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In what ways can South Asian media challenge the long-standing obsession with fair skin, thin bodies, and Eurocentric beauty standards?
Let’s talk about the unspoken rule in South Asian media: if you’re not fair, thin, and Eurocentric-looking… you’re not “main character” material. Whether it’s Bollywood, Tollywood, or even mainstream TV serials, beauty is boxed into one rigid aesthetic — and if you fall outside it, you’re either erased or expected to work ten times harder to be seen. And the worst part? We’ve all felt it. That One Scene That Stuck With Me When Baar Baar Dekho dropped in 2016, it wasn’t just the time-travel storyline people talked about — it was Katrina Kaif’s abs. “Dream body,” they called it. “Perfect figure.” My Instagram was flooded with screenshots of her…