In spite of 'dark skin' tone becoming synonymous with 'dusky beauty' , India's obsession with 'fair skin' continues .
In spite of 'dark skin' tone becoming synonymous with 'dusky beauty' , India's obsession with 'fair skin' continues . And a recent survey by a research firm just goes to prove it. It concludes that India , and other countries like Korea, Japan and China, are huge markets for an array of skin-whitening products.
Rajashree Thakur, one of views for her performance , she is presently sought after by many production houses.
"Now that I am successful , people tell me that I got the role only because of my skin and that I wouldn't bag another one like it because fair girls are always the first choice! Which effectively means that they believe I am just a 'one serial wonder' , though I have been doing theatre for many years and have also starred in an Indo-French film," says Thakur. She says that wherever she goes, she comes across scores of women who live with an inferiority complex because they happen to be 'brown' .
Kakoli Sen, an artist, agrees. "How many matrimonial ads does one come across which say: 'Wanted a lovely, dusky complexioned girl' ? That speaks volumes about our attitude. As a child, I was often perplexed when people commented on my dark skin. My mother brought me up to feel it was a beautiful television's leading ladies, has reason to believe the survey's claim. Dusky-toned Thakur was apparently told by 'well meaning' industry professionals that her skin tone would work against her. However, Thakur had the last laugh when she bagged a role in a serial that revolves around the travails of a dark complexioned girl who is often prejudiced against, but eventually wins over every situation. Receiving rave recolour but somewhere deep down I knew that most Indians believed it to be otherwise ."
How does one deal with such antiquated attitudes? The answer, most believe, is a generous dose of humour. "How else do you cope with people who give you unsolicited advise on what creams and natural remedies to use to 'lighten' your skin tone? It is assumed that you are unhappy with your skin colour when you are not," says Vandana Nair, a media professional.
It is not just women who bear the brunt of unkindly jokes. Men face it too. "During my graduation days, I was often teased with - 'No soap can lighten your skin tone. You need to go to the Himalayas and meditate for years' ," says Utkarsh Pandya, an entrepreneur.
A chemist from a city based medical store adds, "Fairness creams sell like hot cakes. I have never had a single person asking for a tanning cream, it is always about getting fairer."
And we thought that Bipasha Basu, Nandita Das and Co. had changed the rules!
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