Where are the darker skinned role models?
Posted on 19 June 2008 by Aliya Rashid
If an alien had landed at the Bollywood IIFA awards in Bangkok last week, it would have been forgiven for thinking us Asians are a light skinned lot. Â Indeed, if they then sat down and flicked through any Asian magazine, that view would be greatly reinforced.
While ‘white’ celebrities appear permanently tanned, Asian celebs seem to get lighter and lighter.
In the aftermath of ‘fair and handsome’ gate, should we, the Asian consumer, be asking our media, where our darker skinned role models are? Â And is it right for every aspect of the media to be pushing the notion that light is right?
It’s hardly surprising then, that the market for skin lightening products is booming.  Worth an estimated £100m a year in India alone, the industry thrives on the collective colour insecurities of people still suffering from a massive class, caste and colonial hangover. And as for the current debate that skin lightening creams are no different to self-tanning creams in terms of morality, that may well be the case.  The difference, however, is medical, and what these creams can do not only to your skin but also to your internal organs.
The majority of skin lightening creams contain hydroquinone, mercury and the steroid clobetasol. Â Hydroquinone works by stripping and reducing the skin of pigment, melanin. Â This can make your skin susceptible to the harmful effects of ultra-violet rays. Â Ironically, after the initial lightening effects, hydroquinone causes hyper pigmentation which can lead to blotchy skin and start a vicious cycle of using more and more cream to get rid of the blotches.
The other side effects are far more worrying, cancer and organ failure among them. Â Though hydroquinone has been banned in the UK since 2001 it is still very easy to get these creams from behind the counter or over the internet. Â More worrying is the fact that there are British companies manufacturing these illegal creams in Britain and exporting them to third world countries. The morality of this is, if you pardon the pun, beyond the pale. Â These creams often end up back in the UK.
The newer generation of legal creams contain a substance called Kojic acid. Â Look this up on the internet and you find that it is a highly toxic substance which works on skin pigment in the same way as hydroquinone.
Looking through the two biggest selling Asian women’s magazines in the UK, one had a promotion for a skin lightening product and the other had adverts for lightening products. Â It also featured on the cover a very white looking model. Â Look inside; the same picture is a few shades darker though hardly dark at all. Â A cynical manipulation of the skin colour mindset? Or just giving the public what they want?
We are now in 2008, if we want ‘white’ people to stop judging us on the colour of our skin, we need to stop doing it to ourselves first. Â It’s time to take a stand and demand from our media a greater cross-section. Â It’s time to demand darker skinned role models. Â It’s time to take pride in colour, however dark it is. Â It’s time to get out there and glow.
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Tags : aishwarya, mahima chaudhry, shah rukh khan
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June 19th, 2008 at 10:04 am
It’s no secret that many Asian magazines use arab and european girls dressed up in Asian attire.
The media needs to be more responsible and not only stop succumbing to such stereotypes, but also stop further reinforcing it by use of only light models.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Very well written. Well done.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:03 am
It’s not just a problem in Asia. Most places around the world have a pre-conception that the lighter you are, the more attractive you are.
This concept is very common in Africa as well but it’s a global problem and one that has been going on for centuries so it’s not something that will change overnight. As many of you will know, certain members of our Bangladeshi community are guilty of this as well….
June 20th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Racism is rooted heavily into Indian culture. Notice how the bad guys in Bollywood films are of a darker shade. “Untouchables” being primarily of a darker complexion. The word Gori, meaning both white and beautiful, therefore white = beautiful.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
What exactly is the point of this article ? There are all sorts of standards for judging beauty ie weight, height, eye colour, hair etc.
I see no reason why anybody or a society should be condemned for a belief that a particular characteristic is beautiful.
I’m sure the author of this article would decline a fat bald midget as a marriage prospect. : )
Its up to dark skinned girls to learn to live with themselves. I’m fair skinned and prefer fair skinned girls however I’ve dated a few dark skinned girls because they didn’t have a complex about their colour.
Build a bridge over it.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Good article, very well written. I agree, the media needs to better represent all the different shades of Asians - not just the fairer skinned ones.
@ Wahid - the point of this article is that darker skinned women may be killing themselves or at the very least damaging their bodies in a bid to be fairer skinned (probably to please men like you) and be accepted and considered attractive by society. The fact that the media only portrays fair skinned models only contributes to their insecurities.
I, for one, am proud of my chocolate coloured skin!
June 25th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Sweet Like Chocolate!
June 25th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Love this article. It has some depth. Here is an interesting excerpt I found that relates to this article:
Television actress Rajashree Thakur aka Saloni of “Saat Phere” fame says she hates being called a dusky beauty because it symbolises discrimination on the basis of colour.
