5 films that defy conventional beauty standards

Disney‘s short film Reflect features its first young plus-size heroine and the story follows a teenage ballet dancer named Bianca who has trouble with her body image. 

The film is part of the studio’s Short Circuit Experimental Films series that started streaming from September 14. The film has garnered praise and attention from social media users for encouraging body positivity.

Director of the Disney film Reflect, Hillary Bradfield, stated in the film’s introduction that the concept for this short film came to her while she was initially pondering over her own body philosophy.

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Let’s have a look at some of the movies and shows that have defied beauty norms :

Gippi 

Gippi is a 2013 Indian teen drama film written and directed by Sonam Nair and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar under the banner of  Dharma Productions. 

It is a beautiful coming-of-age movie that centers around discovering how to accept oneself. The narrative is about a young girl of 14 years going through puberty and navigating life in a culture and society that tells her that she is too heavy and unattractive. She has been a victim of constant bullying at her school but after multiple instances, she stands up for herself and fights to rise to the top of her own tiny universe.

Bala 

Bala is a 2019 film directed by Amar Kaushik.  The story is of a young man Bala who struggles to meet conventional beauty standards due to his premature balding. When his insecurities endanger his marriage, he turns to a lawyer with a dark complexion for assistance. Bala describes how physical characteristics that do not conform to idealized standards of beauty can have a significant negative impact on people’s life and sense of self respect. The film also puts forward the idea of loving oneself . 

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Muriel’s Wedding

It is a 1994 Australian film that centers around socially awkward Muriel Heslop who wants nothing more than to get married. Everyone in her circle of friends, relatives, neighbours, and other acquaintances believes that she is simply too fat and ugly to gain the attention of any boy. After facing serious ostracisation, she meets Rhonda Epinstalk, another outcast. The two then go to Sydney, where Muriel takes a new name and starts the laborious process of reshaping her reality to fit her desires. This amusing film is about accepting and appreciating who we are. 

200 Pounds Beauty

It is a 2006 South Korean musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Kim Yong-Hwa. This Korean comedy may initially seem to be about plastic surgery, but it actually puts forward a poignant theme. It focuses on the theme of inner beauty and not what people look at from the outside. 

Tall Girl 

Tall Girl is a 2019 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Nzingha Stewart. The film is about Jody, the tallest student at her school with six feet, one and a half inches height. She always feels self-conscious about her height and loses confidence as a result of bullying from her classmates.

Although she has certain insecurities, she is hopeful that she can finally be with someone who will accept her as she is. Later she meets a Swedish student who is exactly of the same height as her and enrolls at their school. The film also teaches the same idea of accepting oneself instead of struggling to meet conventional beauty standards.