Why
Indians are so obsessed with fair skin? That’s
a million dollar question isn’t it. Even though numerous discussions are made
over the topic still it’s an issue eating the Indians minds that affects their
life in numerous ways. India’s fixation over fair skin is credited to British colonial
rule. Despite of numerous countries ruled our nation and deprived our resources
in the past. We have outgrown ourselves since independent and still hold onto
our values and beliefs in terms of multilingual and multi-religious society.
What
could be the possible reason to be India’s obsession over fair skin? What made
us to believe that fair is beautiful. Is it because media, advertisements and
movies that continuously insinuate that fair is beautiful and dark is ugly. Especially
cosmetic industry propagates the agenda in their advertisement that dark skin
is unattractive, inferior, low self esteem and unhappy by applying their fairness cream
leads to fair skin become attractive, superior, high self esteem and happiness.
Beauty skin products underlying tone is to result in fairness skin. When
research implies that skin of the colour is determined by the chromosome in the
DNA of human being. They shamelessly proclaim
lies with no conscious and responsibilities all because we are eager to accept
beautiful lies rather than ugly truth. Almost every beauty skin products promise
the consumers for whitening skin tone by reducing/controlling melanin. Melanin
is produced by melanocytes to protect the DNA
of our skin from sun damage. Yet these fairness creams kill melanin because
melanin is the reason for dark pigmentation skin.
Stunning actress Kangana Ranaut took a stand against
endorsing fairness products. Rumors are she turned down 2 crore deal for the endorsement.
The statement she vocalizes in Hindustan times in 2013 as follows:
"Ever since I
was a kid, I have never understood the concept of fairness. Especially, in such
a case, as a celebrity, what kind of example would I be setting for younger
people? I have no regrets about turning this offer down. As a public figure, I
have responsibilities. My sister (Rangoli Ranaut) is dusky, yet beautiful. If I
go ahead and be a part of this campaign, then, in a way, I would be insulting
her. If I can't do that to my sister, then how can I do it to an entire
nation?"
http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/never-understood-the-concept-of-fairness-kangana-ranaut/article1-1149723.aspx
Women of Worth a Chennai based non-profit organization launched “Dark is Beautiful” campaign in 2009 seeks to draw attention to the unjust effects of skin colour bias and also celebrates the beauty and diversity of all skin tones. The campaign becomes more popular when Actress Nandita Das become the face of the campaign who always vocal about the discriminatory against dark skin. Even though I am not able to completely subscribe to the campaign based on why one’s colour need to be glorified. There need to be some point to deter against skin colour bias. Obviously they are moving in a right path. In july 2013 "Dark is Beautiful" campaign have also filed a petition with change.org asking Emami, a cosmetics company, to take down an advertisement promoting Fair and Handsome, a fairness cream for men. In the ad bollywood star Shahrukh Khan toss the fairness cream tube to a young guy telling him that fairness is the secret to success in life. The actor who thrives by his excellent performance totally deludes the viewer by contributing his success to fairness cream.
Kudos to “Dark is Beautiful” campaign, social activist and ASCI to stand against skin colour bias. We no longer
have to endure the notion that dark is ugly in television and Media. After
decades of perpetuate against dark skin in advertisement on
19th August 2014 The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI),
a self-regulatory body for the advertising industry has released a set of guidelines
for the advertising of skin lightening & fairness products ensuring that
advertisements do not depict people with dark skin as inferior to those who are
fairer. The cosmetic industries
have already found the loophole by using foreign people in advertisement especially
in beauty products. Given the product are multinational consumer products it’s
very convenient to exploit using foreign actress by subliminal implying fair is
beautiful.
As
far as change in the attitude towards Indians affiliation towards fair skin. We need to
go through decades of alteration. I am not the first person who is commenting
about this issue and I am definitely not going to be the last person too. You
may wonder the reason for this whole ranting it’s because the picture given
below. The picture is one of the pages in my niece pre-nursery book. The book
is Chennai based publication. When you notice the picture the photos are
foreigner’s needless to say fair skin. Which Indian family looks like picture
depicts in that page. Somehow the publisher had last minute conscious or some
other reason (who knows the reason) used the Indian grandmother in the picture.
In the next picture for tamil mother they have used the foreign mother which
tamilian mother will look like her. Are we that much servitude towards fair skin
and ashamed of our own dark/brown skin colour. We already corrupted our minds and
we are corrupting our younger and future generation with skin colour bias notion
which is unforgivable and totally irresponsible. Why can’t we accept who we are
and proudly own it?
