10/19/2014
Meghna Rajeev (University of Southern California '16)
Race/Ethnicity: Indian
“I grew up in Saudi Arabia, so most of the beauty standards revolved around similar ones to the Western world. Arabian girls are so beautiful; fair, dark hair, and light eyes. Absolutely gorgeous, but that also became the standard definition of being considered “pretty” or “attractive”. It was either that or someone “exotic”, which were usually girls from Europe or the US, especially anyone who’ was blonde with blue eyes, slim and that whole package. Back then, I felt as if being darker was not as well regarded and that there’d always be a preference for lighter skin. I remember there was this stunning new girl from the Dominican Republic who was kind of tan and so fit, a track runner with a beautiful smile and curly hair. She was so confident and I assumed everyone would go gaga for her. And then I heard some guys discussing her in class and one of them just straight-up said, “Yeah she’s cute, but she’s way too dark.” And another one adding in, “Yeah and her nose is too flat.” I was definitely a little taken-aback. The way I see it now, and back then too, is that you really don’t have to conform to one standard, like a button nose and tiny lips; personally when I find someone physically attractive, it’s if they have one (or more) really striking features, like a sharp nose, or piercing eyes, or a bright smile. It’s cool!
Did I conform to beauty standards? Not really, not with skin tone at least. It’s something I’m settled with. My mother is a very fair skinned person and my dad is a little darker, so I got more of his tone. And my mom would always reassure me that there was nothing wrong with that, and on the bright side, ‘darker skinned people have a lower chance of getting skin cancer ‘[laughs] just on the side! But there were still so many times I’d complain to her saying, “Damn it, I could have gotten your skin and Dad’s straight hair, life is unfair.” But that would also mean I’d be half-bald by 45 so I’m grateful for what I have. Haha. Another thing I noticed when I visited India was that my relatives’ first comments would always be “Ayyo you got darker!” ALWAYS. Not my weight or anything else. Or sometimes it would be a little more subtle, like “Has someone been playing a lot of soccer? You seem to have gotten a little burnt.” And my internal reaction was always “so what?” And people would suggest foundation brands and I was lowkey horrified. These comments started in 8th grade, and I think I started wearing makeup in, maybe, junior year of high school? (and that was only because I barely slept and didn’t want to go to school looking like a zombie).
USC has kids from almost everywhere and I don’t feel like there’s as much of a focus on being fair, skinny, and all the other constructs I mentioned before. Being confident, smiling a lot, being intelligent (this is a big one), being real, being a good person at heart- that’s so much more important. Especially being good-hearted. You can be flawless on the outside, but if you’re judgmental or rude, you set off weird vibes that just create unnecessary negativity and immediately decreases the initial impression of attractiveness you might’ve formed.
I think I’m a very open person. If something bothers me, I tell them, but if something makes me happy, I tell them too. I’m very blunt about what I like and dislike. Some people think of that as “sass” but it’s just me being candid. What I’ve grown to realize is that no matter how hard you try, not everyone will agree or accept the way you think or feel. And that’s perfectly okay."
