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| Not a good 'Role Model' - Kareena Kapoor By Webmaster, 22 April, 2008 |
 World over, waif-like, thin models have been told to shape up and get a few womanly curves before walking the ramp. But in India, thanks to Kareena Kapoor's Tashan look, teenage girls have begun to starve themselves again. The whole of north India is going gaga over her. Will this trend then, finally begin to impress the hip and young in Chennai too? Thankfully, this trend has not made a big impact on young Chennaiites. "It is the designers and coordinators who are promoting the image, prodding people to blindly aping the west. Moreover, there is a general notion that if you reduce your weight, you tend to look younger. I personally would not prefer to project a zero-size image," says model Vishwa. But then, Chennai has always had a conservative outlook. Even though the city is changing, the pace is very slow. The young men of Chennai still prefer girls in a traditional saree rather than a skimpy skirt. This thought process is echoed by Afroz, a young model, who feels that Chennai is not yet ready for size zero. "Those who watch Bollywood and Hollywood movies may tend to accept such image but not the mainstream Tamil cinema goers." Chennai has always had plump and voluptuous actresses on their screen. And the Chennai mass is content with that. Not many skinny actresses have made it big on the silver screen. But the bulky ones like Namitha and Jothika have really made a mark in Kollywood. Aishvarya, yet another model from Chennai has a different view altogether. According to her, "The Chennai market is as open as its counterparts. Things are changing but at a gradual pace. But yes, actors and models with curves on them have an edge over the skinny ones and their success rate is also higher as far as Kollywood is concerned." Were this to happen, it would be ironical, for, while the international fashion houses have already rejected skinny models, the image is catching up in India. Historically, India has never wanted zero size figures. Indian women look their best in sarees. And to wear the saree, you need at least size three or four. "Keeping your body fit involves a healthy combination of dieting, some strength training and cardiovascular exercises. The body frame and body type differs from one person to another. The actors who want an image makeover are constantly monitored by a team of dieticians and trainers who are highly skilled. It would not gel well with the average Indian middle class," says Ajit Shetty, fitness director, Fitness One. Agrees Paghunathan, father of two teenage daughters, "I think Kareena is setting a wrong example. I really don't prefer my daughter to be waif-like. Parents spend so much money in grooming their children and I am sure no father would like his daughter to look like a skeleton." However, young girls still have a distorted image of the size zero image. They spend fortunes on reducing their weight. Wouldn't it be better if instead, they were to merely keep a check on their weight, eat healthy, exercise and not fall prey to fashion fads? What do you say, Chennai? |
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