Dalai Lama Says Ready For Female Successor But She Must Be ‘Attractive’ & We Are Shocked Like Many On Twitter

The physical appearance or the outer beauty plays a great role than the inner beauty for women even in today's time and this is not what we believe but it is the criteria laid out by spiritual leader Dalai Lama for his successor. In a recent interview to BBC, Dalai Lama said that he is okay with a female successor but she must be "more attractive".

The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetans, back in 2015, in an interview with BBC had mentioned that if a woman were to succeed him then she should be attractive and after 5 years he still stood by the statement he made which has irked many.

In an interview with BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan, when the Nobel Prize winner, Dalai Lama was asked whether he still is in favour of his 2015 statement of an "attractive female successor", he said, "If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive."

When the interviewer told the spiritual leader that his statement could hurt the sentiments of people, especially women, and it may even be misconstrued as "objectifying women and it's about who you are inside, he said, "Yes, I think both. Real beauty is inner beauty. That is true. But we, human beings, [for us] appearance is also important."

Dalai Lama’s idea of an “attractive female successor” has gone viral in social media with netizens reacting to it with utter disgust, anger as well as disappointment.

Here is what he said in the interview:

“You once said that you would be open to a female successor,” Rajini Vaidyanathan asked Dalai Lama.

“That’s also possible,” the Dalai Lama confirmed.

“You also told one of my colleagues that, that female must be attractive, otherwise it’s not much use,” she continued. “...Can you see why that comment upset a lot of women?”

The spiritual leader answered, "If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive.” If not, "people, I think prefer, not see her, that face."

Vidyanathan asked, "It's about who you are inside, isn't it?"

"Yes, I think both," he said. "Real beauty is inner beauty, that's true. But we're human beings. I think the appearance is also important."

The religious leader also suggested that most people would prefer not to look at a “dead face” and argued that women in the public eye should wear makeup.

This was perhaps the most surprising moment in the interview. I asked the Dalai Lama if he stood by his earlier comment that if his successor was female, she should be attractive.

He said he did. Watch here:#DalaiLama #BBCDalaiLama. pic.twitter.com/QAy0EFDZTT

— Rajini Vaidyanathan (@BBCRajiniV) June 27, 2019

People on social media were disappointed with the comments of the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama has stood by his earlier comments that if his successor was female, she should be attractive. And this is the man we look to for inspiration. Sure he’s just like every other man. https://t.co/pS6y0qt6F9

— Bríd Stenson (@bridstenson) June 28, 2019

Remember a couple of hours ago when I said there was no-one left to disappoint you?

Dalai Lama: Hold my beer Hirons. https://t.co/yK9LloNwwe

— Caroline Hirons (@CarolineHirons) June 28, 2019

Good to know Dalai Lama has reduced Buddhism to an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. What a spiritual grandmaster!

— Starlight Tigress (@PrincessStarli) June 28, 2019

He's becoming a joke falling away from the path of enlightenment and more into politics

— Legba (@Legba66241926) June 28, 2019

What I find interesting is he has never been physically attractive! Why hold his successor to a higher standard of attractiveness? lol

— Aunty_Dawn (@dia_2008) June 28, 2019

The Dalai Lama, who is 83 years old, is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the 14th person to hold the title of Dalai Lama.