The Beauty Obsession
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rban India’s middle and upper class women have Uexperienced a veritable revolution in commercial beauty products and beauty culture since liberalization in 1991. Prior to liberalization, these women had two brands of lipstick and cold cream from which to choose. In the last five years, however, zaibatsu giant Hindustan Lever, Ltd., released 250 new beauty products, and international corporations have been heavily involved in marketing beauty products in India. French cosmetics giant L’Oreal, for example, has spent over thirty million dollars on local manufacturing since 1994. During an interview, S. Jayabalan, Managing Director of Kalinga Cosmetics, which The Beauty Obsession handles international brands such as International Standards for Fair and Lovely Kenzo, stressed the importance of international trends in Indian Susan Runkle consumption patterns:”Indians are very brand conscious. They are well aware of all the popular brands abroad contemporary classic which evokes Editor’s note to ‘Skin,” appeal to like Issey Miyake and Lancome. purity and transparency” (February women: What’s popular abroad is very popular 2001). An important aspect that Indian here.” The use of such language to women just cannot choose to Femina magazine was quick to describe fragrance was complicated ignore today is the overwhelming capitalize on the rapidly expanding by a sophisticated analysis of which number of beauties our country is throwing up at international beauty culture with the publication of Christian Dior lotions work best with pageants. Aishwarya Rai, numerous fragrance and beauty which skin types. The back of the Sushmita Sen, Diana Hayden, books. In addition, Femina features magazine carried a price list, and I was Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra, Diya inserts in the magazine every few quick to note that a bottle of L’eau Mirza: they’re world players on months with titles like “Skin” and D’issey cost about as much as the an international stage. Couple subeditors at Femina, where I worked “Scent.” In these inserts, which that with the superpower India is number about twenty graphic and for a whole year, earned in one month. poised to become. Triple that with color-rich pages, Editor Amy The very fact that the women who the steadily growing liberal Fernandes embarks on an educational help create the language to describe economy and foreign brands project for readers. In a sample issue, these products cannot afford them arriving at our shores. Can you elaborate distinctions were made points to a serious inequality both in as a modern woman afford to be between scents, and readers were terms of salary for gendered work as left out of it all? (February 2001). informed of the difference between a well as the high price which women What message does the reader woody topnote and a fruity heartnote. are willing to pay in order to take away from this? Of course, The issue included dozens of in-depth approximate images of beauty as they women are independent agents who descriptions of expensive fragrances. appear in fashion magazines. negotiate messages far more complex Issey Miyake’s L’eau D’issey, for The marketing at work behind the than this on a daily basis, but, example, was described as “subtle and beauty industry is fierce and intensely nonetheless, the direct linkage elegant. It clings to the skin like an well thought out. Playing on between beauty products and being article of clothing and comes to life femininity and nationalism, passages “left out of it all” is profoundly on the woman who wears it. A such as the following, taken from an disturbing. No.145 11 This sort of rhetoric has been available coconut oil, as shine serum their lips a subtle hint of color and closely paralleled by changes in is a comparatively expensive product at the same time softly images of beauty in Femina. When I of which the solidly middle-class moisturizing them. The hip and asked Editor Sathya Saran about how target readership of Meri Saheli was cool Elle 18 Jellip, available in these images have changed, she was most likely not aware. Its presence, trendy shades, can easily be quick to note: “They’ve changed however, serves to underscore the slipped into a teenager’s bag and amazingly in the last five or six years way in which commercial beauty can form a part of regular college because of the multinationals coming culture has penetrated middle-class wear. No more will the young and in. They brought images of beauty life in urban India. spirited teenager have to worry with them which were very different One beauty product that has about parental disapproval when from what we had, and therefore we achieved remarkable success across she wears lip color – because she internationalized our images of beauty, all class and ethnic groups is the will not be wearing lipstick, she and today we see that reflected in the bleaching cream Fair and Lovely. will be wearing Jellip! So young way that young women look.” Something of an institution in India, girls can go ahead and wear Jellip Power of Advertising Fair and Lovely was patented by everyday and sport