India’s popular “fairness cream” a sign of deep racism
January 20th, 2010 by Wil Robinson
In light of Senator Harry Reid’s racist remarks about Obama (get it – in “light” of!), and Rush Limbaugh’s overt racist comments about Haiti, I bring you: “Racism: Bollywood Edition.”
When President Obama was elected, it was hailed in India as a sign of racial equality - as if it were some kind of achievement on a global scale. Indian pundits and writers opined that America had finally crossed the racial barrier the rest of the non-white world already had – and most Indian media implied that this was a non-existent barrier in India (because they aren’t white).
Oh, how wrong they are.
Meet one of India’s most popular products: fairness cream.
Really, when you think about it, the idea of putting lotion/cream/powder on your face to make you look white(r) goes beyond even the kind of racism America is dealing with 150 years after the end of slavery, and 30+ years after the end of Jim Crow. Say what you will about American racists – at least they don’t have the kind of power and persuasion that would make American people of color try to make themselves white (at least, not overtly).
The advertisements are everywhere – over bus stops, on giant billboards, interspersed throughout mainstream magazines, in stores, on TV…almost everyday I run across some Bollywood celebrity advertising some shit that is supposed to make you pasty.
It’s shameful. Sickening. And the actors (using that term loosely –if you’ve ever seen a Shahrukh Khan movie you understand) that endorse these products ought to feel ashamed and beg for the forgiveness of their fellow Indian citizens for insulting them.
The infatuation with light skin can’t be blamed on the British. There has always been a connection between skin color and caste in India, though overt displays of the caste system are less pronounced nowadays. In India today, caste usually is manifested more as class. Most upper-caste/class Indians are lighter skinned, and most darker Indians are lower class (though being light-skinned doesn’t automatically make one upper-class/caste).
Marriage proposals and personal ads consistently request a “fair” bride/groom. Almost all the actors in Bollywood are fair-skinned, and ALL advertisements use only fair-skinned Indians (I’ve been actively looking for any advertisement over the last 3 days that uses a dark-skinned Indian – who isn’t playing the role of someone’s servant/assistant/peon – haven’t found a single one).
![[...it's worth noting that none of these products contains SPF protection...]](http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/neutrogenacream.jpg)
[...it's worth noting that these products are cosmetic only - none actually contain any SPF protection...]
The actresses that get the most attention and enjoy the highest status seem to be those that can look the “whitest.” Going strictly by media, one might surmise that India is a country of light-skinned people – but my experience with the 20 million people in Mumbai everyday is that fair-colored Indians are a minority.
The worst part is what this social standard does to children. The young teenagers I work with twice a week aren’t exactly privileged. They have more than enough factors working against them in life – low income, a piss-poor public education, disease, malaria, malnutrition, stunted growth, some (not all) with abusive/negligent parents, and cultural norms that put the females at a disadvantage.
But to top it off, their favorite Bollywood stars are telling them that beauty and success is skin-deep.
![[...I like how this one uses the phrase "white perfect"...]](http://www.internationalpoliticalwill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/loreal-perfect.jpg)
[...note the use of the phrase "white perfect"...]
One of the girls in the class has said to me more than once that she “likes my skin” because it’s “so fair.” Another tells me she wants to go to America because “all the people have so fair skin.” Comments on the “nice” color of my skin are a regular occurrence (though I always disagree with them, pointing out that in the sun I burn quicker than a piece of toast, and that America is full of people of all colors).
A young 14-year-old boy in the class wants to be an actor. Even if he were fair skinned, the chances of being an actor are ridiculously small. But I can’t help thinking that if he did get into some Bollywood producer’s office, they would only see his dark skin instead of his skills, engaging personality, deep voice, and intelligence.
It isn’t just the under-privileged children that have been indoctrinated with an inferiority complex over skin color. After a dinner with three upper-middle class Indians last week, we took a group picture – and I overheard the Indians remarking that “they look black next to us in the photos.”
So what? Why is that something to feel bad about?
America might be faced with serious issues regarding race, but make no mistake – the country offers more things for more different people than any other place in the world. Sen. Reid’s comment and Rush Limbaugh’s lunacy might be exceptions – but at least they are that – exceptions.
There is no decent market for fairness cream in America. Actors, celebrities, and people in advertisements are not limited to a lighter shade of pale. American children can dream of becoming anything they want when they grow up – regardless of skin color – and Obama’s election proved that to be true.
