Having a dark skin in India shouldn’t be a problem:
Colour bias has always been a discriminating factor in the Indian Society, and people have acknowledged colour bias almost as regular as bread and butter. People make off handed comments about how dark someone can be, and how that would affect their future marriage prospects. Considering the fact that fairness creams alone sell millions of varieties of products, which means that people are still biased about the shades of colours that their complexions are made of, making this a major society concern.
Where we are doing wrong ?
Society tends to show us one type of beauty. They are some beauty stereotypes everywhere.People are making the wrong kinds of movies, with a set of fair Barbie figurines, dyed hair, and flawless cream complexions and we the audience are aping it. We fail to realize that we are prototyping the scenario and it is unfair to idolize fair skin. India is a tropical country, with a majority of population painted in wheatish to dark brown skin, so idealizing a skin prototype with certain features is not only biased, but also the sign of illiteracy.
The idea of melanin treatment is also widespread, and several dark skinned film stars have undergone such treatments in the past too. Considering this to be a popular biasness, it’s probably the job demand that’s taking the toll. People are generating roles for the standard fair skinned girls, and the dark skinned girls are not getting a way through.
Where we have to do to change:
We have to stop stereotyping the entire scenario and stop discriminating the colours. Every colour is natural and it is the result of our genes, which is entirely not under our discretion. Wanting to change the scenario would require complete understanding the situation and awareness of the people. Our work places need to be less discriminating, our families more understanding, and off course women need to be comfortable in their skins. They can’t be constantly aping some other cultures or be influenced with the stereotypic statements that the film industry has. The prejudices need to be removed once and for all.
Women activists:
Nandita Das has been inspiring women to love the skin they are in, and she herself has never endorsed a fairness cream. She praises herself to be lucky because of the skin she is in and she never is abashed about the dark sheen she proudly wears. Being a confident person in your own skin is better, because beauty is never limited to stereotypes, and having a prejudiced mind makes people uglier. After all beauty should be skin deep, and should emanate from the heart, the looks always reflect what the person is from the inside. Ladies should shun the prejudice and completely walk free in the skins they own. Happy Liberation!
