Why I'm calling BS on the word 'wifey'

source: Google.com

The term ‘wifey’ is usually used to describe a woman who is, in a man’s eyes, of marriage material. This woman is usually considered to be driven, intelligent and loyal.

Sure, these qualities are great, and something that everyone is hopefully building within their own selves, but the term ‘wifey’ definitely comes with expectations and the attributes of a traditional wife: cooking and cleaning.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with striving for qualities like these, or even seeking a partner who resembles what a wife may look or act like, the issue lies in how the term is used.

‘Wifey’ implies that women fall into two categories – the glorified ‘wifey’, or the other, usually defined as a ‘hoe’. This brings us to the issue of a woman’s body count. Society has the unwritten rule that being a ‘wifey’ and being sexually liberated are mutually exclusive. In short, you can attain all of the above characteristics of a good wife, but, should your sexual history be too overwhelming for someone else to handle, you are now categorised, for many, as the other.

But what of a man’s body count? Usually nothing. Ultimately society has conditioned us to believe that the same thing that can make a man attractive, has the opposite effect in regard to women, therefore rendering her undesirable. Simple misogyny.

Should our value and identity come from the opinion of a man?

Many of us young women will aspire to be seen as ‘wifey’ at some point in our lives. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s important to remember how you are measuring these qualities and what you are measuring them against. Do not let it be a man’s opinion of you.

As women, I do not want us to be wearing this term as a badge to try and validate our position in a man’s life. Wear a badge to display your views as a woman, wear a badge to represent the career you are working towards. Do not strive for a badge that reduces you to nothing but the extension of a man.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

The rise of celebrity beauty brands

Source: Instagram @kyliecosmetics

It is undeniable that the beauty world has undergone an unparalleled change in the last decade. With the rise of social media, makeup artists have been able to create online profiles to share their own personal tips and product choices with their followers. From this, more makeup artists have emerged in a variety of forms to share what they are using on their faces and bodies. This has catapulted the evolution of beauty blogging, where people review and recommend products to their followers.

The nature of social media platforms especially Instagram and YouTube have allowed consumers to better communicate what it is that they want to see in the beauty market, as well as the products that they are not so much fans of. Now, it seems that more and more celebrities have tapped into the rewarding benefits of this feedback and have discovered what people desire in such a market. It seems that almost every celebrity with a large following has dabbled in some type of beauty product line, whether that be skincare, cosmetics, or perfumes to name a few.

Whilst celebrities have always been heavily involved with the beauty world, what was once simply product endorsement, has turned into a mass of self-branded product lines. Examples of this, as I am sure you will know, include Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, launched in 2015 and Fenty Beauty, founded by Rihanna almost two years ago. Both brands have accumulated unparalleled attention from consumers and are home to some of the most desired cosmetic products of the modern world. Kylie Cosmetics has been valued by Forbes at over $900 million, launching Jenner into the position of the ‘youngest self-made billionaire’.

The success of these brands relies heavily on the close nature of the relationships that celebrities have with their fan bases. These close relationships, largely aided by the use of social media, makes consumers feel like they have firstly, acquired exclusive access into the beauty routine of the celebrity, and secondly, gained an environment in which they can purchase the exact products used in that routine.

Rihanna, being one of the most successful Afro-Barbadian figures serves as a role model to many other BME men and women. Being a woman of colour, Rihanna is aware of the difficulties that consumers often face in the beauty world, when brands are not accessible due to limited colour ranges.

Source: Aman Kalkat

Essentially, as a black woman, Rihanna took it upon herself to create a brand with a range of 40 different shades of foundation to ensure that everyone was able to find something that they felt comfortable using. Rihanna’s own venture was named as one TIMEs ‘Best Inventions of 2017’ and has consequently become a phenomenon known in the industry as the “Fenty effect” where a much larger range of shades is now the new standard for beauty companies.

