Silent Racism:Does White Equalize Beauty?!

     Does White Equalize Beauty?!

Silent Racism

The Indian Beauty Market is flooded with racist products which spread a sense of insecurity for the dark tone and promotes the belief that fair is indeed the beauty. Recall the last time you saw a dark skin model in a soap or a face cream ad. Of course, this racism is not like throwing out a person from a bus or a train for having a dark tone. This is though I believe a bigger problem in fact root of all the problems. At first place, where did this racism start from, it starts where people start believing that white is anyway better than black or brown. These beauty products which claim to bring out the fairness underneath your skin, create a sense of insecurity, complexity and is against the sense of self-love for the people with dark skin. Today, we live in a world which is free from the past practices such as apartheid and slavery (at least on paper) but the main root, white beauty still persists.

In India, no one is supposed to discriminate on the basis of color but people’s mindsets aren’t gonna change. Many people feel unlucky and ugly because they are said that black is not beautiful. People suicide because they think that they will not be accepted by the society because of those people who think only fair is beautiful, make them feel so and knowingly or unknowingly torture their minds leading some of them to suicide.

Why are these fairness products even allowed to be launched?!

There are so many products playing with people’s minds making them think they’ll look white to wear or to use those products. Some of such racist products are:

    1)Fair &Lovely: It was launched in 1975 for the first time by HUL, the Hindustan Unilever Limited. Right in its name is mentioned the word ‘fair’ which claims that fair equals to lovely promoting the racist stereotypes.
    

 2)Ponds White Beauty: This product is meant to give an illuminated and pink glow. The name suggests that white = beauty. When I went through this product on the net, I were so disappointed to see YouTube videos suggesting that it would make one’s skin ‘tone up’?!
 

  3)Emami-Fair&Handsome: In 2005, Emami launched Fair&Handsome the first  cream for men. It is the largest brand in the men’s fairness category and the second largest in overall fairness category in India. So much importance has been given to fairness that it straight away means if you're not fair make it. Can only fairness get someone content?!

4)     Godrej-Fair glow: It is known to give a ‘Fair glow’.
      

• The similarity in all these products is that they will raise the white skin hidden under the dark skin. So, can they change the genetics?!!

Hindustan Unilever is responsible for letting such names’ products get launched. Though, on June 25, 2020 it had decided to remove words like ‘fairness’, ‘whitening’ and ‘lightening’ from the products and to change Fair&Lovely’s name. It is progressing from ‘fairness’ to ‘glow’. Which according to it is “a more holistic and inclusive measure of healthy skin”.

However, changing the name will not make a difference in those who are obsessed nor in those who are low self-esteemed. Only if we people understand the worth of each other and that we should be grateful for the least of the abilities, then perhaps all these stereotypes could be finished.

Conclusion

The past was full of negative things which are changing by the time, only if we raise our voices… Next time you see a TV advertisement which uses words like ‘nikhar’, ‘fair glow’, ‘gorappan’. Instead of ignoring such ads act against them. In fact, now such things are happening, petitions are being signed on such beauty products. I appreciate the petitions signed on FAIR&LOVELY and other racist products; these are now making a difference in people’s minds.

One last question: How were these ads even allowed to come on TV, at the first place?!