What is common between an Indian aunty looking out for a suitable match for her son and a fair and lovely (now glow and lovely) advertisement?
No, it’s not women.
It’s women with fair-er skin.
The obsession of Indians with White Skin traces its roots way back ! It is not a new concept, rather it has been a way of controlling and monitoring the conquered population since 1500BC.
Aryans (a Sanskrit term which translates to “noble” or “honorable”) were considered the conquerors of Dark Skinned Dravidians which made them the de facto “Superior” race. India has been consistently ruled by the Light Skinned tzars : Britishers, Mughals, Persians making people believe that Skin is the symbol of Superiority. In Hinduism, there is a whole Sanskrit word Asuryasparsh – referring to someone who has light skin, not touched by the Sun and is therefore pure and rich. Dark skinned Dalits have been stigmatized in India , for thousands of years, and this harmful traditional practice is still prevalent. They are mentioned and treated as “Untouchables” by the people of the dominant caste.
Historically, those who belonged to the upper caste were more light skinned as compared to the lower caste as they spent most of their time indoors rather than working under the Sun as physical labourers. During the British Colonial rule, the officials constantly belittled the dark skinned Indians and preferred the fairer ones over them. As a result of nearly 200 years of British colonial influence, remnants of their tactics that aggravated colorism still remain in Indian society.
The real fascination started in 1978 when Unilever launched a product called Fair & Lovely, “one of the most trusted brands for young women in India”. It’s advertisements focused on women with dark complexions who suddenly find romance and glamorous careers after using the “Fair and Lovely” whitening cream. A controversial 1990 ad featuring a young Indian woman who is heartbroken after hearing her father say, “Kaash beta hota / If only I had a son.” She runs to her bedroom crying and sees a Fair and Lovely ad after which she has been shown as a happy, independent woman, taking her parents out to dinner. The father beams approvingly.
In the early 2000’s, the Television did make dark skinned women believe that they should aspire to be fair.
One market research firm even reported that more skin lightening creams are sold in India than Coca Cola.
From a very tender age, the very own family members of girls start telling things like – Oh you’re black, now who will marry you? Whenever they want to have a laugh, they use derogatory remarks like Kaali-kaluti, baigan looti / Blacky-black smeared, she robbed the color of an eggplant, Neegro,
African, etc. Not just humans, we haven’t spared our Gods and Goddesses either. Unlike most Hindu Goddesses which are depicted as fair skinned, Kali (a warrior Goddess) is portrayed as dark blue/black, full of rage with her tongue out.
Colourism is not just limited to India, it has existed for centuries in one of the most socially advanced countries – America. Even in the 21st century, Black women face the ‘Angry Black Woman’ stereotype which labels them as loud, aggressive, unhygienic and physically threatening.
Discussing the color of a girl’s skin has been an age old tradition!
The fear of Darkness arises when “Not so fair” girls reach a marriageable age. Mothers try out home remedies by making their daughters bathe with milk and Sandalwood/rose petals so that they become fair naturally and their skin colour gets “Saaf” (clean) because apparently dark skin isn’t clean enough !
“What’s sad is we are all Indian, which automatically makes us Brown- yes we come in different shades but no matter how much you try to distance yourself from Melanin (a pigment produced within the skin in cells which decides the skin colour), you just can’t”, says Suhana Khan (daughter of actor Shahrukh Khan) who has been told she is ugly because of her skin tone, by full grown men and women, since she was 12 years old. Imagine, being 20 and having to deal with such hateful comments just because you are Brown!
Not just women, men have also been trolled for their skin colour but it’s not so entrenched like it is for dark skinned Indian women.
“I was trolled for a while on social media for my skin colour, says Vishnuraj S Menon (Mr. India, 2016). Questions on ‘How can such a brown-skinned or dark guy win such a competition’ popped up quite often and honestly, it did affect me”
In the beginning, he was also not sure how to handle social media or hateful comments. But within a month’s time, he learnt to take it positively and started thinking of himself as a stereotype ice breaker.
The fact that he won is proof enough that what mattered wasn’t his skin colour but also the skills and the hard work behind polishing them all.
The “Bleaching Syndrome” concept fits well in Indian scenario which makes a person believe that Fair is Superior and Prettier. It comprises 3 major components- The first is Psychological: This involves self-rejection of dark skin and other native characteristics. Second, is Sociological : It influences group behaviour (hence the phenomenon of dark skinned celebrities bleaching their skin). Last one is Physiological : It is not limited to just bleaching the skin. It can also mean altering hair texture and eye color to mimic the dominant group.
From Indian matchmaking to fair and lovely (now glow and lovely) ads on tv, Indians have been convinced that if a girl isn’t “fair”, she isn’t beautiful.
It’s high time to end colourism and treat every individual with dignity no matter what their skin colour is. Let’s stop participating in discussions which involve how “kaala/ kaali” someone is, let’s stop enquiring about a girls skin colour when it comes to finding a suitable match, let’s not hesitate in trending “Tall, Dark and Beautiful” and lets not forget that every human is much more than the colour of their skin.
