REDEFINING WOMANHOOD IN INDIA: Middle-Class Women in Beauty Pageants

Redefining Womanhood in India explores the changing aspirations, identities, and experiences of middle-class Indian women in contemporary society. Moving beyond the glamour often associated with beauty pageants, the book examines these spaces as sites where women negotiate gender, power, selfhood, and social expectations.
Drawing on sociological insights and grounded research, the author shows how pageants become platforms for visibility, self-expression, and transformation. Inspired by Erving Goffman’s concept of dramaturgy, the book reveals how women perform and negotiate identities before multiple audiences. At the same time, Michel Foucault’s notion of surveillance highlights the persistent scrutiny of family, community, and society, while Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration demonstrates how women exercise agency by reshaping the very social structures that seek to constrain them.
For many participants, pageantry is not merely a competition but a journey of self-discovery, confidence, and empowerment. Their stories reflect broader shifts in Indian society, where traditional notions of womanhood are being questioned, reimagined, and redefined. Blending academic rigour with compelling narratives, this book makes a significant contribution to contemporary debates on gender, class, empowerment, and cultural change in India.