Fairness Madness!
16 October, 2019 by
Fairness Madness!
Dwarak Badrinath

 


If Snow-white was real and lived in India, she would be flabbergasted by the amount
of admiration and adulation she would get just for existing.

Some would look at her and want to be her. Some would want to date her. And some would want to make her their daughter-in-law. Even Snow white would question, “Why in the world these people are obsessed with me?” And you know what else she would do? She would ace interviews, get promotions, and become successful just because she is in fact “fairest of them all”. Many have raised voice against this brazen bigotry, yet we are still bombarded with hoardings and advertisements claiming to “Brighten, Lighten, Whiten” our melanin infused skin. Even the genes responsible for producing melanin and determining our skin color must be asking us, “Wait, we are the ones who get to decide that and how does it even matter to you?” Let’s get real; we are still under the colonial rule of lighter skin tone and there aren’t enough freedom fighters to free us from its clutches yet. We laud actresses/models who reject fairness product ads and stand up against the discrimination, and then we go our old ways by dancing like nobody’s watching on songs with words basically admiring the white skin of some beautiful girl. Beauty and light complexion is synonymous for us, and it is so deeply ingrained in our brains that I am unable to estimate the time it will take for us to change our perspective. Women are caking on weird stuff on their faces to attain the unattainable. Men are also not allowed to be dark and handsome at the same time these days. We all need to fathom that there is practically nothing worth boasting about possessing something, which is completely controlled by our genes. For the sake of human intellect, stop chasing this mindless idea of beauty and accomplishment. No one is given a shade card to choose what skin color they are born with. And imagine what a creepy world it would be if we all looked like clones. Beauty products do not need to bring out the “inner/hidden glow” in us. We are humans, not fireflies. How sad it would be if powerful women like Katherine Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and countless other dark-skinned forces of nature doubted themselves because of their skin color and denied us a chance to experience their awesomeness? And please don’t defend this idiocy by saying, “Hey, we are not the only country to do that.” That does not allow us to continue being bigots. Think about what happens to the minds of little girls and boys when they observe such regressive ads, products, and ideologies on a regular basis. It messes with their self-esteem and a seed of doubt gets planted there itself. Let’s not water that seed and allow it to grow into a poisonous weed. After all, the human race has the capability of evolving from being cavemen to spacemen. Can we try to be less stupid and not ridicule centuries of human evolution? We definitely deserve better than the whitewashing of our stunning colored diversity. Your skin is a part of your body, and just like the rest of your body, the skin deserves your care and attention too. So, instead of falling prey to the absurd criteria of beauty, focus on keeping your skin healthy by nourishing and protecting it.


Fairness Madness!
Dwarak Badrinath 16 October, 2019
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