Why Zeenat Aman, "Widely Hailed As A Sex Symbol", Did Not Find Herself Beautiful

Veteran Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman - the 1970s icon who redefined Hindi cinema with her glamour and westernized fashion - has revealed that she never considered herself beautiful, despite being widely hailed as one of India's most glamorous leading ladies.

In an Instagram post, the Hare Rama Hare Krishna star shared a photo from her younger days with a caption, "Sometimes I see an old picture of myself and think, 'you weren't a bad looking girl, Ms. Aman!' Now if I happen to say these words out loud, I am usually met with an annoyed groan and a dramatic roll of the eyes from whichever of the three millennials whose company I keep happen to be around."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

Aman, who was crowned First Princess at Femina Miss India in 1970 and went on to become the first Indian to win Miss Asia Pacific International, admitted she never found herself "to be beautiful" but she leant "to accept that other people did".

She reflected on what she called "pretty privilege", adding, "The world can be a cold place, and I learnt early in life to leverage every advantage I have to survive it."

The actress explored why she never fully embraced her looks. "Perhaps one got more wrapped up in the performance of beauty than the feeling of beauty. Or perhaps such public emphasis on one's looks depleted one's emotional self-worth. Or maybe I feared becoming arrogant, and felt it far too vain and indulgent to consider myself beautiful."

Zeenat also pointed out that many people she meets share the same insecurity. "Every compliment is met with a redirection to some perceived physical flaw. Physical beauty, no matter how widely acknowledged, is meaningless without self-validation."

She ended her note with a self-acceptance message, "If you want to truly feel beautiful - step out of your mind, and look at yourself from the perspective of someone who loves you. Hopefully then you will see your own light and realise that no cream, collagen or facelift can compete with the lens of love and acceptance."

Zeenat Aman's message resonated with her fans, many of whom praised the actor for being honest. While some called it an incredible "life lesson", others called it "simply beautiful".