Bollywood has set unrealistic beauty standards, feels Bhumi Pednekar

Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar feels that over the years, films have just set really unrealistic beauty standards and if used rightly movies can truly have a very positive impact. Asked about film setting the benchmark for fashion and beauty standards, Bhumi, who turned muse for designer Richa Khemka’s collection at the Lakme Fashion Week, told IANS: “Films play a large part in setting any kind of benchmark and it’s just not limited to fashion and beauty. Cinema can impact a large number of people and if used rightly it can truly have a very positive impact. I think over the years our films have just set really unrealistic beauty standards.”

For the show, Bhumi turned into a black swan in a deep-neck backless dress with striking gold detailing as she sauntered the ramp for designer Richa Khemka. Bhumi finds fashion “liberating and empowering.” “Fashion to me is a form of self-expression, it is so liberating and empowering and I’ve truly found a space that I really really enjoy,” she said.

Ever since set her foot in Bollywood with “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” in 2015, the actress’ taste in fashion has evolved as it has become more fierce. She credits exposure for her evolution in style. “My taste in fashion and beauty has changed tremendously over the years, it also comes with exposure, access and just meeting people that have great taste that have opened up my purview to the world of beauty,” said Bhumi.

She agrees to being confused and shy to enjoying fashion. Bhumi said: “I think it has also gone from me being confused and shy about accepting that I enjoy fashion to actually putting myself out there and truly enjoying every aspect of it.” The actress is also an environmentalist and has often been vocal about sustainable fashion.

She was a part of the jury at the UNDP’s Circular Design Challenge at Lakme Fashion Week. The initiative aimed to spotlight designers who create eco-friendly solutions. The 35-year-old actress stressed that the “fashion industry is one of the largest polluters when it comes to sustainability.”

She blames “fast fashion” for it. “Fast fashion has become such an integral part of all our lives because of its pricing and how easy it is to produce but what we don’t understand is the harm that fast fashion causes.”

She said that India is so blessed because the country is rich in textile from silk to cotton. “We have phenomenal materials that are also so region-specific and there’s so much of it, there’s an abundance of phenomenal textile that we have. I just know I’m constantly propagating going back to those pieces, going back to our heritage clothing and we as a culture are a sustainable culture.” “If you just see how back in the day people lived and back in the day I mean just like maybe one generation ago if we just go back to even that we will realize how we all can be on a path of sustainability.”

Indo-Asian News Service