They are only two of them, my absolute ideals of feminine beauty.
The fist one – the “physical” beauty of Aishwarya Rai. She is absolute perfect in my eyes! And it is not by chance that she is Indian – as I wrote in my earlier post “The image of the primordial woman” - since my childhood I considered Indian beauty as the ultimate. But I am not alone. According to Clinique Beauty Study (9.800 women from 12 countries), women around the globe consider Indian and Italian ladies the most beautiful. Interestingly, 80 % of Indian women believe that an Indian girl is the worldwide beauty standard. Also Chinese are self-assure in the same way (Probably not that much brain washed by the beauty industry?).
In my adoration of Ashwarya`s beauty I must admit that this adoration is only for the physical aspect (perfect body and face). I do not know much about her personal qualities, and I do not consider her a good actress either (although just looking at her face makes me speechless and thoughtless). But, as already mentioned – she expresses my physical ideal.
My second beauty ideal is - according to my strict taste – not perfectly beautiful. Sometimes not at all! It is not by chance that she has played the main part in the Film “The funny face”. But I adore her for the light of the inner beauty that shines so strong through her appearance… Audrey Hepburn.
The personality of that angel-like woman was as pure as this photo of her. When you see her acting, you can see that she is not acting, but being actually herself – alive, lovely person with a great smile and incredible eyes… Like a fountain of joy and innocence! Her dedication to the problems of the poor children of the third world and the things she appreciated in life are rare indeed. A great spirit is shining through that fabulous being (which I find not the case with Aishwarya), and that fascinates me completely.
Strangely enough, in my childhood I never had any beauty ideal at all - probably because I never knew about these two women. But now I do and I feel that it has an impact on me, in some way 
LOVE,
axinia
Relevant posts:
The Image of a Primordial Woman
Nita said,
October 19, 2007 @ 3:18 am
In my eyes too Aishwarya is perfectly beautiful. Her acting isn’t bad, though far from perfect. As a person she is extremely intelligent as she always topped her class and later became the head girl. I know this as my daughters were in the same school as she once was. She was much older but stories about her circulated. I have also met her in real life when I was writing something on the lux soap campaign. The problem with her is that she is extremely self-conscious and I think that is why her acting will always remain average.
Yes and Audrey is another woman I consider very beautiful.
axinia said,
October 19, 2007 @ 8:21 am
Thanks, Nita, I know you would comment on that post!
But tell me, are Indian ladies really so sure in their beauty?
Nita said,
October 19, 2007 @ 8:26 am
Well, I am not sure what you mean, but if you mean self-confident, no I don’t think so. Not the average Indian woman. Aish comes from a well-to-do family, upper middle class and privileged.
axinia said,
October 19, 2007 @ 9:14 am
I meant the average Indian woman – just wanted to know the reliability of the quotated Clinique Beauty Study…
abarclay12 said,
October 20, 2007 @ 12:10 am
I like your picks. Rai is stunning and Audrey Hepburn just has a glow you can’t get by trying – you just have to have it.
geetha said,
October 20, 2007 @ 4:40 am
Beauty is skin deep, but Ash has as compassion and decency about her which mnakes her stand out.Her dealing with cancer afflicted children a few years ago impressed me.
axinia said,
October 20, 2007 @ 7:59 am
Abarclay, thank you for your lovely comment!
Geetha, thanks for sharing it with me. I really do not know much about Ash, and very greateful for any insights! In fact, i went to Wikipedia and there was a very negative article about Ashwaria RAi (the poor thing must have lots of enemies).
But I am glad you said that – somehow I believe that beauty and spirit must go together (actually this blog Shaktower is dedicatd to that topic), and if Ash does have more that just beauty, I feel even better about my choise. Thanks!
Minal said,
November 8, 2007 @ 7:51 am
well, in terms of physical beauty aishwarya may steal the show
but my idea- not in terms of beauty- remains sushmita sen. somehow i just love her. she has warmth and charisma. it is happiness that she exudes.
any lovers of sushmita here?
and in case u don’t know who is sushmita you could google her. She has been the miss universe and a-not-so-successful actress in bollywood
axinia said,
November 8, 2007 @ 10:04 am
MInal, I have never heard of this actress, thanks to your comment i looked up in the google – she is rather pretty, but I must see her playing. Interesting what you say about her emiting “happyness”…
HuiHua said,
November 11, 2007 @ 4:48 am
loved ur site! like u, i also thought that spiritual people looks beautiful. i’ve read something abt face reading n that our look can change with our internal beingness. so i believe inner beauty does translate into outer beauty. maybe not like really beautiful but pleasing n attractive to the eyes. some people r beautiful but it doesn’t last, while some r average yet they have a glow to them that we just can’t stop putting our eyes on them. some charm.
btw sushmita sen is a sahaja yogi! Mother has mentioned in her talks before.
