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There is probably no one who hasn’t felt that their bodies are not good enough the way they are. Even the fittest of them all finds a bit of fat on their tummy or somewhere on the sides. The slim ones want to gain and the healthy ones want to lose those inches. To be precise, tell me who is happy with their body? You, your friend, or anyone else around? Most probably, no one is. Everyone is trying to be someone they are not. Though pushing your limits to be a better version of yourself is okay, wanting to be like someone else isn’t. However, this is actually what most of us are doing. Well! Thanks to media for giving us unrealistic body goals.

We have actually forgotten embracing our bodies just the way they are. Not striving to actually accept their body shapes but actually trying to transform into the body of Kim Kardashian or being zero figure like Kareena. This doesn’t just depreciates the self-love in you but also leads to depression. We often forget that all of these imperfections are what makes us perfect.

However, in this world which is largely influenced by the standard beauty norms that strangely keep on changing every now and then, some Indian artists use their skill to instill positivity in the mind of every human regarding the way they look.  Take a look to know what they are.

•    Anjul Dandekar- ‘Real bodies are Rare’

The artist loves exploring female body by drawing them in cartoon form. He does hard color blocking and the title of her painting describes everything ‘Real bodies are rare’. In this painting, the artist has shown four women who have real bodies. All the figures are unlike the ideal bodies were shown on the cover page of the magazines. Pink color has been used to aggravate femininity in the painting. Big thighs, bust, and women laying carelessly urge the women to be wild and free. ‘Embrace your body the way it is’ is the message that Anjul wants to spread through this figurative painting.

•    Jasjyot Singh Hans-‘Sikh ladies in Sick Fashion’

The way Jasjyot portrays women full bodily in the art, he makes it well enough to make you all wonder while you ever doubted yours. The artist has worked in Animation film Design, after which he began working with Sabyasachi. He has a page on Instagram and Tumblr where he showcases his body positive illustrations. Our personal favorite is this illustration in particular where the artist has shown Indian women with long hair, fuller body and small face with sharp features. The artist has left the body white and painted the clothes with black so as to highlight the body and its curves evident. The artist stands with women who fight the ideal body standards daily. He wants his art to make the viewer smile and feel good about their body. This portrayal, in particular, combines his love for curves and high fashion perfectly.

•    Lyla FreeChild- ‘I am Nature’

Lyla FreeChild is the name that the artist has given to herself as a retrieval of her own name and self. She is a major promoter of body positivity, women empowerment, equality and feminism. Moreover, this self-taught female artist also stands strong against menstrual stigma. She makes art on pots, crochet etc. The illustration shown is a part of one of her ongoing series ‘I am Nature’ through which she wants to convey the same. She has also garnered criticism and appreciation for using menstrual blood as dye and fertilizer. However, she has always been of the opinion that her paintings are an extension of herself. Moreover, she mixes the same in soil to enrich it for plants.

•    Sam Madhu- ‘Electric Medusa’

Samyukta Madhu who is popularly known as Sam Madhu is known for her vibrant and uncanny digital art. Eaxch of the artist’s digital figurative painting shows women as a badass goddess. She makes digital art against the taboos that are quite prevalent in India. She unabashedly unveils the stigma of sex, gender roles, and masturbation. The painter says every figurative painting she makes represents every other brown girl just like her who have been told by many that white is beautiful. Besides, she strongly opposes such societal standards and male gazes.

•    Raikchak Ha Reang- ‘Wonder Woman with Hair’

The idea of beauty and femininity has always been silky-smooth and fair skin. That is why no one ever sees any women in media or in general with a single strand of hair on their body. However, to promote the idea of letting this be the choice of the women was the idea of this superwoman figurative painting. During ‘No Shave November’, the artist released a series in which he showed wonder woman with hair.

Share your stories of struggle and love in the comments section below. Share this with other men and women to make them feel better about their skin and body.