Who’s the Fairest of Them All

The degree of fairness, from “very fair” to “fair” to “wheatish” seems to be the most important deal-maker in any arranged marriage. It is interesting to see that on most matrimonial sites, complexion takes precedence over educational qualification and occupation.

Are only fair people lovely? Shahid Kapoor’s Vaseline face-whitening ad campaign is in the midst of an international controversy for endorsing white skin. The campaign has launched a Facebook application that allows men to upload their picture and “transform” it to a “new and improved fairer” them, just like the product will do. Attempt to look fair and promote ‘white’ as beautiful is being seen as perpetuating racism.

Unilever, in its defense of the Vaseline campaign told CBS News, “Much like self-tanning products in North America and Europe, skin-lightening products are culturally relevant in India.”

My point is rather than accuse the Vaselines and the Fair & Lovelys for what is just an attempt by them to strategically position their product and make it as saleable as possible, why not question our obsession with white skin?

The notion that dark-skinned girl children always get a raw deal in marriage and at the workplace gets the parents’ sanction more than from these ad campaigns. And thus, there’s the traditional smearing of the bride’s face with turmeric before the wedding and sometimes since childhood, all in an attempt to be able to credibly advertise the hapless girl as “very fair”. Why not keep complexion out of matrimonial negotiations than blame the ads?

From King Khan to Shahid Kapoor to John Abraham to Deepika Padukone to Katrina Kaif to Kajol to Genelia D’Souza and Asin, all have endorsed the idea that fair is indeed lovely. Why do we have such big names in Bollywood promoting such regressive ideas?

The real issue is not the ad but the mind-set. Can we change it? That’s the essential question. Not whether we should ban such ads and Facebook applications.