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Skin-whitening a huge trend in India
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by Yuliya Talmazan | July 11, 2008 at 12:20 pm
2151 views | 32 Recommendations | 9 comments
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Pond's White Beauty Kabhi Kabhi Pyar Mein Episode 1 Hindi
sourced by Yuliya Talmazan
The popular mini series whitening cream advert portrays heart-throb and Winchester College educated Saif Ali Khan preferring fair skinned starlet Nehan Dhupia over former love Priyanka Chopra, celebrated in Bollywood circles for her "dusky, wheatish complexion".
But a lovelorn and shunned Chopra turns desperately to White Beauty cream, hoping its application would make her fairer and more appealing to 41-year old Khan, India's hottest cinema hero today.
Not surprisingly, the five-episode love saga ad generated a lot of commentary on YouTube. Most of it - not publishable.
Similar advertisements, some withdrawn under pressure from activists, depict depressed dark-skinned women snubbed by employers and men, acquiring suitors and careers instantly once the cream had lightened their skin.
And, in tens of millions of classified matrimonial advertisements across India, a potential bride's fair skin is ranked far higher than a university degree or professional status.
Calling people "gora" or fair as milk or the moon is the ultimate compliment in India, especially in the south where people are ethnically darker than those in the north. A sun tan is highly avoided.
Many Indians, especially females, do not actually find the ads insulting.
Not all women believe the promotion of paler skin is discriminatory or that the Unilever advert is patronising.
"I don't think it's racist, I just think that everyone thinks they can look better," said Mallika Makhija, 18, a student.
One could say that similar sentiments exist among North Americans. Except it is the other way around: in our eyes, suntan equals “attractive”! North American women spend hundreds of dollars purchasing creams that give them a fake suntan. Accusing North American women of “self-racism” because of that would probably be nonsensical, as crossing the boundary between wanting to be beautiful and denying one’s own racial identity may go unnoticed at times.
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Yuliya Talmazan
Burnaby, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 12:31 on July 11th, 2008
Whether it be for light or dark skin, these beauty myths create unrealistic and arbitrary ideals. In my mind, au naturel is the way to be.
at 14:49 on July 11th, 2008
yuls.source, I like this story. It's good stuff. You know what is utter stupidity? White people spend hundreds of dollars a year to darken their skin at tanning salons or spend thousands of dollars to lie under a tropical sun on a beach, and dark skinned people including Celebs in North America as well spend thousands of dollars lightening their skin. You sort of wonder WTF? We have thousands of Indian women here in Vancouver, and they are total babes, just the way they are. Dark, Stunning and Exotic, the way the Good Lord meant them to be.
Perhaps these Bollywood actresses should come visit Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford or any other BC community and stop worrying what the public think and think for themselves.
I cannot believe all people today, influenced by HollyBollywood are so disatisfied with their appearance to do something so cell damaging as lipo, whitening, darkening, plumping, silicone, the sky is the limit and there are too many doctors out there more than happy to oblige for the almighty buck. No morals among them.
at 14:59 on July 11th, 2008
yuls.source, I like this story. It's good stuff. Why is it that dark folks want to be light and Us white folks spend millions of dollars a year trying to be dark?
I saw a story that some of these products are dangerious. I think those with dark skin are attractive. Here in South Carolina, some of the Black woman look 20 years younger then they are.
at 15:11 on August 19th, 2008
I like this story too. I am a light skinned african american that got teased when I was young. I got called "white girl, half breed". My mother would straighten my hair with a hot comb and style it in two ponytails that reached halfway down my back. Oh God the fights I would get into everyday after school....I promised myself that when I got married, I would find the darkest man I could find and have a dark skinned little girl. I prayed every day for it. Well I got married to the darkest man I could find, and had my chocolate little girl. I wear my hair in locs now and I find every chance to go in the sun. I think melanin is a wonderful thing and I wish I had more of it when I was a kid. Now, I am happy in the skin I'm in. God didn't make mistakes with any of us, just made us perfect for the place we happen to live in!
at 06:21 on October 27th, 2008
I'm glad you are happy and you got the life you wanted. But I wonder if you would of been happy had your daughter turned out light skinned like you. DNA is funny and all because you decided to marry a very dark skinned man did not give certainity to dark skinned children.
at 15:35 on July 11th, 2008
yuls.source, I like this story. It's good stuff. I think whatever is "different" is considered beautiful in society. Except Michael Jackson, he is not beautiful.
at 15:41 on July 11th, 2008
yuls.source, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 15:52 on July 11th, 2008
LOL at jeff's comments. Skin whitening is huge in China as well.
at 09:31 on July 12th, 2008
Women within their ethnic groups need to realize the whole world loves their dusky beauty. Otherwise they would not spend so much time, money & effort getting sun tans, collagen lips, robust hips & buttocks. There is nothing so healthy, desirable, enticing & sexy as a buxom, tan, brown, dark skinned woman. The most beautiful women I've ever encountered in Vietnam, Japan, China or even here in the U.S., to me have always been the farm girls, the athletic, husky built brown women. They always seemed to exude sensuality.