Unapologetically Beautiful

Text by Rida Tariq & Amira Irfan Photography by Sharmeen Imran & Mahnoor Nazar

Body positivity: Welcome to the self-love club

What if a person is born with white patches on their skin or with a uni-brow? Should that person be seen as less beautiful because his/her beauty doesn’t comply with standards set by society? When one hears the term ‘unconventional beauty’, the first thing that may come to their mind is a person who is not considered beautiful as per societal standards. People have been conditioned by social media to an extent that we, as a society, may have missed the point of what beauty really is. For someone to be aesthetically pleasing or beautiful, it must impact all senses, not just sight.

In recent times, trendsetters of sorts have begun to shatter the concept of compartmentalized beauty world over. Models like Lily Cole with her circular face, Tilda Swinton with her androgynous beauty, Lupita Nyong’o with her gorgeous dark skin, Winnie Harlow with her vitiligo and many others, have broken the glass imagery of ‘conventional beauty standards’.

Someone who is unconventionally beautiful is not attractive just because they are different; they are beautiful because they defy standards every single day.

Below, meet some people that redefine the word ‘beautiful’ and continue to challenge societal norms every single day.

Embracing the unibrow

Just like Frida Kahlo, Nargis is revolutionizing the idea of the uni-brow. In this era of overly plucked eyebrows and facial hair, she rebels against conformity and chooses to leave the brow as nature intends.

An ode to the gap-toothed

Gap teeth have been looked upon as the essence of beauty in certain French and African societies, where they are also considered to bring good luck, love, and are a mark of God’s favour. It’s fascinating how vast beauty is in certain cultures. Sarosh flaunts the gap in her teeth unapologetically.

All hail curves

Khushi was an absolute joy to photograph. Much like her name, Khushi spends her time spreading happiness wherever she goes and continues to set new examples of body positivity each day.

Distinctive and dazzling

Aiman is a talented blogger. She uses her Instagram as a way to inspire body positivity as well as to dispel the myths and untruths about birthmarks or various unusual skin types. She shows off her birthmark proudly and chooses not to conceal it to defy societal standards.

Vitiligo pride

As a part of the body positivity movement, people with vitiligo—a condition in which parts of skin lose their natural pigment—are challenging notions of traditional beauty every single day. Bakhtiyar is one such person who gallantly shows off his skin to the world.

Bold and beautiful

Alizeh is a self-taught makeup artist who uses social media platforms to educate people on

what it is like living with psoriasis and how she doesn’t let it define her. The confidence of this 19-year-old girl is truly inspiring. “My skin is mine, and my scars are a map of my journey,” she says.

Respect the complexion

Bisma never conforms to anyone’s ‘fair and lovely’ standards nor does she put on foundation two tones lighter than her complexion. Women like Beyoncé, Tyra Banks and Bisma fight the battle of ending the world’s obsession with lighter skin.

Always the centre of attention

Original beauty—that is the term for Aiman as she stands tall with her gorgeous smile and confident-self. Whatever the archetypes of beauty are now, she doesn’t let them get in her way.

"Beautiful in my way because God makes no mistakes."

A charming persona and a sense of humour that is hard to forget, Taimoor is a vlogger and uses social media as a platform to show the world his day-to-day adventures. Despite the nasty remarks Taimoor gets to hear, he continues to inspire thousands.

Acne is normal

“Put turmeric on your face it will work”. “Why don’t you apply aloe Vera on your face”? “Just wash your face, I’m sure it will help”.

“No, just keep your unsolicited opinions to yourself” is Nile Abdullah’s response to everyone giving him such unsolicited advice.

He is of the view that one is allowed to enjoy life even with acne because it is a part of growing up⁠—some have it worse than others. He feels it is time to normalise acne.