Face Off

The more scathing criticism is the allegation that Davuluri is too “Indian looking” to ever win a pageant in India.

Without going into the history of our roots or the Aryan invasion,is there really one defining look for the people of India? We’re a country of over a billion,Sikkim has nothing in common with Kerala,nor does Kashmir with Tamil Nadu,not language,ancestry,or food habits. Looks-wise,Indians are both fair and dark,sallow,wheatish and olive skinned,tall and short,probably in equal number. But the perception of Indians universally as being dark and swarthy,inexplicably,still prevails. Sure,society at large seems to have a penchant for

the lighter skinned,at least if

you go by matrimonial ads in newspapers. But the requirement for a “fair” bride is almost always followed with the adjectives “homely” and “convent educated” as well. It makes you wonder whether people think fairer brides are more likely to be homely.

India is hardly the only country with an obsession for fair-skinned beauties; you can count on your fingertips the number of African Americans who’ve made it to mainstream Hollywood. Throughout Asia,broadly,dark skin is equated with hard labour,while fairness is associated with aristocracy.

The global demand for skin lighteners is expected to reach $19.8 billion by 2018 and according to some reports,Japan,not India,represents the largest market worldwide. Meanwhile,in a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side,Americans and Europeans flock to tanning salons desperate for a bronzed colour or endure the blazing sun in Goa only to turn a bright tomato red.

We may still be the second largest consumer of fairness products in the world but India’s concept of beauty is evolving to include all skin types. Take the five leading female actors in Bollywood right now — Priyanka Chopra,Deepika Padukone,Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif,all ravishing beauties at the top of their game but Chopra and Padukone can’t be described as light skinned and that hasn’t hampered their career one bit. Fairness has begun to matter less and less at least judging by even the next rung of actresses in Mumbai like Asin,Mahie Gill and Richa Chadda. Every Indian supermodel one remembers,Sheetal Malhar,Nayanika Chatterjee,Bipasha Basu and Carol Gracias are dusky,for lack of a better word. The light-eyed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,who won Miss World,was trumped in the Miss India competition by Sushmita Sen,fairness not being a guarantee for the crown. Since then there have been enough Miss Indias like Diana Hayden and Tanushree Dutta who don’t fit the traditional description of light skinned beauties,but won the competition nevertheless.

It’s unfortunate that superstar trendsetters like Shah Rukh Khan are complicit in this illogical quest for fairness and have no problem appearing in lightening cream ads that show colour-corrected versions of themselves. Especially since it’s questionable how well these whitening creams work anyway. Companies that manufacture them are mostly just tricking vulnerable consumers who don’t know any better. All fairness products contain hydroquinone,a chemical with a bleaching effect that in high doses can cause irritation

and redness. So far,for many women,the rewards outweigh the risks. But this is one booming business,that much like a tan,will eventually fade away.

Leher Kala

hutkayfilms@gmail.com