Introduction
Dreamland by Naina Dalal
As per the article by Kim Elsesser in Forbes magazine, she writes, it’s no secret women spend a lot of time and money on beauty. A Today and AOL survey found that women spend about 55 minutes a day on beauty prep—that’s almost two full weeks a year. Financially, a survey from beauty e-tailer Skinstore estimated that women spend $300,000 in their lifetime just on their faces (although they surveyed their own customers who are probably more product-obsessed than the average woman). Still, they found average women’s daily face routine involves the application of a whopping 16 products. In general, women’s purchases account for 80-90% of an estimated $500 billion market for beauty products. But is this all a part of a plan to keep women out of the C-Suite?
There are two types of world.
1. Common World: where girls are ‘measured’ with height, waist, chest, hips, eyes and hair.
2. Special World: where girls chase their dreams, celebrate, imagine, love, think and nurture.
Dreamland by Naina Dalal
Naina’s characters prefer;
dreaming and imagining over gossiping,
introspecting her soul over self-doubting,
celebrating her body over seeking for approval,
thinking original over being fake,
seducing mentally against the idea of being physical,
confidence over surgery,
and finally contributing towards her family, society and nation.
Very few artists have the guts to focus on the ‘core’ of a woman rather than being worried about her colour and proportion. Naina’s works happen to be realistic in their approach. They are about feelings, expressions, emotions and situations. In real life, no one looks “picture perfect” as labelled by the society.
The beauty about Naina’s woman character lies in her Individuality. Even though she is a daughter, wife or mother, her strength lies in being at the centre of that relationship. The roles she plays are an extension of herself.
The Brown Girls | Dreamland | Ch 01
Dreamland by Naina Dalal
Naina at Home, 1950s
In this blossoming stage, girls have a natural sense to play with makeup and kitchen sets with their pretty dolls around. Every family has a memory of their charming baby girl with red chubby cheeks, an excited mother combing her hair neatly and nicely, decorating their baby doll with cute looking clothes and a lot of talcum powder to enhance the baby’s skin making her look fair and lovely. Such was a ritual pre Iphone era that on every birthday, a studio setting picture was taken where the baby was made to sit on the chair and parents desperately guiding the baby to look at the camera while a confused kid struggles to find it. A galaxy of memories was created.
An impression developed during this age is the foundation for life. The tiny tots in Naina’s works are introduced to all such good virtues that help develop the brain of a child. The girls are taught how ‘beauty’ is just one of the many parts of a human being. To present oneself in an elegant way and maintain the hygiene is essentially about physical wellness.
In this tender age, to grasp something, action speaks louder than words. Father being the first hero for a girl, she looks up to his every action. The ‘thinker’ father prefers character over beauty. The lines by Naina suggest the father prefers simplicity over fancy lifestyle. The girls are taught and encouraged to smile, be confident, be fearless, gentle and kind and co-operative with people around her.
Amongst all, the most important aspect here is to encourage her to imagine. Flying above the land, in the air, along with birds and butterflies. When the sky is pink and the flowers smell heaven, she can call this green earth her home. Imagination in this age is the most exciting phase and inherently anyone on the earth can afford it. This era is all about uploading and downloading the imagination data, which keeps on synchronizing for the future.
Buy paintings online | DRS Fine Arts
Text and Narration: Chaitya Dhanvi Shah
Photos and Text © Chaitya Dhanvi Shah