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Aishwarya Rai cannot win the Indian beauty debate. Her Cannes appearance is proof

For years, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was mocked for gaining weight and oversized sleeves. This was a departure from body-hugging gowns & delicate sarees she wore in early 2000s at Cannes.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, for the last couple of years, has given bizarre fashion outings on the Cannes red carpet. And, this year was no different. First came the electric blue Amit Aggarwal gown that felt pulled out of a 2018 awards-show archive. Then the white Cheney Chan tuxedo with its dramatic feather boa, which looked like a leftover costume rack from a mid-2000s Vegas cabaret.

That being said, one has to admit that this annual discourse around Aishwarya’s Cannes wardrobe has never really been about fashion alone. They are just an entry point. Behind the memes and the unsolicited styling advice lies a far more uncomfortable truth: people are unsettled by the fact that Aishwarya no longer fits Bollywood’s narrow beauty template.

For years, Aishwarya has been mocked for gaining weight, for covering up, for wearing layered silhouettes, oversized sleeves, dramatic capes, or what I would call ‘Mogambo outfits.’ This was definitely a departure from the body-hugging Gucci gowns and delicate sarees she wore during the........

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