Kylie Cosmetics, on the other hand, can attribute much of its success towards the media speculation that surrounded Jenner regarding whether she had received lip fillers. By opening up to her young target market about an insecurity she overcame, Jenner was able to monetise this and hence created the empire that had started solely from lip kits.

Through the use of social media. The lifestyles of celebrities have become all the more desirable. Consumers, particularly millennials, want to replicate that and apply it to their own lives and essentially this is what sells the product.

The success that Rihanna, Kylie, and now even Kim Kardashian have experienced with their beauty ventures has been witnessed by the world, so it is no wonder that numerous other celebrities are now looking to capitalise on this. There are already talks of Ariana Grande looking to create her own beauty line, and whilst there is now potential for the market to become oversaturated, the reality is as long as there is a substantial fan base, there will remain to be substantial sales.

Thank you for reading!

Aman Kalkat

Fair AND Lovely?

Source: brightthemag.com

From the 15^th century up until independence in 1947, India has been invaded and ruled by a variety of settlers including the Portuguese, the French and of course the British Empire. What was a common feature? All these colonisers were of a fair complexion, and they all claimed the Indian natives to be their inferiors.

For centuries the whiter complexion has been heavily associated with power, success and desirability in the Indian subcontinent, something which post-colonial activism is yet to overcome. Ultimately, those with darker skin are looked down upon and dismissed in favour for people with what is considered a fairer complexion.

The result of this concept, where fairness of the skin is positively correlated with superiority, is the phenomenon of skin bleaching. The Indian fairness cream industry is estimated to reach a market revenue of more than Rs. 5,000 crore by 2023, with the dominating brand, ‘Fair and Lovely’, and its gendered equivalent ‘Fair and Handsome’, known to have more than a 50 percent share of the market.

The creams and products offered by this industry claim to lighten the complexion and therefore making its user far more beautiful than they were before. Larger and larger proportions of young women consider skin lightening as essential in order for them to succeed in their dreams, whether that be a secure marriage or a job opportunity.

Almost all of these lightening products contain harmful chemicals and steroids such as hydroquinone, known for its melanin inhibiting properties. Often with these products there is no regulation or information regarding consumer usage, which is especially crucial in products meant for a long-term basis.

Source: theconversation.com

The Indian subcontinent needs to be able to fight the idea of beauty only being associated with fairer skin and a large part of this comes from being able to empower those with a darker complexion.

However, advertisements and the media refuse to give these opportunities to people of a darker complexion, instead insisting on employing actors and models considered light skinned.

The bleaching syndrome is far more than a superficial trend, it has evolved into a lifetime goal of attaining a superior identity that can be recognised by everyone and is a deep reflection of the subtler forms of racism within the cosmetic industry and the greater society of India, and our world.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

All hotels should install pool hoists for disabled people

Disabled access is in major need of improvement in the hospitality sector and though many hotels and resorts are keen to label themselves as “accessible”, the reality is far from this.

When considering accessibility in a hotel environment for those who are physically disabled the baseline begins at ensuring easy mobility. This often comes with widened door frames to allow a wheelchair or scooter to move through easily, lowered beds, and significantly larger rooms. Whilst all these things come in great use to allow disabled guests to fully enjoy their stay, many hotels often consider this to be all that is necessary to facilitate a disabled person.

In many cases accessibility stops once a guest leaves their room. I am a close friend of a family who have recently had to make many changes to their lives due to a sudden disability. Whilst I have witnessed this family having to adjust their schedules, their home and their means of transport, it hadn’t occurred to me that the simple process of booking a holiday abroad would now also need adjusting.

From speaking with them I have learned about the specific issue of pool access for disabled people in hotels and resorts and how this can be developed.

Pool hoists are a device that allow for safe and easy transfers to help disabled move into and out of a swimming pool or jacuzzi. The hoist usually uses a hydraulic or pressure system so that an individual can move easily between entering and leaving the pool.

Though the device is simple and efficient, many hotels that are awarded 5-7 stars and claim to be fully accessible for disabled guests simply have no means for these individuals to enjoy the pool that they too are paying for.

