History of fairness creams in India and India's Obsession with fair skin explained by Dr.Manjot
If you’re an Indian, you would have probably seen advertisements on the TV or billboards featuring certain products which claim to have effective, skin-lightening formulas.
But, have you wondered why? Why do ‘tall, dark and handsome’ makes no sense to us, but ‘fair and handsome and lovely’ do? Why do we mostly look for a man or woman who is fairer than the rest? Why are most movie heroines and heroes white?
Yes, we do have a reason for all these questions – and a little bit of history too.
So, the first thing that you should know about colourism is that it is wrong.
You can’t discriminate against someone just because they’re ‘coloured’. And if you don’t think that this exists, let me assure you, it does!
Not only does it exist, it is very much prevalent. If you wanna have a peak at it, just open the matrimonial column of the newspaper that you read. You’ll find millions of ads by Indians and NRIs who are desperately looking for a bride or a groom who’s fair.
The demons in children’s animated movies are often shown to be black or dark, while the heroes are revealed to be fair. Certain actors and models who are dark-skinned are either denied jobs or have their images and films photoshopped. We have seen numerous examples in the Bollywood film industry, where several actors and actresses have either undergone skin-lightening treatment or have started using a lot of make-up on their skins.
What’s The Present Situation?
But, the history is perhaps no more important to us. It’s in the past now. What’s important is the current situation – and our society needs to address its flaws.
What Can We Do?
This is the prevailing mindset – and it needs to change. And, we need to stop associating ‘fair’ with ‘lovely’ or ‘handsome’. We need to promote equality, though it may sound a bit cliche.
Here, the role of parents and grandparents (yeah, our elders) is vital – most of who may have always believed in the importance of being fair. The role of the media, that shows you the ads on the TV and panneaux, is important too. Also, the companies that sell and earn billions, and the buyers who buy those fairness products, need to know it, too. That this is all wrong!
We need to admit our guilt when we are wrong. We need to be honest with ourselves and question ourselves. We need to take action collectively.
Teach our fututre generation not to discriminate that thats where the change will start