But if Indian media want to claim President Obama is proof of some kind of global “progress” in race-relations, they better realize one thing:
It was America’s progress – not anyone else’s.
And as long as influential Indians continue to endorse fairness cream, telling their fellow citizens that skin color matters, India won’t be making any similar progress.
Tags: john abraham, India, race, rush limbaugh, racism
The lightness-whiteness trend is also vogue in China and Japan. Big business, big dollars.
Bill–
I think the China/Japan issue is slightly different. Chinese & Japanese already are white - so it somehow doesn’t seem as wrong as a society where people are all shades of brown. Also, when I lived in Japan, most of the white cream stuff I saw also had SPF protection in it…so there could be some kind of health factor involved.
Kim G. pointed out that whiteness cream was used during the Elizabethan period (sometimes with harmful/deadly results…). So it’s nothing new - but Britain, Japan, and China all are essentially “fair skinned” to begin with - India is not.
I understand the whitening cream used in Japan is a throw back to class. Upper classes did not work outside, hence were whiter than the farmers (have a look at some old photos, Japanese people used to be darker due to agriculture being a major industry). Given the generalisation that everyone wants to appear better, richer, or of a higher class, I would argue the cream reflects more of a class dispute rather than racism. This theory is also evident in other asian and african cultures.
I liken it to western culture, where to be tanned is still considered healthy and a sign of possible wealth (more free time, therefore more time to have fun outside).
Hey Jon-
Nice to hear from you.
The thing is that in Japan, “white” is the natural state. Skin color isn’t dark because they are born that way, it’s dark because they are tan. There’s a big difference between being “tan” and being “brown.”
India is different - the natural state of thing is some shade of brown, no matter how much they avoid farming. Moreover, telling people who are naturally brown that they need to be white goes beyond class - it is racist because it’s telling them “no matter how high your class is, if your skin isn’t white, you don’t fit in.”
Thus, the whitening cream in India is a way for people to try and transcend race - not just avoid the effects of working in the sun.
As I am not American, so I cant really verify nor argue the following… however I find it interesting there has allegedly been reports amongst the African Americans resenting the fact Obama is too light…
The post reminded me.
Im afraid my India genetic knowledge is not up to scratch, so I’m happy to bow out of this string of comments.
Wil - This is fascinating. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I plan to link up to this post.
Dude, I don’t know how many black Americans you hung out with here, but it’s there also. Ever heard the expression “keen” nose? “Light skinneded?”
Latin Americans also have an upper class that is mostly white.
— guero — (pronounced whe-doe) means light skinned or blondy, or whitey. Sometimes derogatory towards whites, but usually affectionate when referring to a latino.
I’ve heard people compare the use of fairness cream/skin lightener to white people’s use of tanning booths, self tanner, and the practice of sunbathing. Living in Mumbai, I think there’s some significant difference. But I’m not sure if it’s a matter of degree or some fundamental difference. I’m not sure if I can even accurately describe it.
I’ve heard many white people (and some non-white people) say they are attracted to exotic-looking guys or girls with dark features. And here in India, there seems to be some preference (certainly as evidence by the overwhelming preponderance of Greek-looking (light-skinned, though dark-haired) Bollywood starlets) for fairer skin. And I’ve heard girls say, “He’s handsome, even though he’s dark.” However, I must admit that, though such a comment - which seems a mild preference for light skin - may not be ostensibly different from the aforementioned preference for exotic (read “dark”) looks.
But there’s some level of status about skin color here that’s not there in the US (of course, you have racism there, and many incremental degrees of it, much based on skin color - the more one debates it with oneself, the more difficult it is to see any clear-cut difference). But, for example, here in India, skin tone is mentioned in almost every matrimonial ad (as you’ve said).
But then, we have SWF vs. SBF in the personals. Hmm…
I’m reached no conclusions, but I offer up my inconclusive ramblings for perusal.
(And, Wil Robinson, I think you will find darker Indians getting chances to advertise products in the south…but, of course, that’s because people trend darker there.)
(I think you have a picture of Deepika Padukone holding the Neutrogena product there in your post - when I noticed her becoming popular, I was encouraged that there was at least one somewhat dark actress (maybe in addition to Bipasha Basu) who seemed to be considered attractive. But when I saw her on TV, admonishing me that even an hour in the sun can set my fairness plan back by TWO WEEKS, I was crestfallen, to say the least.)