really cool lip She was also adamant that Hindustan Lever Limited, in 1971 colors! (Hindustan Lever international advertising, such as that following the patenting of prospectus 2002). which inspired the production of niacinamide, a chemical that lightens Only recently have young women inserts like “Skin” and “Scent” had the color of the skin. First test had the spending power to allow improved the magazine to such an marketed in the South in 1975, it was marketing such a product exclusively extent that any woman in the world available throughout India by 1978 to them. could pick up Femina and find it and subsequently became the largest Both Fair and Lovely and Jellip are comparable to American Vogue. It is selling skin cream in India. Accounting part of the same pre-liberalization important to remember that a 1994 for eighty percent of the fairness cosmetics giant, Lakmé. Formed after article entitled, “The Year Ahead for cream market in India, Fair and Lovely Indian independence in 1947, Lakmé Miss Universe and Miss World” ran has an estimated sixty million has exponentially expanded in scope next to an ad for, of all things, Lactonic consumers throughout the following liberalisation, with the breast stimulant. It was not until the subcontinent and exports to thirty- launch of its Elle 18 products for the following year that more relevant and four countries in Southeast and younger markets and the opening of sophisticated advertisements for Central Asia, as well as the Middle a chain of Lakmé beauty salons in commercial beauty products started East. In 2000, Fair and Lovely eleven cities across India, including appearing in the magazine. embarked on a new marketing Bombay, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Interestingly, these extensive ads approach, with newer, more Hyderabad, Pune, Indore, Vadodara, for commercial beauty products are sophisticated packaging and Ludhiana, and Chandigarh, with plans not restricted to elite English language improved fragrance (Hindustan Lever to expand to fifty salons by the end of magazines. The Hindi language Meri Prospectus, 2002). Even Fair and 2003. Saheli (My Girlfriend) routinely Lovely, it seemed, was not immune to Focusing on the rhetoric of features beauty advice that the beauty product revolution that professionalism, Lakmé salons increasingly relies on the use of introduced new skin care lotions. emphasise their high standards in their products that are bought, rather than The major hurdle that marketing business plan for franchisees: made, at home to beautify oneself. experts had to face in selling cosmetics Today, the Indian woman’s beauty The October 2002 issue advised: to urban Indian women was the fact needs are taken care of in “âgar bal daumûhe hô gaye ho aur that make up is still considered neighborhood beauty parlors. In bal kô trim karne ka samay na ho to somewhat suspect in conservative most cases, hygiene is hair shine serum lagâa Isse daumûhe families. A Hindustan Lever questionable, customer bal chip jâyengç/ (If you have split description of the new Jellip brand of satisfaction levels are low and ends and do not have time for a trim, lip gloss directly addressed this service is far from professional. apply hair shine serum. This will hide problem: Compare this with Lakmé beauty your split ends).” Today’s young teenagers can salon. Backed by trusted names, I was initially struck by the watch out for an exciting and Lakmé and Hindustan Lever, recommendation for the use of shine trendy alternative to lipsticks by Lakmé beauty salon brings in an serum, rather than the universally giving them the option of giving air of professionalism to the salon No.145 12 business. From interiors to French hair stylists were finance to training, every insistent that the stylists in the single aspect has been audience learn how to “become meticulously planned to fashion translators, not fashion ensure the comfort of the victims.” As the press release for customer and convenience of the event lauded, the event the franchisees (Hindustan hoped to “not only give a Lever, Ltd., brochure). window to trends overseas but This invitation to also allow hairdressers here to franchisees references the blend international styling parlor, as distinct from the salon. trends and techniques with local Women themselves also make preferences and thus retain their this distinction in their own individuality.” beauty practices; I was firmly This notion of “translation” criticized once for “wasting speaks to a distinction between money” on a salon manicure, a private sense of self, which, which a friend insisted I should following McGrath (2000:35) have had done at a local parlor. “includes the same events and The local parlor is considered changing relationships that are reliable for simple services such stylists for training in New York and then experienced through cultural as manicures and pedicures but is not London, I listened in as the rules” and the more public to be utilized for more complicated conversation drifted from how presentation of that private self, which procedures, such as straightening frequently Botox needs to be is the negotiation of that very hair.