“Why do people add the adjective dusky and call me a dusky beauty? Why do they differentiate between dark and fair complexions? Beauty is beauty. If they are registering that I am beautiful why add dark to it? I am lucky to have this skin tone. It is a wonderful complexion and I have never found it misappropriate for myself,” she added.
She also said that in India a lot of girls face problems because of their dark skin colour. However, they must never feel inferior and get swayed by chic advertisements of fairness creams.
“Whenever I see the advertisements of fairness creams and products I laugh at them. It is a proven fact that they can’t change anybody’s complexion. I would urge everyone to not get influenced by them.
“Your complexion is god’s gift to you and one should never feel ashamed of it. Moreover, at the end of the day inner beauty is what matters the most,” said Rajashree.
June 29th, 2008 at 12:09 am
in context 2 this article there is hardly any dark skin , models or actress’s represented in the Asian media
u pick up a copy of Asian Bride magazine
the cover is usually 9 times out of 10 a light skinned model
y r we doing this ourselves?
y r we embarrassed of being dark?
its bad enuf in this world we r still being discriminated bt r white counterparts
its far worse whn we do it 2 ourselves!
wot lesson have learnt
have we really moved with the times?
yet we cnt accept r own skin colour
i sat with the channel stuck on zee tv 4 a whole day
anything tht was a drama had people caked in foundations
set as close 2 white as possible
its nt an example of real people
thy media corporates need 2 wise up quickly!
& these silly creams tht lighten yer skin
watch in 5 years time whn u have blotches tht cnt be repaired
the cream is basically a lite version of bleach
yer burning the inner layer of yer skin
scabby skin is also wot u dnt want
& there goes yer beauty…………
lets have more dark skinned stunners……….
July 4th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Think yourselves lucky - you have some gorgeous role models - who do the ‘whites’ have;
1. Amy Winehouse - urgghh - nothing else to say.
2. Pete Docherty - drug moron.
3. Lilly Allen - foulmouthed cretin.
I would much rather we had someone like Rajashree Thakur or Malika Sherawat for our lot to look up to!
July 4th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Mallika Sherawat?? No doubt the day we look up to her will be a very sad day.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
There are both differences and similarities here!
Caucasians like to go and have a tan - for vanity reasons. Saying that, having a tan is a sign of being well-heeled and well-travelled.
In Victorian England, tanned/darker skin was associated with menial labour work. This train of thought applies to Asians of today.
Let me give you examples. In Thailand, fairness is associated with being upper-class and tanned skin people generally do the more ‘unwanted’ work. When I was in Dhaka to do some consulting for GP, I noticed this trait as well. In India, this is somewhat of an obsession - trying to obtain a fairer complexion.
Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the majority of us have been moulded to think of fairness as an indicator of beauty. Why? I do not know.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I dont know why Asians look down on dark skinned people. They love taesing them with “kala”. A lot of dark skinned people are attractive, and a lot of light skinned people are ugly. Bipasha is dark yet beautiful, shes the 3rd bset looking Indian actress.
April 17th, 2009 at 4:20 am
@Wahid
What a stupid comparison!!! I’m offended that you had the nerve to compare a “fat bald midget” to dark skin period! There really is such a thing as beauty but it’s NOT based on skin color! Actual flaws such as baldness, acne or wrinkles are universally unwanted whereas skin color is part of a race’s identity. All cultures have beauty standards but they origially supported what that particular race looked like. East Asians didn’t always want larger eyes, Arab didn’t always want straight noses and Indians and Blacks DID NOT ALWAYS WANT LIGHT SKIN!!!Hmmmm… who are all these characteristics centering around??? All dark-skinned races were proud of their complexion in the beginning. People are just ignorant and take things at face value instead of looking at history to see why there’s such a fascination with pale skin and no, it’s not from caste or working outdoors vs. indoors thing (if people actually used their brain they would notice how this explanation completly disregards how dark skin is GENETIC for Indians and not a TAN). It’s called European Colonialism!
Early Dark Skin pride in India (6th paragraph down)
http://www.shunya.net/Text/Blog/MarcoPoloIndia.htm
Below is an interesting article on how caste is not based on race or skin color. Pay particular attention to what the four varnas i.e. colors REALLY mean! 4th and 13th paragraphs
http://www.india-seminar.com/2001/508/508%20dipankar%20gupta.htm
May 16th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I am from Montreal, Quebec. I am white and I am UN VRAI QUEBECOIS !!! I’m having this huge INDIA passion since a year; learning hindi, watching bollywood, cooking, learning religions, contry’s history, etc….basically, I LOOOOOOOOVE DARK INDIAN WOMEN :) ….I was really sad to learn that there are so few of them present in movies & media.
==> dark women rocks…
cheers to all :)
July 29th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Its totally sickening. I am sick of India’s double standards and blatant colourism! They do it to themselves.