Keep summer sweat at bay with a tangy spray
Ambika Kumar

SWEATY, sticky summers are round the corner and now extra effort will be required to smell fresh and fragrant all through the day . Emerging squeaky clean from a bath is the easy part. To stay that way through the day one needs the help of body sprays and deodrants.

Earlier domestic consumers were largely dependent on the market abroad for these products, but not any longer. The market now is flooded with deodrants, roll-ons and sticks of Indian make too. There are a number of brands one can choose from. The range of the products varies from Rs 90 to Rs 250, while the foreign brand can cost as much as Rs 450 also. The customer has a variety of fragrances to choose from

While deodrants of Indian make can be had for even Rs 120 to Rs 150, some domestic roll-on brands are available for as little as Rs 80.

The tastes and preferences of customers seem to be changing. Young damsels are now looking for something strong and not feminine. Mandeep Chawla, running a shop just for teenagers, asserts, ‘‘The girls want something lemony, strong and the boys prefer a casual and mild deodrant as they use strong colognes’’.

Shweta, a third year student, uses a deodrant spray according to her mood, the climate and occasion. ‘‘A spray is perfume-oriented with a pleasant body odour and is , of course more, hygienic,’’ she adds.

Some persons prefer using a roll-on stick ‘‘It seals the sweat glands, so they are more effective than the sprays. Their fragrance lasts longer but obviously one cannot share it’’ claims Naina, a plus two student.

But the boys think differently. ‘‘I am not fond of using deodrants or roll-ons as I like using a strong cologne instead’’, says Kunal, an MBA student.

The older women still prefer to use a feminine and flowery fragrance. Neera Sharma asserts, ‘‘It is important to use a natural and alcohol-free product. Besides, the product should have long lasting impact, making the person feel fresh the entire day long.’’

‘‘There are a number of brands but usually the people prefer buying the foreign product. A lot of young girls like lemony and strong fragrance’’, says a salesperson, Sarabjeet. ‘‘The spray which has a powder base is gaining quick popularity too as it keeps the shin fresh,’’ she adds.

So be it roll-ons or sprays , choose the ones that make you feel fresh all day long in the blistering summer heat.

You too can be beautiful !

THE most significant transformation that has come about in the perception of beauty, as a consequence of the beauty boom, has been a shift in attitude towards being and becoming beautiful.

Unlike in the past, when you were either born beautiful or plain, you can now become beautiful, provided you try . It is this journey from being to becoming that is loaded with immensely exciting possibilities.

Imagine the opportunities that can be availed of and exploited to the hilt. Imagine the liberation. Your future is not sealed and the odds loaded against you just because you don't have a perfect set of teeth, flawless complexion and sharp features. These can be worked for and acquired provided you strive for them with singleminded zeal.

Since the concept of beauty is more wholistic and no longer confined to just the face, figure and complexion but includes your posture, demeanour, composure, confidence and what have you .

On the face of it, the shift might seem minor but just think of the avenues it opens up for girls who are average looking and not beautiful in the conventional sense of the term. They can aspire,strive and, most important, hope and dream. With this accessibility come the aids that are available to enable you to complete the journey from dream to reality with elan.

So you have cosmetics, finishing schools, dieticians, designers, parlours and gym instructors together with orthodontists and cosmetic surgeons. Never mind if you look like a perfectly manufactured and slickly packaged product from the assembly line of makers of beauty. With a carefully-cultivated ease and practised elan, manufactured beauty is there for the consumers to devour.

And the spin-off of this industry has been the democratisation of beauty. This has automatically led to the bridging of the gap between the moffusil and the metro, between the middle class and the elite. So you need not be a princess or a queen to be beautiful. The girl- next-door has arrived. The country that revelled in its spirituality is finally waking up to physicality, and how.

Asha,a matriculate, did not do well in her studies but thanks to a course in beauty care and grooming was able to earn a decent amount despite the fact that the small town where she lived did not have many career opportunities. A beautician's course afforded her a livelihood that did not require much investment and assured her a steady flow of clients.

The nature of the beauty business makes it possible for a woman to operate from her house and manage her household chores and responsibilities. The heightened awareness about the need to appear beautiful has ensured that even a beautician who is not top of the line, can earn a fairly decent amount and remain afloat.

Even if the detractors of the beauty contests do have their argument about the shows being exploitative and anti-feminist, focus on them has led to them becoming instrumental as catalysts leading to a shift in perspective about how beauty can be manufactured, marketed, and used as a career opportunity.

Besides all this, the beauty boom has also given a tremendous amount of fillip to a woman's confidence. She knows that she need not despair if she is not gifted with less than perfect looks and there is something that is in her own hands. When she sees ordinary, average and girls next door metamorphose into attractive and well-groomed women, she too has the hope that becoming beautiful is in her own hands and not an unattainable ideal. Beauty is not only the prerogative of queens, princesses, fairies and those from another world, as it were. The democratisation of beauty is the biggest gain of the current beauty boom. — AN