CONSTRUCTED TO PLEASE: MEDIA AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF BEAUTY STANDARDS IN INDIAN MATRIMONIAL CULTURE

Abstract

This study examines how beauty standards for women are socially constructed and reinforced through media representations in Indian matrimonial culture, using Dove India’s #StopTheBeautyTest advertisement (2021) as a focal point. Adopting a qualitative research design within an interpretivist paradigm, the research draws on Social Constructionist Theory, Foucault’s theory of discourse, and Butler’s notion of gender performativity to explore the advertisement’s challenge to dominant beauty norms. Through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study identifies recurring themes such as colorism, body surveillance, and hair texture bias, revealing how the advertisement deconstructs culturally constructed ideals of femininity and physical appearance. The findings suggest that media campaigns like #StopTheBeautyTest have the potential to disrupt harmful societal norms and promote more inclusive representations of beauty. The study shows the significance of media in creating self and social positioning especially in the case of arranged marriages. The analysis also proposes that future studies may look into the reactions of audiences to such campaigns and how it may affect the change in the cultural narratives.