Style-Delights: Unfair and Not-so-Lovely!

April 7, 2011

Unfair and Not-so-Lovely!

I dream of healthy skin (being acne-prone, I actually devote some time of the day to take care of it), I dream of glowing skin, and I dream of happy skin (if there is word like that)! But mostly I dream of beauty, of radiance that comes from being really happy, a glow that can only generate if you are satisfied with yourself, if you love yourself enough to be proud of your soul and the shape,size and color of your body! I strongly believe that whatever physical features you are born with, you should enhance and optimize as you would enhance your resume, beautify your home and strengthen your relationships. it is never easy to be in that state of mind, specially while being bombarded with images and concepts of society/marketplace -defined beauty!
Ever since I started thinking about writing my fashion blog, "this article about fairness products" was in the back of my mind.
I had strong opinions about it and wanted to share this with anyone who cared to listen and now I want to share it with anyone who reads this!
Growing up in India where (major part of) society considered (and still does) light skinned to be beautiful,and the advertisements of creams that can lighten your skin were not considered offensive, I always struggled to grasp the meaning of "being beautiful"!
As I grew up to be more independent, and more analytical of social norms, I realized how distorted the vision of society about beauty was! This is hilarious and sad at the same time because the majority of Indian population is brown skinned, and this is the only case where majority loses!!  Its astonishing to still see those "fairness products" being advertised, sold and used and still being accepted as a norm without realizing that we are brain-washing our young generation's mind and skewing their perception of beauty. 


When I moved to America, I saw another dimension of the issue. Here color-of-the-skin debate is never too casual, and it carries a long, painful but inspiring history with it. Yet, in any Indian or South Asian (including Chinese) ethnic stores these products are sold and bought and used and the whole myth of beauty is fed to everyone who is willing to take a bite!
Its really sad to see the way they sell "my skin color is the OBSTACLE in achieving my dream" concept!




I know I have no right to tell people what is beautiful, or what their definition of beauty should be, but defining beauty by the color of skin is as ridiculous and absurd as defining your IQ by the first alphabet of your name!  And not accepting yourself - the way you are - Craziness!!!

What do you think??

4 comments :

  1. Well said! The reverse is also true though. In the US, teenagers excessively using tanning salon is an issue. So perhaps it is just craving what you don't have. India's colonial history also has a lot to contribute to why "fair" is considered supreme :) But totally feel what you said girl! -Aj

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  2. Yes, I guess people covet what they don't have..But My problem is not with wanting something, but the way its marketed...If you want fair skin because its different than your skin and therefore more "interesting" - Its your own choice, but when you want fair skin because your own "non-fair' skin makes you a failure, un-wanted, and a loser, then it becomes a larger, deeper social issue..

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  3. Hi, Nice blog.
    Agree with you. There was this tv program, where a uk based indian journalist disproves the effect of these creams. They dont work but harm the skin in the long run. Its genetic, you can only lighten your skin as much your genes will allow, by staying indoors or not getting sun-tanned!

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  4. Best post ever. I strongly agree.

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