Skin Deep

Last summer during the covid lockdown, while on one of my bollywood movie binges, I came across the movie Vivah. It seemed like a harmless, stress free, Suraj Badjatya goodie-goodie movie - even edging a bit towards calmly boring - and a perfect one to drown out covid anxiety. I hadn’t the faintest clue that within minutes the movie would turn irksome as the actor Seema Biswas playing “Chachi” coats her sweet little daughter’s face with layers of powder to make her look as fair as her cousin. Throughout its first part, the movie portrays Chachi’s jealousy and insecurity due to her daughter’s dark skin and how she is unable to see the bubbly and kind girl’s true beauty. To begin with I felt the movie was at best cringe-worthy, but it was interesting that the one scene left such a lasting impression in my mind that I am willing to give the movie some credit for subtly touching on Colourism.

Anyone who has grown up in South Asia knows how deep Colourism runs in the region. Colourism is defined as the prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. One would imagine that a region with thousands of years of cultural history would weigh human character, personality, good health and work-ethic above the more superficial attributes such as skin color. However in the modern world colourism runs deep in the society, culture and families, and magnified by the media, and the entertainment and beauty industries.

Skin tone is a reflection of human evolution based on geographies and sun exposure. People living closest to the equator developed darker tones to protect from UV rays that otherwise cause folate deficiency and affect reproduction. As people moved to low UV areas away from the equator, and closer to poles, developed lighter skin tones to absorb more vitamin D as a result of natural selection. In the Indian subcontinent, one would imagine that regional and cultural heritage would evolve alongside the human evolution meant to protect the human race. However, generations of global migration and movement, and a lop-sided class and power dynamic created by colonialism and casteism, gave rise to colourism. (The top diagram depicts indigenous tribes, the lower one includes migration and movement) 

The beauty industry has been exploiting the euro-centric beauty ideals and has been pushing fairness products in the markets, instead of focusing on healthy skin, regardless of the skin tone. Over the past couple of decades there have been multitudes of efforts through activism and messaging to alter the euro-centric beauty ideals and change the perception of beauty in relation with skin tone. In the aftermath of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement there was much social media criticism of the “Fair and Lovely” product. This product, which has a 70% market share in the skin lightening and fairness cream market in India, removed the word “Fair” from its brand name. A name change to “bright and glowing” may be well-intentioned by spotlighting the brightness of happiness and wellness and the glow of good health and well-being; however I believe merely changing the name has simply pushed colourism under the rug without addressing the root cause. The fairness product is still in the market, with the same market share as it continues to exploit the deep rooted insecurities that colourism has embedded in the society. Unless the focus is shifted, not merely symbolically, but by replacing the “renamed” fairness products with new products meant for health and well-being, society will continue to drag its feet to move past its biases.

Instead of false promises to fuel insecurities about skin color, there needs to be messaging about healthy skin. Removing sugary beverages, processed foods and refined carbs from our diet and adding non-starchy vegetables, whole, unprocessed grains, nuts, colored fruits and vegetables, spices such as turmeric, fenugreek and cinnamon, and fish for those eat it, is more likely to make one’s skin brighter than using “Glow and Lovely”. Being active with brisk walks, runs, or workouts, or yoga and drinking plenty of water is more likely to add a glow to one’s skin. And of course the use of sunscreen, moisturizers, products suitable to natural skin tones and even natural face packs with turmeric, gram flour, curd, honey etc are great for healthy skin. Bollywood movie stars who have been brand ambassadors for fairness products, and who have a huge hold over the public need to work towards changing the messaging from lighter skin colour to having healthy skin.

In her doctoral research thesis titled “Exploring the Relationship between Skin Tone and Self-Esteem Among Females in South Asian Families in India: A Multigenerational Comparison”, Canadian Priya Sharda’s in-depth research about colourism in South Asia, including her personal account and conflict as an Indian raised in North America, brings out some interesting aspects. Among numerous other points, she infers from her research that younger women emphasized skin tone more in the context of marriage and work life, and as women grew older and mature, they became more secure in their skin tone.

Younger women who are raised in families that prioritized personality development with a focus on building individual strengths and capabilities; increasing general awareness, knowledge, education; emphasized good health through healthy eating and exercise; and celebrate the beauty of that smile rather than the color of their skin, grew up to be more confident, with a higher sense of self worth. On the other hand, making a statement about a child’s skin color is sowing the seeds of insecurity early on and may be scarring a young soul for life. While “Chachi” in the movie Vivah touched a nerve, a TV drama a few years ago called “Afsar Bitiya” (literally translated as “Officer Daughter '') raised my hopes to bring about a social change. The show’s protagonist moves past colourism (her adversaries nicknamed her Koyla Khadaan (Coal Quarry) because of her dark complexion) and she follows through to achieve her ambition to be a Block Development Officer (BDO) despite many hurdles.

Though shows such as this, movies and role models like Nandita Das are few and far between, the good news is that with awareness, change is on the horizon. Kavitha Emmanuel of Women of Worth started the Dark is Beautiful campaign which has been running since 2009. “Most of our supporters are between the ages of 18 and 30 and I see a lot of hope there because they get the message ”, says Kavitha. Their site runs stories and perspectives, and in one such post Vaidehi recommends ten things one can do in a conscious effort to move away from colourism and break the stereotypes around fair and dark. The Indian subcontinent, and the world for that matter, is brimming with beautiful people with all different shades of skin colour - which the campaign rightly captures with a caption of “Celebration 1.3 million Shades of Indian”. Let's follow the lead and celebrate the beauty in and beyond every skin tone throughout the world!