Ultimately there is no point in advertising and marketing your hotel as having disabled access when such a key part of a holiday resort is not accessible.

In most cases, these top end hotels are able to afford and maintain more than one large swimming pool yet seem unable to spend money on a simple device that can make such a difference in the quality of a individuals stay and can also greatly impact their independence.

Another issue often faced by those with limited mobility is the ability to access the showers in their room. Showering is something that we all take for granted as it is such a key part of our daily lives that we experience with little difficulty. Yet for disabled guests, their independence can be significantly reduced when the correct adjustments are not in place.

For example, many hotel rooms that are labelled as having disabled access have no ramp to the shower to accommodate for an easy and safe transfer for a wheelchair or shower chair. These situations eventually result in the individual not being able to have a shower independently which is unacceptable considering it is so simple to include a small ramp or even have a flat surface shower that is levelled to the bathroom floor.

For many of us, these adjustments can seem so small and insignificant, but they really can affect how a person is able to enjoy their holiday. Why should they pay the extra prices that often come with requiring a disabled access room when things like a shower are not accessible?

These changes are so simple and can be made so easily with little extra cost but it is the awareness of these issues that is essentially hindering the developments in the hospitality world.

You can help to raise awareness and hopefully improve the quality of disabled access holidays by clicking on the link below and signing this petition.

https://www.change.org/p/hilton-worldwide-make-all-hotels-install-pool-hoists-for-disabled-people

Thank you very much for reading and supporting this cause,

Aman

Ladies, the BJP does not care about you

Source: wbur.org

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a Hindu nationalist party which was founded in 1980 and is led by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi, alongside many of the members of his party have lifelong links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right wing, Hindu nationalist organisation, which desires India to be defined as a Hindu nation and is considered as the unofficial parent of the BJP.

Due to these ties with the RSS, the BJP advocates the ideology of a traditionally Hindu nation so that India can ultimately be defined in the terms of the Hindu values.

Whilst many aspects and criticisms source from this, such aslimited benefits towards Punjabi communities, and the treatment of Muslims across India, a key issue that stems from the BJPs’ advocations is the lack of empowerment towards women.

For years, the BJP has claimed to have women’s’ best interests at heart in terms of their rights and place in society. However, a look at their campaigns can quickly reveal the truth in that everything that the BJP are willing to do for a woman will ultimately benefit the man.

Launched in 2016, the Ujjwala Yojana scheme aimed to provide free cooking gas connections to poor families across rural areas. The scheme quickly fell through and the free connections that were promised quickly required payment which most families benefitting at first simply could not afford. With the one-time subsidy being cruel enough, the initial publicity surrounding the scheme is just as horrifying.

Source:transformingindia.mygov.in

Posters for the scheme showed images of young girls sitting by the stove with no evidence of any other future for herself. Other images included multiple generations of women clinging to the gas cylinders as if it was their sole source of happiness. The images reinforced the idea that this campaign was only meant for women, in turn implying that men have no direct link to the cooking of the food and are simply required to just enjoy the food that is made for them.

The images weren’t officially claimed by the government but drive anywhere in Dehli and you will find it hard to miss perfectly airbrushed billboards of the prime minister – they clearly have the control over what images represent them.

Ultimately, all that the Ujjwala Yojana scheme was able to amount to was showing that when the BJP make the promise to invest in women, they simply fail to follow through.

Another example of this is the is the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme translating to “Save Girls, Teach Girls”. The campaign aimed to create opportunity for girls using education services, whilst also generating awareness towards female foeticide in India in a bid to save the declining child sex ratio. Many promises were made but when it came down to it, only 24% of the funds were actually distributed to the states, whilst over half of the funds were spent on publicity for Modi and his involvement.

Under Modi’s government, women are even controlled in their pregnancies, especially the amount of pregnancies that are desired of them.

