“Youth is beauty”
A jointly coordinated conference by Dove and The Daily Star called #ChooseBeautiful, held on 25 April 2015, was attended by some of the most empowered women of the country, who shared experiences and wise words to inspire young girls who suffer from insecurity and low self-esteem. Amongst these empowered women was renowned theatre and television actor and Deputy Managing Director of Asiatic 360, Sara Zaker.
“When I was born, I had the look that everyone so desired- curly hair, fair skin, and light eyes. My sister, on the other hand, was born with a dark skin. Everyone who saw her said, 'oh this daughter will have to be a doctor', which was an indirect way to say that she will have to earn a lot to live on her own,” shared Sara Zaker, stressing on how dark skinned girls are judged to be unattractive in our society.
“This stayed with her, and I on the other hand was treated like I was a little dumb because I was conventionally pretty! I did whatever I could to fight and change that perception, and I still do.”
Sara Zaker, being a media personality and a role model to many young girls in our country, said that it is about time that the media focus on a woman's confidence instead of looks, “because it is confidence that is beauty!” she explained. She believes strongly that now is the time that the standard of beauty needs to be changed, and so does the meaning of the word itself.
When asked where women can find the confidence to be beautiful, she said, “Women nowadays want to be all-rounders. They seem to believe that if they are good at everything, they will be considered beautiful or important. They need to learn to focus on what they are good at and on their talent. That very nurturing of the talent is what will make them confident about who they are.” She also mentioned that since our culture of impunity is far from fading, it is a family's job to help their women feel confident and good about themselves.
As a message to all the young girls in the country, she said, “Youth is beauty. When you are young, you don't realise it, but you should embrace your youth to be able to embrace your beauty.”
Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
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