GrantTLC said,
November 11, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
Wow, Aishwarya really is lovely…breathtakingly so. It’s just a pity she doesn’t have that lovely indian spot on her forehead (forgive me, I don’t know what it’s called).
It’s also a shame she sounds so self-conscious. There are no doubt millions of women on the planet who would trade their souls to look like her!
axinia said,
November 12, 2007 @ 9:44 am
@HuiHua – thanks a lot, Also your input about Sushmita – I never knew it was her, I thought it was Ashwarya Rai.
@ GranTLC – I am glad you appreciate my taste! As for the red spot on the forhead – it is called bindi – there are some lovely pictures of Ashwarya with that, just look into Google
Poonam Sharma said,
November 16, 2007 @ 11:35 am
@HuiHua: I like Sushmita too! Aishwarya has perfect features and is stunning. But to me, she has always been symbol of decorative beauty not a beauty that is simple, lively and has some spunk.
We call her plastic beauty here.
@axinia: In terms of beauty as picture perfect, your taste is great! But if you have ever seen Aishwarya’s acting, she evokes no emotion (sad or happy)despite crying bucketful of tears.(I liked her in only 2 movies out of 33 she did).
More than that to me, she is symbol of an actress who is thought beautiful and intelligent has survived more because of a well-oiled PR agency. I have my reasons, but no place to detail them here.
And I love Audrey Hepburn!
Rambler said,
January 2, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
Unfortunately I always felt Lara Dutta was the best amongst the lot, because she always spoke with great intelligence, and Aishwarya has been too plastic to me. I am not so aware of the Audrey..
..
BTW beauty is so relative right
Raman said,
January 5, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
Aishwarya Rai is beautiful, no two ways about that!!
I suggest you take a look at some of the pics of an Indian yesteryear actress called Madhubala – she had some sort of sadness, a lost look that made her a bewitching beauty – she is definitely my favourite. A search keyword may be Mughal-e-Azam: she acted in that movie.
Feminine beauty, I have observed crops up at the most unexpected of the places. I am sure none of us would expect to see a beautiful lady during a hot summer afternoon at the electricity bill payment counter. I saw one!! She was sweating, managing a couple of bags and was also looking for change inside her wallet at the same time. But there was something about her, her face that made me (and several others in the line) take notice. This was before some 6 years and I actually tried to do a James Bond and followed her to find out where she lived. Similarly, there was another female, not dressed up or made up, but wearing a very sober kurta (an Indian dress) and jeans who had a very calm look on her face. Felt like I should have a photo of her inside my car and look at it every time I drive.
So tht’s it – beauty, is inexplicable to me and I have countered it at the oddest of places.
ALso, Indian women, I read somewhere long ago, that they tend to have some flesh around the bones, that gives them a nice & rounded appearence. Therefore, they are never pencil thin (or anorexic) naturally. That tends to add a certain beauty. Things that add to the beauty are the sari (a very revealing dress that always stands the danger of coming apart), the way they carry a pot of water, the use of oil, braiding & flowers in the hair, ornaments like the nose ring, ear ring and necklace etc. (impt: ornaments worn for beauty add beauty; thos worn for defiance, add nuisance value), the bindi ( a coloured dot that adorns the temple of an Indian woman’s face) and finally, the smile.
axinia said,
January 5, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
WOw, Raman, it is definetly one of the best comments I have ever read!
In fact, I was planning to write one as well, but first I wanted to start with the Russian women.
On Ode to an Indian lady
Have you read my article about sari? – it is also here on this blog.
radha said,
January 9, 2008 @ 7:21 am
http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x4xu9_jumpyjunior_aishwarya-rai/video/xbk9d_aishwarya-rai-interview-1 just enjoeyd this interview, sharing it here
)
Raman said,
January 12, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Hi Axinia,
Thanks for the complements – I hope I was able to do some justice to your wonderful blog. I also request you to write more often – The topics you choose are good & it’ll benefit the world more if you write more.
axinia said,
January 12, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
thanks, Raman, i will try my best. In fact I have several in head, but just need time
Did you visit my other blog http://www.1000petals.wordpress.com ? – I am updating it every second day 
Always a pleasure to have you here, please keep visiting!
Raman said,
January 23, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
Hi!! You may be interested in this: http://ramangopal.blogspot.com/2007/05/female-species.html
trent p said,
March 1, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
she is huh miss Aishwarya Rai.?
id have to agree but my ex gf looks like her . everytime i see pics of miss Rai, its like looking at my ex. yes i agree the most beautiful women are east indian. with make up on. when they are made up, no one comes close.
i miss my ex we have a baby together. but yeah ill send a pic if ya want. the resemblence is wild.