The Hindu right remains unmoved in its mission to ensure that India remains as a Hindu majority, with the magic number increasing from three, to five and then ten children per family, according to the wishes of party leaders.

The government are so insistent on producing more Hindu children, yet basic benefits are limited to the first birth for each woman, meaning that 86% of pregnant women are excluded.

Is it not obvious now that Modi is using women as a vehicle to create the right-wing Hindu India that he so deeply desires?

Thank you for reading!

Aman

The group of women that empower me

This is a series dedicated to the efforts made by the women that have inspired me, followed by the outcomes of their actions.

I would like to kick off this series by introducing my readers to a network of women who have made one of the biggest contributions towards my life and my character, and all in less than a year.

In July 2018, four of my closest friends and I, whom I have known for several years, spent a week in Marbella with five other girls, some of which I had never met before or had only spent a limited time with. Initially I had never expected to have the bond with them that I do now.

What may be seen as unique in our situation is that for some of us, we didn’t know each other at all before spending a week abroad together. We’re all also at very different points in our lives. In this group of ten women we range from the ages of 19 to mid-twenties, something that seems at first unlikely but is incredibly invaluable. Whilst some of us are studying at university, others have entered the working world, and because of this they have become extremely inspirational role models for myself in all aspects of my life.

Now, almost a year later, this group of women are amongst some of the people I am closest with. My confidence around them and around others in my life has improved largely, a reflection that is also visible in them. Our strength lies in the fact that we are not afraid to be completely transparent and vulnerable with each other. 

Society, especially that of the youth, have become so insistent in maintaining an emotionless front, in order to remain secretive towards the outside world. A group of close, lifelong friends offer relief from this social norm that has seemingly developed. They are able to provide security and comfort in knowing that there is unconditional love and acceptance from a group of women that give the ‘no judgement’ advice, whether that be about a career move, relationship advice, or even what to wear to our next event. Whilst there may be topics that are evaded around family in order to avoid offending them a group like this creates an environment in which every topic can be approached.

The relationship between our habits of relying on social media to check up on friends, and societies’ increasing sense of alienation only makes these real-life friendships and interactions all the more important to maintain. Though we are now scattered across the UK, our group has never felt closer. It is obvious that this physical distance between us has made us appreciate the way we empower each other even more than we did before. We’ve continued to make the effort to see each other as much as we can, and our connection has only benefited.

Not every woman needs a ‘girl squad’ like this. Whilst it’s a nice idea to think of every woman across the world having that significant group in their lives to laugh with, cry with and, of course, holiday with – not every woman necessarily wants that. What matters isn’t how many women make up your network, it’s that you find the women and environment in which you feel the most comfortable.

What matters is that you find the women that empower you.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

Has Pride become another opportunity to cash in?

Source: hellomagazine.com

Last month, rainbows took over the globe. Whether that be flags in shop windows, or the rainbow packaging of your favourite cereal, the presence was undeniable.

Welcome to Pride month.

This is the month where LGBT+ communities across the world join together and celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots members of the LGBT+ community stood up for their right to attend the bars and clubs open to them.

Since, the parade has gained more and more support, popularity and momentum. And now not only are members of the public enjoying the festivities alongside charities, representatives, diplomats and advocacy groups, they’ve also been joined by corporations.

This year companies like Boohoo, Primark and Apple advertised their brands as full supporters of the LGBT+ community. M&S created the LGBT+ BLT and Ralph Lauren even managed to bag themselves their own filter on Snapchat. But isn’t Pride supposed to mean more than slapping a bit of avocado in a sandwich?

Essentially, we are now in an era where corporations are practically jumping at the opportunity to rebrand themselves according to every movement we arrive at in the calendar, whether that be Black History Month, International Women’s Day, or even National Wine Day in order to appear as woke as possible. What bigger opportunity do they have to do this than Pride month?

The way this works is each sponsoring and partnering company pours their money into the Pride movement in the agreement that they will get their place in the parade.

