Have Beauty Ideals Evolved? Reading of Beauty Ideals in T amil Movies by M alaysian I ndian Youths

Abstract

Studies have shown that beauty ideals are often exemplified, transmitted, and maintained through cultural products such as art, literature, and movies. This article analyzes the perception of beauty ideals in Tamil movies by Malaysian Indian youths and beauty ideals in Tamil movies from the 1960s to 2009. There were two stages of data collection. The first stage consisted of in‐depth interviews with 20 female and 20 male students at a public university in Malaysia. They were selected using a purposive sampling method. The next stage involved a content analysis of 25 Tamil movies produced from the 1960s to 2009, selected by means of a stratified sampling technique. The analysis showed that some elements of beauty ideals have evolved in Tamil movies, and these trends were also identified by the participants. The preference for thinness, fairness/whiteness, and youthfulness is prevalent for actresses, but not for male actors. This may be a reflection of sociocultural expectations of contemporary Indian society and the mass consumption of global media. The emphasis on traditional feminine ideals remains obvious in these movies, even though the prominence given to them has decreased over the years. Understanding these changes is important in media literacy and in the design of intervention programs for youth.

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