Beauty is a mind game

Looking good and feeling beautiful are two different things. Here's why...

A thing of beauty is joy forever...Is that so? Take a good look at all the celebrated divas around and you will see that at some point in their lives, they did not feel as beautiful despite being perceived as an attractive woman. Scores of actresses suffered from low self-esteem and only began to feel beautiful when their mind was strong enough to feel so. Beauty and lifestyle experts say that it’s important for a man or woman to feel good from inside to look beautiful from the outside. And sometimes to reach that stage, one needs to not just work on their bods but also reassure their minds.
BT lists out some quotes shared by Indian and international names who worked hard to feel beautiful from within.

Actress Priyanka Chopra confessed that she was a ‘gawky’ teenager. “I didnot quite feel pretty. I had apprehensions about my looks and was not confident about myself. My mother filled the Miss India entry form and I amazed when I was crowned the Miss World title in the year 2000 since then I haven’t looked back. I had to make myself believe that I am beautiful. And it does not matter what people say.”

Angelina Jolie: Sometimes I feel I am odd-looking. I think I look like a funny muppet. I don’t see myself as beautiful, because I can see a lot of flaws. People have really odd opinions. They tell me I’m skinny, as if that’s supposed to make me happy. However, I am confident about how I look and feel good at most times.

Kate Winslet: As a young girl, I never felt attractive. I was fat and unhappy at times and that kind of thinking stays with you your entire life. There’s always going to be a part of me that worries about not looking as slim as other actresses. She admitted to have been struggling with her weight in the past but she said she does not believe in crash diets or endless trips to the gym. But she won the hearts of millions of male viewers after her starring role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. But despite her popularity, the double Golden Globe winner says she still gets worried about not looking as thin as her peers. At a certain point, when you achieve a lot of your goals and you can be proud of your work, you start to relax more about who you are. And that includes your appearance and self-image — I don’t think I look too bad for a mother of two.

Actress Zareen Khan and Sameera Reddy, say that they were both overweight earlier but a gym routine and right eating has put things in order and she feels much more beautiful now. "It's a state of mind, really,” they echoed.

International celebrity Eva Mendes had to work at accepting her body. “I have worked very hard to love myself, and I do. I think that's what people may respond to with me. Because there are a ton of beautiful girls in this business with beautiful bodies.” However, the Bad Lieutenant star also admits she still gets nervous performing sex scenes in films despite considering herself ‘attractive’.

EXPERT SPEAK:

THE DESIRE TO LOOK GOOD IS ENDLESS: Beauty expert Blossom Kochchar says that ways to look prettier is an age-old struggle. And at no age, does the desire to have had it all ends. “God makes us all unique. It's on us to find our plus points. Beauty products can be used to enhance these features for better looks. However, to truly believe that you are beautiful is a feeling which needs to come from within.”

Not just women even men face beauty dilemma such as acne-prone skin, hairloss and stretch marks on exposed areas, which can be a point of worry for them.

BELIEVE THAT YOU LOOK GOOD: Stylist and hair expert Jawed Habib cues that the very wish to look good is what is making the entire beauty industry thrive and grow. “The trick is not believing all that is claimed by cosmetic giants. See for yourself what makes you look good, feel better and go for that. If you don't need it, don't buy it. Deep within, feel that you look good and believe in that, no matter what.”

TRAIN THE MIND AND YOUR BODY WILL FOLLOW: Yoga and wellness expert Manish and Payal Gidwani Tiwari say, “You have to train your mind at ever single moment of your life...for e.g. If you feel something missing in your life, you have to tune your mind to overcome that, you could be fat and round but if you are positive and happy your state of mind would work towards happiness. Mind is a very important factor in anything you do. Yoga teaches you to control your mind by practicing asanas and pranayam (breathing techniques). If these asanas and pranayams are done regularly, it can change your mindset in a big way making the mind positive and your body healthy.”