Fair & Beauty : The Unfairness of it all

Recently I came across a campaign by 'Dark is Beautiful' which spoke about choosing to stay dark skinned and yet acknowledge that one is beautiful. This according to me is a very crucial subject to speak of, as important as caste discrimination or same sex relationships...because it is definitely an epidemic in India and maybe in the neighbouring countries as well.

I have often wondered...Why is it that we are so obsessed with fair skin?? Exactly who decided to set the parameter of beauty based on one's complexion...Could it be that the people who ruled us ages ago have somehow set that standard so that even after all these time we hanker to become like them, our gora firangi invaders...that subconsciously we still feel beneath them and somehow we relate our skin colour or how fluently we speak English (Oh Yeah! thats another one, but that calls for a separate blog post altogether) to that. There are no definite answers to that although the results are for all to see..

Today our market is filled with fairness products right from face wash, sunscreen, body lotion...no matter which product you reach for, you can be certain the "F" word is right there tempting you, promising you much more than a lightened complexion...a better career, loving husband, colleagues who respect you...all of this just by changing the colour of your skin. The situation is such that even men are not spared, now we have superstars proclaiming that the reason for their success is because they went for skin lightening, even though these stars are known for their smouldering dark skin so much so that it adds on to their charisma. So there you have it, even if you want to buy a product which does not promote such blatant discrimination your choices are pretty limited...

I know what you are thinking, it isn't that bad right? I mean all of us are educated open minded people who know not to take these things that seriously, its just a means to feel good about yourself, just as you splurge for that branded dress or the expensive eye liner...Right?? Yeah, it would have been that simple only if all of us took it that simply..but the point is: it has long gone past the stage of just feeling good about yourself, now it has become a requisite to be termed a beauty; don't believe me, OK, quickly calculate in your mind the number of fair beauties versus the number of dark skinned ones, it could be in cinema, modelling, people you know...got the answer. Our art reflects our culture, our mindset and so does our consumer market and all of these are screaming out the same thing. Fair Skin Sells, Fair Skin is In.

Now, lets step away from the metropolitan cities, and you will find the situation taking an ugly turn. Because in villages and towns you will find people having access to the concept of fairness being sold over counters but with no means to achieve them and there lies their misfortune. So we find dark skinned girls stigmatised because of their colour from an early age, fated to be shunned even by their parents, their confidence shattered just because of their colour, being told  to settle for what they get in life, be it a means of livelihood or a marriageable prospect.

See, the "F" word is an epidemic and it does need to stop....

So the question is what can we do about it...Well,  we can take a conscious stand to stop using such products which promote skin lightening, we can ensure that we are vocal about it whenever we see discrimination on colour and we can definitely ensure that our coming generations are not a victim to such perceptions.

Stay Unfair. Stay Beautiful.