12-24-2006, 08:37 PM
A rehash of stereotypes by Dan McDougall in The Guardian. A hilarious read.
Indian men buy a new image to win beautiful brides
Dan McDougall in New Delhi
The glowing 'white' faces of Bollywood's leading men and women stare out from the gaudy packaging on dozens of beauty creams piled ceiling high in the chaotic bustle of a Delhi pharmacy. Fair and Handsome, Lady Diana Whitening Beauty Cream, Milky Skin Now - the brands' purpose needs no imagination.
'More and more wealthy young Indian men are getting surgery before they get married and in many cases to help them find a perfect match,' said Narendra Pandya, a leading Indian surgeon with a diploma from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. <b>'If one is handsome or beautiful in India one doesn't have to look for a job. The job will come to you. </b>The new middle class understands the importance of appearance.'
Dr Anup Dhir, a senior consultant at the Apollo hospital, said the most popular operation for men was the nose job, or rhinoplasty, starting at £500. Removing a scar cost from £300 and liposuction began at £900.
Many young men consulting Dr Rashmi Taneja, a surgeon at Ganga Ram Hospital, want to look like their screen heroes. 'My patients range from rich young men wanting to look like the Bollywood star John Abraham and get married as quickly as possible, to executives who have an image to maintain.'
Social scientist Ajai Liu Niumai believes Indians want to exploit a bias towards a light skin: <b>'Indians are conditioned over the ages to believe the "low castes" have a dark complexion and "higher classes" are fair.'</b>
The fashion for plastic surgery was linked to this. <b>'A few decades ago, men in south India considered plump and not-so-fair-skinned women attractive. But now they find slim, fair-skinned women from the north and the Indian diaspora the most beautiful of all.'</b>
An increasing number of foreigners, many of them British Asians, are flying in for cheap operations. India has launched an aggressive campaign to sell itself as a medical tourism hub.
But the <b>British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has expressed doubts about the quality of practices abroad and it suggests some botched operations are left for the NHS to sort out when patients return home.</b>
Indian men buy a new image to win beautiful brides
Dan McDougall in New Delhi
The glowing 'white' faces of Bollywood's leading men and women stare out from the gaudy packaging on dozens of beauty creams piled ceiling high in the chaotic bustle of a Delhi pharmacy. Fair and Handsome, Lady Diana Whitening Beauty Cream, Milky Skin Now - the brands' purpose needs no imagination.
'More and more wealthy young Indian men are getting surgery before they get married and in many cases to help them find a perfect match,' said Narendra Pandya, a leading Indian surgeon with a diploma from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. <b>'If one is handsome or beautiful in India one doesn't have to look for a job. The job will come to you. </b>The new middle class understands the importance of appearance.'
Dr Anup Dhir, a senior consultant at the Apollo hospital, said the most popular operation for men was the nose job, or rhinoplasty, starting at £500. Removing a scar cost from £300 and liposuction began at £900.
Many young men consulting Dr Rashmi Taneja, a surgeon at Ganga Ram Hospital, want to look like their screen heroes. 'My patients range from rich young men wanting to look like the Bollywood star John Abraham and get married as quickly as possible, to executives who have an image to maintain.'
Social scientist Ajai Liu Niumai believes Indians want to exploit a bias towards a light skin: <b>'Indians are conditioned over the ages to believe the "low castes" have a dark complexion and "higher classes" are fair.'</b>
The fashion for plastic surgery was linked to this. <b>'A few decades ago, men in south India considered plump and not-so-fair-skinned women attractive. But now they find slim, fair-skinned women from the north and the Indian diaspora the most beautiful of all.'</b>
An increasing number of foreigners, many of them British Asians, are flying in for cheap operations. India has launched an aggressive campaign to sell itself as a medical tourism hub.
But the <b>British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons has expressed doubts about the quality of practices abroad and it suggests some botched operations are left for the NHS to sort out when patients return home.</b>