Source: vox.com

In recent years especially, the Pride movement has become far more political in the UK. The Conservative party have remained working closely with the Democratic Unionist Party, known for their homophobia, disregard for women and opposition towards abortion. Yet the Tories do not hold back from praising themselves for legalising same sex marriage.

Evidently the politics are there.

That brings together two key elements that are unquestionably marketable: LGBT+ rights and political criticism. Each brand that slaps a rainbow on their logo or introduces a new flavoured product to vouch for the LGBT+ community is automatically entered into the game of protesting, therefore boosting the number of consumers who are likely to respond to them and then go on to buy from them. Its simply a case of increase the market, increase the profits.

Sure, raising awareness is cool, but these brands need to be letting the public know what exactly it is that they do for the LGBT+ community. Are they working with any companies that don’t favour the LGBT+ people? How many people at the top of the company identify as LGBT+?

Before Pride becomes entirely bureaucratic and commercialised, perhaps these big brands should re-evaluate what they’re really giving back in return for that place in the parade.

Thank you for reading!

Aman

What its like when you didn’t expect to be the minority at university

www.nottingham.ac.uk

Since coming to university in September, I have heard the phrase: “you should totally blog about your uni experience!”, from countless friends and family, and each time my response is the same. Each time I tell them something along the lines of, “I don’t blog about myself”, “this blog isn’t personal to me”, or “my blog is supposed to be strictly professional”.

I have now come to realise that each of my posts reflect, to some degree, part of my character. Whilst they are usually driven by fact and evidence, this blog is essentially an opinion blog and it is inevitable that there will always be some sort of bias behind what I write.

I say that to say this: this website is about myself, my views and the way I see the world. I set out this blog to talk about issues that I wanted to read about, and that I knew would engage my audience. As of now, the majority of my readers are of a similar demographic to me. They are of a similar age to me, and an overwhelming proportion of them reside in and around London. This blog post will be no different to my others in the sense that it is written for my audience to engage with and relate to, whilst also providing insight to things they may not yet be aware of.

As a first-year student from an Indian family, I have faced what can be described as a ‘culture shock’. As conveyed in the title, this was an issue that I had been aware of prior to September yet had never really expected to have such an impact on me. For some, this failed realisation may simply be put down to naivety or perhaps even unrealistic expectations, and whilst those factors definitely hold some ground there are far more contributions which meant that I was unprepared for this.

At university there are a wide range of people that come from all over the UK, as well as from around the world and those people represent all sorts of cultures and backgrounds. Yet, undeniably, there is a significant majority of white students, something I had recognised at an earlier stage due to things like university fairs and open days. This did not mean I was at all prepared for my own experience.

I come from an area close to West London where the demographic is incredibly diverse and unsaturated. I went to schools where over half of the students were Asian. I have never been the minority. Up until now.

My specific position as a minority can be put down to my course choice of English and Hispanic Studies. Unfortunately, though it may be stereotypical, Asian students don’t usually choose courses that fall under the Arts category, instead partaking in courses that fall under the Sciences such as physics, finance and economics. No matter how much we may not want this to be true, it is reality. Only recently I was asked by an Asian Uber driver what course I did. Once I told him he took one look at my name, asked me if I was Punjabi, and then proceeded to question why I wasn’t doing maths. During first semester, I attended a flat party hosted by physics students who were Asian. My course choice was almost a joke to them, and they questioned why I was “studying a language we already speak”. Unfortunately, this mentality is still very much prevalent amongst the Asian society.

In part to this outdated mentality, I am usually one of the very few non-white students in most of my classes and whilst in an ideal world this should have no impact on me, it does. Naturally I will choose to sit with another non-white student and in terms of my course my closest friends all belong to some sort of ethnic minority, whether that be South Indian, Chinese or Muslim. And, naturally, I have observed that white students are more likely to sit with each other than with people belonging to a different ethnic background.

