Expressing Beauty and Body in India and Hinduism
The glamorization and normalization of public nudity among Indian girls is influenced largely by Bollywood actresses who participate in item songs with revealing outfits or sexually suggestive lyrics. This degrades women's dignity for engagement and profit. Some actresses have even begun sexualizing traditional attire like sarees, draping them to reveal the midriff, lowering lehengas below the belly button, or wearing short, bikini-like blouses. These tactics seem aimed at normalizing skin exposure to draw attention, often straying from traditional values and reflecting material desires for validation through appearance—something that is discouraged in Indian culture.
Medieval temples like Khajuraho contain sculptures of partially nude figures or intimate scenes. However, these artworks represented temporary distractions ("moh maya") and were placed on the outer areas of temples to signify worldly desires outside the spiritual sanctum. They were not intended to encourage a fixation on nudity or to reflect ancient Indian culture as a whole. In contrast, modern public nudity in media or social settings is often explicit and without any cultural or religious intent, potentially subject to obscenity laws in India. For instance, men’s bare chests are often seen as non-obscene, whereas similar exposure for women is treated differently.
Personally, I feel that some women on social media deliberately post revealing or erotic photos to gain attention while claiming it’s solely for themselves. It seems disingenuous, especially when these accounts are public rather than private, making it clear they seek attention. Acknowledging this would be more honest.
Many self-proclaimed online “cultural scholars” try to justify modern displays of nudity by referencing ancient temple carvings or historical clothing styles, failing to understand that clothing choices in the past were influenced by climate, cultural values, or even spiritual detachment, not attention-seeking. Unlike today, these choices weren’t about validation or engagement.
India has conservative social standards, and we don’t need to blindly imitate Western lifestyles to be seen as progressive. We should remember where we come from and how we represent ourselves with ethics and decency. Issues of public decorum are not just for women; men’s behaviors like public urination or tobacco chewing also harm society’s dignity.
Some young Indian women, especially Hindu girls, justify wearing revealing clothes by citing what ancient Indian women wore. However, they overlook that this was due to climate or devotion, not for attention or profit. If they truly valued ancient Indian culture, they would reject Western clothes and social media altogether, as neither is part of traditional heritage. Instead, they selectively choose parts of the past that are convenient.
Using one’s body to seek attention on social media shows a desire for validation through physical appearance, a form of lust discouraged by Dharma. Overexposing oneself, especially around religious events, is inappropriate and should not be endorsed. Ancient carvings should not be used to justify today’s behaviors. True followers of Dharma who seek salvation would avoid publicizing nudity online.
Some Hindu Gen Z girls try to justify their social media displays by referencing temple carvings showing half-clothed figures or women without blouses. However, in ancient times, this exposure was about devotion, symbolizing reverence to Lord Vishnu’s belly button, believed to be the origin of creation. Today’s social media displays are far from this spiritual meaning and are more about social validation. Ancient temple art mainly dates to the medieval period and doesn’t reflect Vedic, Ramayana, or Mahabharata eras, when modesty was private and not about social validation as it is today.
Medieval temples like Khajuraho contain sculptures of partially nude figures or intimate scenes. However, these artworks represented temporary distractions ("moh maya") and were placed on the outer areas of temples to signify worldly desires outside the spiritual sanctum. They were not intended to encourage a fixation on nudity or to reflect ancient Indian culture as a whole. In contrast, modern public nudity in media or social settings is often explicit and without any cultural or religious intent, potentially subject to obscenity laws in India. For instance, men’s bare chests are often seen as non-obscene, whereas similar exposure for women is treated differently.
Personally, I feel that some women on social media deliberately post revealing or erotic photos to gain attention while claiming it’s solely for themselves. It seems disingenuous, especially when these accounts are public rather than private, making it clear they seek attention. Acknowledging this would be more honest.
Many self-proclaimed online “cultural scholars” try to justify modern displays of nudity by referencing ancient temple carvings or historical clothing styles, failing to understand that clothing choices in the past were influenced by climate, cultural values, or even spiritual detachment, not attention-seeking. Unlike today, these choices weren’t about validation or engagement.
India has conservative social standards, and we don’t need to blindly imitate Western lifestyles to be seen as progressive. We should remember where we come from and how we represent ourselves with ethics and decency. Issues of public decorum are not just for women; men’s behaviors like public urination or tobacco chewing also harm society’s dignity.
Some young Indian women, especially Hindu girls, justify wearing revealing clothes by citing what ancient Indian women wore. However, they overlook that this was due to climate or devotion, not for attention or profit. If they truly valued ancient Indian culture, they would reject Western clothes and social media altogether, as neither is part of traditional heritage. Instead, they selectively choose parts of the past that are convenient.
Using one’s body to seek attention on social media shows a desire for validation through physical appearance, a form of lust discouraged by Dharma. Overexposing oneself, especially around religious events, is inappropriate and should not be endorsed. Ancient carvings should not be used to justify today’s behaviors. True followers of Dharma who seek salvation would avoid publicizing nudity online.
Some Hindu Gen Z girls try to justify their social media displays by referencing temple carvings showing half-clothed figures or women without blouses. However, in ancient times, this exposure was about devotion, symbolizing reverence to Lord Vishnu’s belly button, believed to be the origin of creation. Today’s social media displays are far from this spiritual meaning and are more about social validation. Ancient temple art mainly dates to the medieval period and doesn’t reflect Vedic, Ramayana, or Mahabharata eras, when modesty was private and not about social validation as it is today.
4 月 前
