When Nia Sharma hit back at trolls commenting on her skin tone: ‘Aap bolte raho kaali hai…bhaad me jao’

While she commented on it being a media facade, Nia told Pinkvilla that she has not changed a bit as a person and enjoys the happy space that she is currently in.

Social media trolls can be brutal (Photo: Freepik)

Taking a cue from her candid confession, let’s understand more about colour shaming and how it can affect an individual.

According to Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist, energy healer and life coach, colour shaming is not just casual cruelty, “it is systemic. It is reinforced by the very institutions that claim to celebrate beauty, such as pageants.”

Adding that she has witnessed the scars it leaves behind, Delna said, “Women and men, decades later, still struggle with self-worth because they were told they were too dark to be loved, too dusky to be chosen, too ‘less than’ to be celebrated. These aren’t just words- they are lifelong imprints on the psyche.”

Real beauty is in confidence, in character, in the spark of authenticity – not in a shade chart. “And yet, the damage runs deeper than contests or comments. Colour shaming attaches value to a completely fake, biased definition of beauty. It traps people in cycles of insecurity, leading to obsessive diets, endless filters, and surgeries that never heal the core wound- ‘Am I enough?’ Therefore, it is a valid intervention when actors like Nia take a stand,” Delnna asserted.

Here’s what we must urgently shift

*Media and pageants must represent reality. Showcase beauty in all shades, without tokenism. A child should grow up seeing their reflection celebrated, not erased.
*Self-worth must be rebuilt. Healing involves reframing the body as a home, not a battlefield. Therapy, affirmations, and inner child work help reclaim dignity that colourism tried to steal, said Delnna.

The truth is simple: skin colour is biology, not identity, said Delnna. “Joy, kindness, resilience, empathy, these are the shades that matter. And if society insists on measuring beauty, let it measure the courage of a woman who thrives despite being shamed for her skin. That is true radiance. It’s time we stopped saying kaali hai and started asking ‘khush hai (are you happy?)’ because happiness, not fairness, is what truly glows,” said Delnna.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.

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