Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hu. Modern life continuously reinforces the message that beauty matters. But who gets to define what's beautiful? In indigenous communities, beauty isn't porcelain skin or thin waistlines. So in her 2020 talk from TEDxSydney, Aboriginal woman and former model Sasha Sarago calls us to rethink beauty and what it means to us and whether it should matter so much.
Chapter 2: What does beauty mean in modern society?
Today, I would like to talk to you about beauty and how we've got it all wrong when it comes to our perceptions of women, particularly Aboriginal women. But before I do, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land in which I stand upon, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging,
and give thanks to our ancestors who guide and protect us. It was 1990, and I was pumped. I was off to my first birthday party just before I hit the terrible teens. no chaperone, and no bratty sister to tag along so she could snitch.
Chapter 3: How do indigenous perspectives redefine beauty?
I had my cute little outfit on, gift in hand, and I was hoping that this little cutie that I liked would show up. And I was hoping that this little cutie would ask me this one question. You know that question that makes your heart beat right out your chest? Do you want to be my girlfriend? even though I had no business having a boyfriend at that age.
But it didn't matter, because back then, it was all about the rush. I never did get asked that question. But the question I did get asked was, what's your background? And like any proud Aboriginal child would declare, I'm Aboriginal.
Given the reaction of the room, being Aboriginal was clearly a dirty word, and at the tender age of 11, I was told by my best friend's adult sister that I was too pretty to be Aboriginal. By this time, my mouth is dry, my blood is boiling, and I'm trying so hard to fight back what feels like an ocean of tears.
I calmly join my circle of friends and begin to fake laugh at whatever's funny to mask my embarrassment as I clutch on to my newfound complex. And this is why we need to change our perceptions of beauty. And how we do this is by learning from Aboriginal women, their stories and perspectives. Because right now, pretty hurts.
Pretty hurts because you're trying to re-raise my Aboriginality, to applaud my proximity to whiteness. Pretty hurts because aimed at an Aboriginal woman, It is a weapon loaded in racism, sexual exploitation and cultural genocide.
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Chapter 4: What personal experiences shaped Sasha Sarago's view on beauty?
You see, what this woman didn't realize when she declared that I was too pretty to be Aboriginal is that she took something precious from me. Pride in my identity. You see, I belong to the oldest living culture in the world. But that day, that legacy, It was replaced with shame. And it's been this filthy stain I've been trying to get rid of for 20 years.
And this is where my obsession for beauty comes from. Over the years, trying to mimic it as a model. Advocating for diversity in fashion to launching Ascension magazine to celebrate women of color whose beauty is still underrepresented. with much pain and trauma behind one word, pretty taught me through my indigeneity I could reclaim my beauty.
To indigenous women, true beauty came from the traditional roles we upheld, our kinship systems, connection to country and the waterways, and how we pass this ancient knowledge down to the next generation. The way we express beauty was never defined against a Eurocentric ideal of beauty. You see, in my culture, our beauty is not monolithic.
It's not measured by a thin waistline, porcelain skin or slender hips. It runs much deeper than that. So, what does indigenous beauty look like? Oh, it's fierce, defiant, and proud. And one ancestor who epitomizes indigenous beauty is Barangaroo, a powerful Camorrago woman.
Revered for her wisdom and independence, Barangaroo, like the other Eora women, took pride in their status as being main food providers for their tribe. a skillful and patient fisherwoman, Barangaroo would access Sydney Harbour and its surrounding waters for its abundant food supply, only taking what was needed.
So you can just imagine how furious Barangaroo was when she saw British colonists trawl 4,000 salmon off the North Shore in just one day, then gifting some of this catch to her husband and some of the other men from her tribe. Barangaroo knew such a wasteful act would threaten the Eora women's cultural authority within the tribe, furthermore, destroying their traditional way of life.
So, Barangaroo rejected British laws and customs, their food, drink and social etiquette, even when her husband decided to conform. When Barangaroo and her husband, Bennelong, was invited to dine with Governor Phillip and the British Party, Barangaroo stayed true to who she was.
Instead of wearing colonial attire, a tight corset and a gown layered in silk, finished with pearls, she came sporting her traditional wares. White ochre and a bone through her nose. What Barangaroo illustrated was indigenous beauty is authentic. Annie Beryl van Uple, a respected Gamilaraay elder, shared a story with a group of women one day. And she said, we all have a bit of Barangaroo in us.
Later that evening, I thought about Annie Beryl's message. And what I received from her message was, no matter our culture, color, or how we identify. Spirit is what we share. It's what connects us. You see, if we indigenize beauty, the meaning is transformed from aesthetically pleasing to a state of divinity. Beauty now becomes spirit manifested.
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