How can costume design and makeup choices in South Asian media avoid reinforcing narrow beauty ideals?
Let the Girls Breathe: How South Asian Costume & Makeup Design Can Stop Policing Our Beauty
We’ve all seen it:
The heroine rolls out of bed with a full beat. Not a hair out of place. Skin bleached to perfection. Waist snatched by a painful corset. And if she’s the “hot one,” she’s practically poured into a size XS blouse — regardless of her body type.
Meanwhile, the “plain” girl? She’s de-glammed into oblivion — darkened skin, unstyled hair, baggy clothes.
Costume and makeup aren’t just for aesthetic. They’re narratives, and right now, South Asian media is using them to say:
“This is beautiful.”
“That is not.”
“Fix yourself if you want to be worthy.”
And Gen Z is so over it.
The Problem Isn’t Just the Clothes — It’s What They’re Saying
Let’s break it down:
- Complexion-coded styling: Lighter-skinned actresses get glowing “dewy” looks, soft lighting, pastel outfits. Meanwhile, darker-skinned characters are given harsher lighting, “dusty” tones, or even deliberately dulled makeup to make them appear “less desirable.”
- Unrealistic costumes: Wearing bridal lehengas that weigh 40+ kilos while dancing or fighting? No sweat. Literally — because sweat isn’t allowed.
If your stomach jiggles or your arms aren’t airbrushed — you’re sidelined. - Makeup that erases features: Foundation that’s five shades too light. Nose contours so sharp they might as well Photoshop it. Lips overlined until they match Western trends — not Desi features.
- Hair = Worth: Curly hair = wild, out of control. Straight, blow-dried = “heroine material.” Why is the “before” girl always rocking natural hair?
It’s not just fiction. These looks affect real girls watching from their living rooms, wondering if their brown skin, curves, or curls are something to “fix.”
The Subtle But Loud Message to Desi Girls: “You’re Not It”
These design choices, however subtle, constantly tell South Asian women:
- Your real body is too much.
- Your skin isn’t glowing enough.
- Your features need to be blurred, contoured, minimized.
- Beauty = pain, restriction, whiteness.
It’s not “just TV.” It’s a blueprint of what’s acceptable.
And it’s working — just in the worst way possible.
So How Do We Change This? It’s Time Costume & Makeup Teams Step Up
If you work in South Asian media — glam teams, stylists, designers — here’s what we’re asking for:
1. Design for Real Body Types — Not Just Slim Frames
Make clothes that move. That fit all sizes without suffocating them. Stop hiding curves or forcefully reshaping them with corsets and trick angles. Comfort should be cool too.
2. Makeup That Enhances — Not Erases
Let dark skin actually shine. Give the melanin glow its moment. Celebrate Desi features — don’t cover them with layers of Western trends. Highlight the nose, the monolid, the texture. That’s beauty.
3. Hair That Doesn’t Need to Be “Fixed”
Normalize curls, waves, frizz, flyaways. Don’t use straightening as a metaphor for “character growth” (yes, we see what you did there).
4. Wardrobes That Reflect Culture AND Comfort
Let’s reimagine what being “stylish” means. Not every modern girl wears a size 0 mini dress. Give us fusion fits, sporty kurtis, oversized dupattas — reflect the real South Asian vibe.
5. Hire Designers Who Get Diversity
Include stylists, MUA teams, and costume designers from marginalized communities. People who understand skin tone diversity, body size variations, and cultural nuance.
Dear Glam Teams of South Asian TV: We’re Not Asking for Less Style — Just Less Harm
It’s 2025. We’ve had enough of girls passing out from tight lehengas and melting under stage lights while chasing unrealistic beauty expectations.
Let the girls breathe. Let them move. Let them look like themselves.
Because real representation doesn’t just happen in scripts — it happens in the small details:
The sindoor that’s not perfectly placed.
The sari that’s not pinned tight.
The sweat, the skin texture, the curve of a real waist.
We don’t want less glam. We want honest glam.