 Last semester, I had a class where I was the only non-white student, and despite how silly it may sound it did impact my attendance and performance in that particular module. This semester, my timetable had been changed significantly and it happened that I am now in a class that is far more diverse, and, honestly, it has positively affected my work output in that module. Realising this now, it seems like such a ridiculous and trivial matter, but it’s the reality that things like this can affect you without you even being aware.

When it comes to students who belong to the majority there are subtle but clear differences. They usually have different interests to me, especially in regard to things like music, food and which club nights they prefer to attend. But there are also instances where my culture separates me in more indirect ways.

One thing that I have found is characteristic to Hispanic Studies, is that a large proportion of students choose to live on campus in the university halls. When it came to choosing accommodations, the accommodation I chose and now live in was essentially branded as the “place where all the brown people live”, a generalisation admittedly but still largely true. And truly that influenced my choice of halls, creating another difference between myself and my course peers.

I think for students that come from areas like London which boast a plethora of ethnic backgrounds, you never experience the reality of being a minority, and it is something that you are never really prepared for. But the experience is honestly enlightening because essentially many professions are dominated by the white male and sadly this is just something that many people from a non-white background will have to face and overcome. So, whilst situations like these can be discouraging and something you truly were not prepared for, its preparing you now. 

Thank you for reading!

Aman

In Trump’s efforts to build a wall, the US economy is crumbling down

Source: socialnewsdaily.com

I think by now we all know that President Donald Trump wants a wall. And he is prepared to throw all his toys out of his pram to achieve this. Who is stopping him? The Congressional Democrats. And the result of such a refusal? The longest government shutdown that the United States has seen in all of its history, a political deadlock that has led to the severely negative impact upon the US economy and thousands of its citizens across the nation.

The shutdown began on the 22^nd December 2018 and now enters its 33rd day. It has resulted in over 800,000 federal employees forced to either take leave from their employment or simply work without pay. It is estimated that soon, the shutdown will have cost America over $5.7 billion – ironically, the amount Trump had previously demanded to cover the costs for his border wall.

According to the Moody’s Analytics Company, should the shutdown follow through to the end of January, the total loss suffered by the economy could reach up to $8.7 billion. Though such a loss is unlikely to upset the US economy, it will come dangerously close, a situation that will only become more desperate if the current shutdown continues into February. This is due to the implications of the United States’ current political attitude and the trust that citizens now place in their state, which is slowly leading to a depletion in both business and consumer confidence nationally.

Source: usatoday.com

Though federal workers are promised a back pay once the government reopens, this is not the case for employees working in private sector jobs whom depend on the federal government, which is an estimated 4 million, as stated by Capital Economics. Working without pay or a forced leave of absence is essentially a devastation to the majority of family and individual incomes, and, with no promise of compensation, the issue will only become graver as the deadlock continues and soon distresses the affected workers’ spending and consumption, creating a domino effect upon the country’s economy.

For example, citizens affected are beginning to cancel holidays and trips to American attractions and parks, in fears that their new budgets will not allow it. This, in turn, results in such private businesses also suffering and being forced to close down for the time being. Essentially the government’s halt has created a nation-wide halt.

Moody’s Analytics Company have warned that this is not a problem to be shouldered only by the US, however. Along with cancellation within the state, citizens will be cancelling bookings made abroad and it has been warned that companies overseas should expect a fall in American consumerism as a result.

Currently, there is no evidence that President Trump and the Congress will strike deal between themselves regarding the southern border to put an end to this shutdown. Businesses are already in doubts due to issues such as a global growth slow down and the US-China trade war. Should the government shutdown continue, there will be increasingly wide affects upon what Americans choose to spend their money on. Delays will be experienced everywhere, from IPOs choosing to go public to loans being processed, all of which rely on the engine of the American economy – consumerism.

It really does seem that the President is waiting around to see whether it is his precious wall, or his country’s financial security, that will ‘trump’ his priorities and ruling.

Thank you for reading!

Aman