Contemporary Indian women are often compelled to believe that being normatively ‘beautiful’ or having an ideal body promises enormous social capital. Arguably, this contemporary ideal has developed largely because of colonial influences on twentieth century India and has been massively augmented through the nineties by western forces of globalization and liberalization, the media and the internet revolution. Ideals of female body image in India today are modelled on globally dominant Eurocentric physical parameters which have left millions of women with body issues.
The issues of body image deeply impact lives of most Indian women and The Female Body Image and Beauty Politics in Contemporary Indian Literature and Culture therefore brings together scholarly articles on literary analysis, film analysis, gender and sexuality studies, young adult literature, disability studies, media studies, caste scholarship, motherhood studies, and body image studies in general that inaugurate a much-needed debate on the plight of Indian women pining under the daily rigors of beauty labor. The book and panel discussion promotes a culture of body positivity and body inclusivity such that women—and perhaps all of humanity—find acceptance and pride in their natural bodies.
