Looks play pivotal role in marriages

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Preeti Singh (name changed on request), a content writer, was asked to go for laser treatment for her eyes after she was rejected by a few prospective grooms just because she chose to wear specs for a major part of the day instead of lenses.

Strange as it may sound, young girls in Delhi feel specs would hamper their marriage prospects. At least that was the reason cited by 82 per cent of girls in a recent survey conducted by Maulana Azad Medical College. Delhi girls share various other irrelevant reasons cited by many families when they reject a girl because of her appearance.
“I went to meet a boy after my family met his. We chatted for a few days and we both agreed to marry. After a month, he suddenly called the marriage off saying there was no compatibility between us. I was shocked and later discovered that they wanted a girl who didn’t wear specs. I think these families think that the girl may not look too pretty wearing specs,” says Hina Kodwani, a school teacher.
What’s more shocking is the fact that rejections based on reasons like short height, blackheads and even a dark skin are still common. Rhea Aneja, who works with an MNC, recalls how a guy rejected her just because he thought they didn’t make for a “perfect looking” couple as she was too short. “Most men I met while I was looking at prospective grooms didn’t have any issues with the way I look. But there was this one boy my parents were fond of who, despite giving his approval after looking at my pictures, when he met me for the first time said, ‘sorry but I didn’t know that you were so short’. I was shocked,” recalls Aneja.
In yet another case, 23-year-old Aakansha Goel had to change her dressing style when her parents chose a boy from a business class family in Delhi. “In today’s day and age you don’t expect families to come up with demands like that. I was annoyed when their family said we don’t want the girl to wear ‘short clothes’. The guy had studied in the UK and it was a shock for me. My father liked the family so he didn’t want me to refuse but I eventually did,” she says.
So while we thought that eye colour, skin tone, spectacles or lenses and height, didn’t feature in the list of demands from grooms today, many girls confess that while the men are far more supportive, their families continue to dictate terms in arranged marriages. “My mother-in-law liked everything about my family and was impressed with my job so readily agreed when we were deciding to get married. A few weeks after the ring ceremony, I was asked to take ‘proper’ treatment for my skin before getting married and the marriage was delayed as well. My husband was supportive throughout,” says Rashi, a media professional.