vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/aug/14/indias-dark-obsession-fair-skin India's unfair obsession with lighter skin The Dark is Beautiful campaign hopes to halt India's huge appetite for skin whitening products, and has a new champion in film star Nandita Das "You look green!" said a friend. "Are you ill?" asked another. Last year, a respected Indian newspaper published a photograph of me online which had been lightened so drastically by the art director's magic wand that I called the editor to complain and he apologised and replaced it with the original. The art director had thought he was doing me a favour by whitening my skin. India's obsession with fair skin is well documented: in 1978, Unilever launched Fair & Lovely cream, which has subsequently spawned numerous whitening face cleansers, shower gels and even vaginal washes that claim to lighten the surrounding skin. In 2010, India's whitening-cream market was worth $432m, according to a report by market researchers ACNielsen, and was growing at 18% per year. Last year, Indians reportedly consumed 233 tonnes of skin-whitening products, spending more money on them than on Coca-Cola. Cricket players and Bollywood stars regularly endorse these products. But now the film star Nandita Das has taken a stance against the craze and given her support to the Dark is Beautiful campaign which challenges the belief that success and beauty are determined by skin colour. "I want people to be comfortable in their own skin and realise that there is more to life than skin colour," she says, adding that an Indian paper had written "about my support for the campaign and then lightened the photo of me that went alongside it". While she agrees that there is a long history behind the obsession with skin colour, owing to caste and culture, she thinks the current causes should be targeted first. "Indians are very racist. It's deeply ingrained. But there is so much pressure by peer groups, magazines, billboards and TV adverts that perpetuate this idea that fair is the ideal," she says. Das has often faced directors and makeup artists trying to lighten her when she plays the role of an educated, upper-class woman. "They always say to me: 'Don't worry, we will lighten you, we're really good at it,' as a reassurance. It's perpetuating a stereotype that only fair-skinned women can be educated and successful." In 2005, the cosmetics company Emami launched Fair & Handsome for men, with an ad featuring the Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan tossing a tube of whitening cream to a hopeful young fan, which the Dark is Beautiful campaign is seeking to have withdrawn. "Shah Rukh Khan is saying that to be successful you have to be fair," says Das. "Don't these people have any kind of conscience? You can't be naive; you know what kind of impact you have and yet you send out the message that says: 'Forget about working hard, it's about skin colour.'"
Number Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 It should be "world's hypocritical obsession with India's obsession with lighter skin".
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 It should be "world's hypocritical obsession with India's obsession with lighter skin". Author is an Indian. Indians are fed up with this as well.
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 432 million dollar market for skin whitening product lol That is just wow. Don't think any country will come anywhere close to that.
punjabi_khota Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 Bet americas tanning business is more than that
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 Bet americas tanning business is more than that Do they pay money to sun :winky:
Aaku Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 Ya whats with umreekanz obsession with my ghehuaan rang
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 Ya whats with umreekanz obsession with my ghehuaan rang There is a difference. Indians reject women or men for being darker in skin color, looking at them in an inferior way. Seen it all my life. You don't see americans looking at people not having tan in a different way. Forget about Amreeka.. What is your personal take on this?
FischerTal Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 There is a difference. Indians reject women or men for being darker in skin color' date=' looking at them in an inferior way. Seen it all my life. You don't see americans looking at people not having tan in a different way. Forget about Amreeka.. What is your personal take on this?[/quote'] You haven't seen how some Caucasian-Americans look at black-Americans then? :giggle:
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 You haven't seen how some Caucasian-Americans look at black-Americans then? :giggle: You are talking about racism. I am talking about obsession about skin color within same race. Last i know racism is condemned universally. We have this definition fair skin = beauty. You guys clearly know what i am talking about. Probably you witnessed yourself. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/arti-patel/indian-skin-lightening_b_3763946.html
hhunaeh Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 How do nordic europeans look at italians, spanish and europeans living close to the Mediterranean? That is a better comparison than white americans and african americans in my opinion.
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 How do nordic europeans look at italians' date=' spanish and europeans living close to the Mediterranean? That is a better comparison than white americans and african americans in my opinion.[/quote'] I know for a fact women getting upset when the baby is born slightly darker in skin.. For instance husband being light skinned, mom being fair skinned and everyone prays and hopes that the baby takes the color of mom. What you are talking about is completely totally different.
punjabi_khota Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 There is a difference. Indians reject women or men for being darker in skin color' date=' looking at them in an inferior way. Seen it all my life. You don't see americans looking at people not having tan in a different way. Forget about Amreeka.. What is your personal take on this?[/quote'] Oh bhai, people in American get ****ING CANCER trying to get tanned. It is an obsession in its own right here, people equate tanned with sexy and pale with sick/nerdy/not-sexy. It is very much the same type obsession, driven to absurd proportions. I don't think you have any idea of what you are talking about. Tanning business in US >> skin whitening in India. My take ? People should be free to choose what color they find sexy (skin color is not on top of my list of desirable physical attributes) , but equating darker skin color with inferiority (as is done in India) is absurd.
SLICKR392 Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 Apart from these dumb ads, certain parents are to be equally blamed. My neighbour's 6-7yr old daughter thinks that she could compete with her sibs if she had a more fairer complexion. When asked, it was her mom who gave her the idea. May be not as specifically as she think but the bottom line is- the mother did edcuate her on this topic. These are sort of people who force such dumb cosmetics on their kids and get vocal and physical about it. I remember my grandma used to puff powder on my face. :facepalm:
Aaku Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 No color can help you of you have hideous features :nice:
vvvslaxman Posted August 17, 2013 Author Posted August 17, 2013 Apart from these dumb ads, certain parents are to be equally blamed. My neighbour's 6-7yr old daughter thinks that she could compete with her sibs if she had a more fairer complexion. When asked, it was her mom who gave her the idea. May be not as specifically as she think but the bottom line is- the mother did edcuate her on this topic. These are sort of people who force such dumb cosmetics on their kids and get vocal and physical about it. I remember my grandma used to puff powder on my face. :facepalm: The funny thing is they would even debate about who is fairer.. they could even differentiate even slightest shades :cantstop:
Cricketics Posted August 17, 2013 Posted August 17, 2013 No wonder we have songs in India like - Gore gore mukhde pe kaala chashma or gori nal ishq mitha etc
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