Updated: September 30, 2020 12:30:44 pm
We hope that in the near future, more actors will reject the obsession with fair skin in the country and take responsibility for the fact that the film industry plays a colossal role in it. (Designed by Gargi Singh)
Indian hold with lighter skin tones is why melanin-suppressing skin lightening products continue to exist on the market. While it has been a persistent struggle over the years, to end people’s shame based on the color of their skin, it took the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to galvanize and enlighten people throughout the world, and especially in India, where most people have a distinct brown complexion.
But despite the positive developments, some bullies still stick their heads out from time to time to indiscriminately annoy others for their natural appearance, regardless of their socioeconomic background or the fact that they are related to the most famous actor in the country.
Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan took to social media on September 29 to write her thoughts on ‘colorism’. In her post, she shared that she has been called “ugly” because of her “skin tone.”
“I have been told that I am ugly because of my skin tone, by adult men and women, since I was 12 years old. Aside from the fact that these are real adults, the sad thing is that we are all Indians, which automatically makes us brown; yes, we come in different shades, but no matter how hard you try to distance yourself from melanin, you just can’t. . Hating your own people just means that you are painfully insecure (sic), ”he wrote.
Although she is a ‘child star’, Suhana has yet to make her Bollywood debut. Yet she is being praised for speaking out on a topic that the best of Bollywood has not only dismissed but also promoted with guilt. When across the world the BLM movement was accelerating, some actors in India were criticized for their ‘hypocrisy’, for having perpetuated the culture of colorism in the country by endorsing fair products.
Most recently, a song by Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday-starrer ‘Khaali peeli‘faced immense criticism, when she allegedly compared Panday’s lighter complexion to American singer Beyoncé’s darker skin tone. The creators had to modify the lyrics of the song, after a massive protest.
An article dated June 9, 2020, written by Melissa Godin to TIME states that “skin lightening is a multi-billion dollar industry in India. Companies like Garnier and Neutrogena often use famous Bollywood stars in their advertising campaigns. “
As such, the Bollywood dichotomy – on the one hand speaking out against racism and, on the other, promoting equity brands in the country – becomes imperceptible.
List of Indian actors who are speaking at BLM and their justice cream ads, a thread: pic.twitter.com/yUeRNLch6U
– anti pigeon (@aluminiummaiden) May 31, 2020
It should also be noted that while ‘star kids’ have, in the recent past, spoken openly about privilege, access and nepotism, Suhana’s groundbreaking post is the first to openly address the issue of color obsession.
We hope that in the near future, more actors will reject the obsession with fair skin in the country and take responsibility for the fact that the film industry plays a colossal role in it.
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