(The Hindu -dated 16/6/2010)
Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion . Markets too are loaded with fairness creams that promise to turn your complexion fair.Over the years many Indians have been programmed to equate fair skin with beauty, success and happiness. This craze for white skin has been aggressively marketed. In advertisements, it is always shown that in order to be successful, liked and approved by others, one needs to have fair skin.Unfortunately, people are only concerned about surface level beauty and pay little attention to a person's character, intelligence and other essential personality traits that make people complete as individuals.
As proof of India's obsession with colour, most people point to the preference in the marriage market for brides with a fair complexion. Indeed, the complexion of even the new-born girl child is scrutinised carefully by elders to see if the redness associated with birthwill give way to the fair complexion so beloved of most Indians. Woe betide any child who, in addition to having been born into the wrong gender, has committed the additional sin of being dark-complexioned.
Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion . Markets too are loaded with fairness creams that promise to turn your complexion fair.Over the years many Indians have been programmed to equate fair skin with beauty, success and happiness. This craze for white skin has been aggressively marketed. In advertisements, it is always shown that in order to be successful, liked and approved by others, one needs to have fair skin.Unfortunately, people are only concerned about surface level beauty and pay little attention to a person's character, intelligence and other essential personality traits that make people complete as individuals.
As proof of India's obsession with colour, most people point to the preference in the marriage market for brides with a fair complexion. Indeed, the complexion of even the new-born girl child is scrutinised carefully by elders to see if the redness associated with birthwill give way to the fair complexion so beloved of most Indians. Woe betide any child who, in addition to having been born into the wrong gender, has committed the additional sin of being dark-complexioned.
It is high time people come out of this lunatic obsession for fairness as it no way determines the character or individuality of a person.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/article458337.ece
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/letters/article458337.ece
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