Al'bina said,
March 23, 2008 @ 11:37 pm
Aishvarya is really an ideal beauty… but i agree with Minal about simple beauty and I certainly love Sushmita Sen. As i know she took the lead over aishvarya and became miss Universe actually
)) I also like a truly gorgeous actress of 60s Bollywood – Sadhana:
)))
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G8uSoX18tJs
Well, finally everybody agrees in opinion that indian women are unforgettable ideals of feminine beauty!
Atlantic said,
May 25, 2008 @ 3:36 am
Dear Axinia,
I’m shocked at the large amount of attention your first example has received. In my mind there is no contest. One looks like a cold material girl while the other has eyes and a smile so warm, sweet, and kind. Audry reminds me of the average russian woman. A woman who wears her heart is much more beautiful than a woman who wears perfection.
Newfoundlander
axinia said,
May 27, 2008 @ 8:47 am
Newfoundlander,
beauty is very powerful…and what people see at the first site, has a kind of a shoking power
Surely, I love Audrey and in fact people say I am very similar to her in many ways, soemtimes very much in my face, grace and behaviour…She is very “alive” when Ash is rather “cold”, you are right. But somehow, being a perfectionist, I love the perfect beauty too…
Atlantic said,
May 30, 2008 @ 1:37 am
I thought that might have been the reason for your choice Axinia and wondered why someone hasn’t commented on it. But honestly, you can tell a russian girl by her special glow, and I must say, I’m getting pretty good at it. (smile)
Also, you are right, a person can have both. Just don’t let the perfectionist become who you are.
Newfoundlander
Jared said,
August 9, 2008 @ 11:41 am
Wow I didnt know Audrey was THAT beautiful and that she cared about third world countries. I like her two so much better than Aish.
Aish is pretty worthless next to Audrey then. India has to stop worshipping people simply for havinf sharp noses and light skin and discriminating against those that do not. The only actresses Ive seen who dont rely on there appearance is probably Kareena Kapoor and she probably only got in because of her family connections and nepotism even. And even then she has B-Grade roles allocated to her so that Aish and Depika can have the spot light. Also for all this discrimination and the % of India’s much needed wealth that go’s into these films youd expect them to be good BUT NO All u get is a plotless, lame and tacky mess with a few okay song numbers.
axinia said,
August 10, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Thanks Jared for your good insight.
Raj said,
October 13, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
Great site……….
Over the past year I have read so many articles on Aishwarya Bachchan that it has become redundant in some cases but your website is very good in taste.
Aishwarya is quit lovely I do not believe she is the ultimate example of beauty. Beauty is subjective only an opinion. I am an indian male and we have so many more beautiful women in my country and the world that are far more attractive then Aishwarya.
I do hope the best for Aishwarya.
Now speaking of Audrey Hepburn who is a classic beauty and a great humanitrian to the world she has done so much for people were Aishwarya has not.
With that said Audrey Hepburn is the most beautiful woman in the world in beauty outside as well as inside.
axinia said,
October 13, 2008 @ 7:35 pm
Thanks, Raj… But honestly I can not imagine more perfect physical beauty than the Ash has…
Although you are right, the true Beauty is far more than the face perfection.
Two films of highest asthetic beauty « 1000petals… said,
November 9, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
[...] is not only because I adore the beauty of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (as posted here), but also her play was really good this [...]
Indian(21 years) said,
December 2, 2008 @ 10:06 am
I think innocence is a state of mind which is very easy to loose just as a child looses his innocence when he gets old.But it is still hidden inside you somewhere.It is hard to protect your innocence in a filmindustry where you are surrounded by not so innocent people.So a person may rarely have that innocence for his whole life.So by looking at a picture taken some years back we cannot say that the person is innocent today also.
I think actresses like Madhuri Dixit,Preity Zinta,Waheeda Rehman look elegant,beautiful,innocent and magnetic at the same time and and look the same even after so many years.These actresses are also highly respected.
I also think Aishwarya is one of the most beautiful woman on earth .
She has acted beautifully and radiates innocence in films like Guru and Jhoda Akbar.Well I cannot say so of her other films.Also Kareena Kapoor looks very innocent and beautiful in the film “Jab We Met”.But I dont think she is that innocent in real life.
Sushmita Sen is elegance personified but she does not have that glow of innocence.
In hollywood,Julia Roberts looks very innocent and beautiful.
Also beauty and innocence can be far apart(Angelina Jolie).
In men my idols are Sachin Tendulkar and Shahrukh khan.They are India’s biggest icons and still have the innocence and charm of a ten year old.
axinia said,
June 20, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
a very mature comment, thanks. I agree on everything, and yes in Hollywood Julia Robets is my fav, she is really so innocent!
olga-shulman-lednichenko said,
June 9, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
katrian kaif is very sweet
John said,
June 19, 2009 @ 7:20 pm
Indian women most beautiful in the world?
Where have I heard that?
axinia said,
June 20, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
NO idea
but that is my personal conviction since childhood. I may suppose that some other people also think so. why not?