choice!

I was watching an old interview in which Sushmita Sen was promoting one of her movies. I'm pasting the part that intrigued me. Anna is the interviewer.

Anna: Cosmetic surgery is a huge thing in Venezuela simply because for a large number of young girls, these international pageants are their goal. How is one not to take it as a shallow beauty pageant?
Sushmita: Because Irene Saez who is an ex-Miss Universe ran for president. And I'm sure she had cosmetic surgery. So what? That's the point.
Anna: But should you not be proud of your looks the way you were born?
Sushmita: That's like saying everybody should have the same mind and opinion. You are born as an individual. You have the right to choose. That's what makes you different. You choose plastic surgery, so be it. You choose being gay, so be it. And it is our job as a society to encourage people to be individuals.



Now, I know very little about beauty pageants and of what I do know, there's very little that I like. I'm not going to go into what it is that I like or don't like. The point of this entry is that we need more women who think like Sushmita Sen. Not only think, but have the guts to be vocal about their opinions. She is very well-spoken and comes across as an intelligent, open-minded woman. It is important to accept and even promote individuality. It is not up to you to tell me how to live my life. If my actions don't affect your well-being, then you have no right to pass judgment. It baffles me when people get offended about others' choices. How does it affect you? How can one say that a Hindu man marrying a Muslim woman is wrong? It is their choice. Just because it's something you would not do, that does not give you the right to tell others not to. It should also be noted that in the excerpt above, Sen is not promoting plastic surgery or beauty pageants. And she's not telling people to get surgery and then compete in a pageant. What she's doing is saying that you have a choice. You are an individual and as long as you are prepared to face the consequences of those actions, you have every right to live life as you see fit. This way, when you fail, you have no one to blame but yourself. And that is a kind of freedom that is priceless. So make your own choices and be brave enough to stand by them. Speak your mind. Fight for your beliefs. Stand up for yourself.