would like to be attending Cannes for a film I’ve featured in.
Creators are often placed into boxes of where they belong and the rooms they can be a part of. Being on the red carpet dismantles the ideology that there’s a cap on how far we, as creators and as a South Asian community, can go and what we can achieve.
The Cannes Film Festival has always been viewed as the epitome of a glamorous event — everyone who attends looks like they’re living their best lives. I used the platform to share an authentic message of what the experience felt like for me. To represent all of us who doubt our potential, experience imposter syndrome, and are nervous to find their place, yet continue to push through to achieve their dreams!
As the first Indian American influencer to walk at Cannes, I hope I can inspire young women to confidently ask, ‘Why not me?’
There’s no doubt that the Cannes Film Festival is centered around films, and continues to be a unique space for the global film fraternity to bring their art and showcase their aptitude. But, creators like Bafna, Singh, Buller-Khosla, and Kaushal — a special shoutout to Raja Kumari for being instrumental in paving the way as well — have their own set of responsibilities to fulfill upon their invitation to the prestigious event. Their will to represent their South Asian identities, celebrate their industries, and continue to hold space for their peers makes their presence at Cannes more than just clothes.
All images in the featured photo are from the influencers’ Instagram feeds.
July 23, 2023July 28, 2023 3min readBy Shezda Afrin
If I DM my friends a bunch of videos on any given day, one of them is almost always an Ankush Bahuguna reel. When I first stumbled upon his content, I saw him as an actor and a comedian, lifting our mood up during the lockdown one video at a time. However, his day-to-day content is more than just that — Bahuguna is changing the landscape of the beauty industry by making (and holding) space for men who aspire to be makeup artists and who have a passion for all things beauty.
Content creator, makeup enthusiast, actor: Which title do you resonate with the most? And, why?
A creator is the word I’d resonate with the most — that’s what got me here — creating comedy, creating beauty content. Even as an actor, I’m very collaborative. I tend to weave nuances around a character and make it my own. I believe, no matter what you do, your work should be unique to you and that can only happen when you build it up yourself.
How did “Wing it with Ankush” come about?
Till three years ago, I used to work for a media house that had a whole team of stylists and MUAs working on every shoot. So when the world went into lockdown, I realized I would have to don all those hats myself. I used to [regularly] shoot videos with my mother and she didn’t know anything about makeup either. So I had to try my hand at it — I would do her makeup and we’d shoot videos together. Soon I realized how much I enjoyed learning a new skill from scratch. I used to paint as a kid, so makeup just somehow made sense. It felt like even though I had a whole lot to learn, it came naturally to me. I decided I would journal these experiments [on] a ‘secret’ page called Wing it With Ankush so that I can look back at it five years from now and see what I was up to [during] lockdown. I didn’t tell anyone about it. But people eventually discovered it and there was no looking back!
One word for gender stereotypes?
One word: Ingrained. It’s so deeply ingrained in us that we find it hard to just accept people the way they are.
How is (or isn’t) India evolving in terms of stereotypes?
We are definitely evolving. It’s a slow process but there’s hope. There’s a long way to go and for starters, I wish people could give non-cis people as much respect, appreciation, and credit, as they give to cis people like me, especially in the beauty space.
Must-have makeup products for men?
Makeup ‘must-haves’ are very subjective across all genders. Some people can’t do without a full face of makeup, while others could care less. I feel nothing is a must-have. [D]on’t wear makeup because you feel you need to, wear it only if it makes you feel good. My must-haves would be a color corrector, concealer, and powder.
Favorite makeup hack ever:
My favorite makeup hack is to underpaint. Apply bronzer and blush before your foundation. It’s so much more natural looking.
Let’s talk about your career in entertainment. What does comedy mean to you?
Comedy is a defense mechanism for me. It’s also self-expression, to be honest. That’s how I go about my day — finding humor in mundane things. Comedy is how I see life.
Beauty Influencer Of The Year Male (Popular Choice) — Ankush Bahuguna! Congratulations! You left your audience with these words in your Instagram post: “There’s always been too much self-doubt and too little self-worth.” How does one overcome that feeling of self-doubt?
As someone who has grown up constantly feeling inadequate, it’s difficult for me to not give in to self-doubt, literally every day. But I guess the idea is to be as kind and forgiving to yourself as you are to others. If you’ve come this far, you must’ve done something right. Right?
We can’t deny that Ankush Bahuguna is going out of his way to put a smile on our faces with his day-to-day content — reels, photos, Insta stories, and more! All while paving a new path for himself and, like we mentioned before, holding space for those who aspire to be them one day. Ankush continues to push the envelope one makeup tutorial at a time, showing the modern world that it’s time to take men in makeup seriously because they’re here to stay!
The featured image is courtesy of Dream N Hustle Media.
Kaye M. is a biracial Muslim-American YA writer and overworked undergrad. She has been published on The Toast and Love, Inshallah and profiled on MTV and Buzzfeed, among others, for creating the viral 2014 hashtag #YesAllWomen. When she is not advocating diversity and feminism online, she is hard at work on adding her voice to the growing list of authors within the Muslim YA canon and obsessing over tea, magical girls, Studio Ghibli, and lip colors.
