Being Ugly and a Woman

The time was 6:30 p.m. Sachin saw her going to the pantry to fill water in her big green bottle and he came by, to bitch. 


Sachin: "She is staying back?" 


Me: "I guess so, why do you ask?" 


Sachin with a smirk and a snort: "She can afford to stay back, you know, with that face, who will want to mess with her." 


Me: "Sachin, you cant be so mean ya." 


Sachin: "oh c'mon, do you think any man would look at her and feel even like harassing her? She would have to pay a man to do this." 


Me: "Shoo Sachin. I am leaving for the day." 


Sachin:"Ok bye bye." 


This conversation is real and took place last evening. It shocked me a bit. It brought to light the perception of beauty that educated men have about women who are not that great looking. 


The woman in question, Latha (yeah with an 'h'), is a not so good looking, slightly obese woman with oil perpetually dripping from her hair. Thank god she doesnt wear flowers on her hair! (I am allergic to flowers)


Ok, she is mean as hell. Latha has an acerbic tongue and can make anyone wilt with a single mean sentence. As a result, she has very few friends. And, obviously Sachin is not her friend because of various reasons. 


Despite all this, she has managed to catch and retain the fancy of "The Man", the boss. He has this ultimate soft corner for her. Anyway, this post is not about why the boss has a soft corner for her (I will write about this later).


People like Sachin often target women like Latha. My question is, why is the correct order of the facial features such a big thing? Why cant an educated, cultured person like Sachin (who is expected to be wise) deal with stuff like ugliness, stupidity, or inability to speak in English in a more mature way? Is ridicule a way to ensure that their own personal insecurities and immaturity lies hidden within the recesses of their stunted brains? 


And why did he choose me to share his deepest thoughts about Latha? Was it because he was sure I was as mean as him or was it because I would be as insecure as him? Or, was it just because my face looks normal?  


I, personally do not like Latha. I have a feeling she hates me as well. Ok, she does a great job of disguising it. So do I. Diplomacy Zindabad! 


Sachin, according to me, represents the section of society that treats beauty like a trophy: a society full of Indians obsessed with fair skin, black hair, hair on the head (for men especially), a svelte figure, money, and so on. 


Women are supposed to be these wonderful creatures who should have flawless fair skin, beautiful hair (black, glossy), an hourglass figure (even if she has delivered 3-4 kids), and a perpetual desire to be subservient to men.


Sachin was also the person who asked with a poorly disguised shocked expression, "You are a Tamilian? How are you so fair?" 


Err...I blaberred something at that time. But, the fact remained that men like Sachin cannot accept women like Latha. Latha and her ilk have to remain incognito, somewhere deep in the woods, and come out at night. Because, the society cannot accept anything that is not beautiful. When she first joined, I overheard another disturbing conversation, "Oh my god, look at that face. The guy would have surely put a towel on her face and fucked her." 


Sick! 


I rest my case. Sachins will keep talking such stuff about the Lathas in the world. I do not wish to be part of this dialogue. I will rant here, on my blog.