Indian Obsession with Fair Skin - A Colonial Hangover?

Why is fair skin the barometer of beauty? Does this question come in your mind too? 

Sushmita Sen with daughter renee

I like Sushmita Sen for her individuality and of course her dusky looks. Same goes for Konkana Sen and Nandita Das, but still the fair skinned Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Priyanka etc are  the queens of bollywood. Ash is talented and got ample opportunity to show her versatility but the three dusky Bong beauties are no less. It's about opportunity, which does sometimes  come from popularity. Popularity, which is depicted from the success of a movie seen by the masses. Masses want to see fair skinned ladies, generally speaking, therefore, the alleged success of all the Neha Dhupias.

All this is alright, part of life. We've got used to it. I am reminded of this topic because of an advertisement on TV of one of my favourite actors of bollywood, who has always, always flaunted her sun kissed skin tone with elan ; she has carried her natural eye brows (which seem to be joining slightly from the middle) ; she is no size zero and we just love her for her vivaciousness and spontaniety.... could you guess.... She is Kajol!!

But when I saw her in Olay Total Effects (Anti Ageing cream) advertisement, she donned a fair look, of course by applying make up! And the fair - so fair and so chalky white a look, that I couldn’t believe it was her. It's only her signature style of eye brows and bright doe eyes, due to which I could recognize her. Ironically, in another advt (Knorr soup) she does not put make up and looks natural and nice, so what happened to Olay effect now?!

Kajol (here she is not chalky white!)

I was saddened. Does she really needed to work for this Advt. and show that fairness is what she's got after using this product? A healthy, problem free skin doesn’t mean it has to be low on melanin? Could she not have flaunted her wheatish complexion, which still radiates and shows her good health? Why the fair skin is the ultimate barometer of beauty? And is beauty just skin deep? Even now?.... is it a colonial hangover?

I, like all of you, have seen those endless number of 'fair n lovely' kind of advts all my life. Want success, be fair skinned..... want confidence..... want acceptability in profession...... want your lover to propose you.... use fairness cream!! Another most ridiculous one was an cyclist who after becomes the brand ambassador of a sports goods company after she applies the fairness cream, despite the fact that she sweats and toils, cycling all the time!  So fair skin is the mantra, no marks to talent, no marks to over-all personality, nothing to do with your attitude.... have fair skin..... be the undisputed charmer!!  The craze for fair skin is so much, especially in north of India, you got to see the matrimonial advts in newspapers... people especially ask for fair and slim brides!!! Phew!

Now, even the market is hotting up for men too.  There are at least three brands who are selling fairness creams for men.  What happened to the rugged look of men? Or is the metrosexual male catching up?! All groomed with manicure and pedicure and facial? Well, even that's is not bad, but attributing success to fairness of skin, has it not got really overboard now?

The question is that why are we Indians so obsessed with fair skin? Why do we still drool over the colour of the skin, as if the colour of the skin translated to power? Has it not got etched in our psyche somewhere so deep, because the whites rules us for ages, so somewhere, we have accepted that fairness means being superior?  Has complexion not got a lot with how people treat you? Is it not surprising? What is your experience? Have you ever experienced any such thing? Do share with me.

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