By the 1920s, India’s struggle for freedom from British rule took on more aggression and individualism – beautiful braids and bright red lips were in.

In the 1930s, Gandhi (and several other freedom fighters) had successfully united the nation in a single, massive struggle for independence.

In the 1940s, India saw revolts, violence, large-scale protests, and years of political drama that culminated in India becoming an independent, free, sovereign nation.

Most of the 1950s were spent restructuring India in its recovery from British rule. One side-effect was that western cultural influences were slowly allowed to have effect.

In the ’60s, Bollywood was thriving and in colour, India had come into its own as a nation and, by the end of the decade, even had its first woman prime minister.

In the 1970s, American hippie culture made its way east, resulting in center-parted straight hair, simple makeup, and hoop earrings.

And by the 1980s, Indian trends were matching pace with those of the western world.

In the 1990s, India’s beauty began gaining international recognition with women like Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen winning global pageants.

And by the 2000s, India – on the verge of an IT boom – had begun actively picking and choosing which elements of western culture were let in and which elements of Indian tradition were preserved.

Since 2010, women’s rights and safety have been at the forefront of national, political conversations.