Jacqueline Fernandez just posted an Instagram selfie that is winning us over with its no-filter vibe. Free from the blurring and skin-lightening filters common on social media today, this picture was a refreshing change from the usual airbrushed content we see online. Not only was this great because it featured her unedited underarms, but also because Jacqueline showed off her freckles and balm-free natural lips in the picture.
Image credit: Jacqueline Fernandez via Instagram
We’re impressed because, even though this is what most people naturally look like, we don’t really see celebrities post raw photos like these, as audiences can be quite unkind, and celebrities are under pressure to always look Photoshopped and “flawless.” So, it’s a commendable thing that Jacqueline decided to empower others by owning herself sans Photoshop. As a Bollywood actress and former Miss Sri Lanka winner, she is a beauty icon who has been the face of many beauty brands, which means people look up to her and see her as a beauty ideal. That’s why the example she sets, matters.
“What’s the big deal about underarms?” you ask? There’s an entire business dedicated to it
Image credit: Red Chillies Entertainment
There is an entire industry dedicated to lightening and smoothening underarms, and it profits from making people think that they need to whiten their armpits and make them smooth as a baby’s bum. They are only able to prey on our insecurities because we don’t have enough real examples of real skin in the media, so we think that the edited version is the truth. Guess what? The airbrushed and artificially lightened underarms we see in films and ads are not the norm. In reality, most people have darker underarms with folds, wrinkles, and a bit of a stubble. That’s not unhealthy, dirty, or weird—it’s NATURAL. The fact that Jacqueline took a leap of faith and posted this photo, makes her a celebrity worth appreciating. Because of her transparency, we are one step closer to normalising dark armpits.
The burgeoning trend of drawing freckles on with makeup, has also reduced the stigma around pigmentation
Image credit: iStock Photo
We are made to feel bad about so many things about ourselves, be it body hair or spots on our skin. Freckles, for a long time, have been treated as an abnormality, not a natural and beautiful thing. But now, with the rise in “natural beauty” trends, people are actually drawing on freckles with brown pencils and markers. This marks a shift in our beauty ideals, and has helped us all embrace the “pigmentation” we were trying to lighten with whitening creams. That makes for another reason Jacqueline’s selfie is so important.
Wouldn’t the world be a better place if all influencers and celebrities encouraged body positivity and skin-positivity with their real and honest approach to beauty? We know we’d love to open social media and not see things which make us feel bad about ourselves!
Lead image credit: Sony Music India
