I asked Priyanka Chopra, 'If you can look past skin colour in a beauty pageant then why not height?'

India, has often been called the land of ‘apsaras’ - the most stunning divine women. It is believed that apsaras were the epitome of beauty and emanated charm, desirability, were gifted with the art of dance and spilled magic wherever they set their foot. It was as if they were dipped in milk, blessed with the most perfect body and alluring features that could kill. Our country has always been considered as the land with the most extraordinary and exquisite beauty. It is a fact, isn’t it? But is only being ‘dipped in milk, with the most perfect body and alluring features’, the compass for measuring ‘beauty’?

I was born in the year 1994, a year which was historic for India as it conquered the globe with ‘beauty’. Yes, that very year, Sushmita Sen was crowned Miss Universe and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Miss World. That one win was enough to send everyone in a tizzy. Almost every growing up 90s kid, including myself, dreamt of becoming Miss India and then further on representing our country on a global platform. As opposed to the standard Indian household mentality, my parents were all up for it, supporting their daughter in living her dream of wearing a legit crown on her head.

I was six, standing in front of the television, being stubborn enough and not letting anyone watch the screen. The only thing that this peanut sized girl wanted to hear was for the host to announce India as the winner. As history has it, that’s what happened. Priyanka Chopra, a young 18 year old from Bareilly with the most gorgeous earthy skin tone, was crowned Miss World 2000. 30th November, 2000 was a day which pretty much cemented my thoughts of pursuing and achieving my dream.

20 years down the line, I am 25 with an incomplete dream and a slight ache in my heart. It’s not like I didn’t try. I did. Multiple times, with all the conviction there is. But you know what became a hindrance? Just 2 inches. Yes, my height. I am 5’4 which I used to believe was a pretty decent height for an Indian woman, until I was told repeatedly by a lot of beauty pageant organisations that it wasn’t the case. This was the parameter for someone outright telling me that I don’t fit the bill and certainly not the idea of “beauty”. They called me pretty, confident and outspoken, but, I was “short”. It broke my heart. It truly did. I sulked a bit, animatedly scolded myself for not swimming or cycling enough and quietly slipped into a sad state.

It made me wonder - aren't we as a society are extremely hypocritical? Even when we are changing the norms about beauty, we’re changing it only as per convenience. The World is moving towards body inclusivity, but do you think we are doing it as a whole? According to the new ‘perception’, you can be of any colour but you still have to be 5’6 and above to meet the beauty standards. How is it ‘body inclusive’? How is it fair when you still have a checklist for declaring someone as an ‘ideal beauty’? Does this mean that any girl who does not make the cut, just like me and a lot of others, cannot dream of wearing the crown on our heads?

October 5th, 2019, as fate had it, I got the opportunity to meet the woman whose victory sealed my dream of becoming Miss India. Priyanka Chopra Jonas, standing right infront of me, with this surreal aura around her, flashing her million dollar smile (no wonder Nick Jiju fell for her in a matter of minutes). I had the opportunity to have a word with her and I couldn’t have missed this chance for the World. I told her how I’ve always wanted to be Miss India but only because I was 2 inches short was why I couldn’t make it to the cut. I then asked her a quick question, with the innocence of that six year old who saw PeeCee tearing up with pride when she was wearing the crown. “If you can look past colour in a beauty pageant then why not height?” I don’t think she was expecting a question like this, so she was taken a bit off-guard but was quick to gather herself and replied with saying, ‘You’re right. I’ve never actually thought about it like that’, while sipping water. It's almost like I could see an imaginary thought bubble over her head.

(Image Source: Getty Images)

Coming from the position that she is at right now, and, possessing the power which is altogether bringing in about so much change, I couldn’t have missed telling her this. Chopra Jonas, promised me that she will definitely invest more time on this thought. To which I enthusiastically replied, “But don’t forget that I told you this.” Well, whether she remembers me or not, I really do hope that she does something, or anyone for that matter, so that we “short” girls are also made to feel as beautiful as we are.

My motto in life is, “Main Apni Favourite Hoon” (the self love came in much before Kareena sensationalised it in Jab We Met, but, the dialogue came in post the release - I admit). I’m sure most of us girls share the same vibe too, so does it really matter if a random judgemental group finds you the “sundarta ki devi” or not?

What do you think about selective inclusivity? Do you think the society is hyprocritical and is still stuck with the same boring bracket of "ideal beauty"? Drop in your comments below.

(Image Source: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, let me fix my hypothetical crown as I’m busy making a mark for myself in the World, with my work.