Express News Service

HYDERABAD: As a kid, my classmates used to call me blackie. My teachers would rarely let me participate in school dances or fashion shows. I thought I was not good enough for anything and it left a lasting impact on me, shares a 25-year-old journalist.

While I was interning as a school counsellor, I had adolescent clients who were dealing with body image concerns triggered by name-calling in class because of their skin colour, says K Apuroop, a counsellor. As a model, clients and brands would prefer white skin women and I had to struggle to get to where I am today. Very few designs houses or brands about ten years ago accepted my skin colour and booked me for their shows or shoots, comments Deborah Doris Fell, Ponds Femina Miss India 2013 - II nd runner up and finalist, Kingfisher Supermodels - Season 3.

The fairness creams market in India is estimated to be worth nearly `5,000 crore, and Fair and Lovely holds nearly 70% market share. Naturally, the branding was to convince the average Indian girl to become fair to look lovely. In my over 25 years as a make-up artist, I have had many requests from clients to make them look fairer. I have flatly refused even at the cost of losing some work. Skin should have a beautiful gradation and a glow, whether fair or dusky-skinned, reveals Hyderabad make-up artist Sachi Dakoji.A friend passed a coy comment when some guys were playing blackjack. He said to me with a chuckle that I cant play blackjack because I am black, shares Aditya V, a content writer.

Snide comments on dark or dusky skinned people right from the time they are born are not uncommon. We have quickly gone from oh what a cute and pink child to just oh! for a dusky newborn. Being derided for you will never find a suitable match to name-calling couples Black and White TVs if one is fairer than the other; from our well-meaning grandmothers to pesky neighbours, all and sundry have an opinion on skin colour.

Sushmita Jakkula, founder, The Soaptub Co shares that she gets many requests from clients in their late 20s for soaps that will make their skin fairer. She informs, I try to educate them that being fair-skinned or not, is just genetic. Face masks can improve skin health, but not change skin colour.

In a market obsessed with fairness, numerous companies have sold tubes of creams and jars of bleach in an attempt to make one fair. People over the years have fought hard to break this social stigma surrounding colour. When recently Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) rebranded its face cream to drop the word fair and make it Glow & Lovely, many felt it was a small step in the right direction.

A good thing about taking down the word fair from skin whitening cosmetic creams is that it will provide opportunities to have conversations on systemic racism and body image concerns. When we see advertisements that emphasise fairness to be the beauty standard, it causes viewers to develop negative body perceptions, says Apuroop. Stating that historically beauty standards were often shaped by the culture people are in, he adds, We have a colonial hangover which makes us obsessed with fairness.Deborah terms the name change a welcome decision. She feels, I believe everyone is beautiful no matter what skin colour they have. Colour should never be something that is looked down upon. We must learn to embrace ourselves and love ourselves first in order for others to do the same.

Looking good has always meant fair and lovely, not just what is seen in advertisements, but it has been put as a belief ingrained in us right from our adolescent years, feels Chaitanya Ch, image consultant, StyleChai. It has to set in that, dark is also beautiful, comments she. On her clients, she says, I have noticed that homemakers and even professionals placed in high offices suffer from low self-worth because they are dark in colour.

Harsha Tallapragada, model and an under-graduate student, begs to differ. She says, Firstly, changing the name of the product doesnt really bring changes to the product. Changing the product name is just like changing the cover of an old book. Adding that brands should come up with new products instead, she adds, With beauty trends changing, I dont think one should judge a person based on their colour.

Says Kavitha Emmanuel, Dark is Beautiful campaigner, Women of Worth Founder who is passionate about social justice and gender equity. Good to know that people are talking about colourism and companies are thinking about it. While I started Dark is Beautiful campaign in 2009, it took a long time to get matrimonial alliance firms such as Shaadi.com to rephrase words such as fair and beautiful etc. However, I wish the company will show more commitment to the cause and go beyond just the tokenism of changing the name. The 45-year-old fair is lovely narrative has to change to ensure that the change happens in mindset, and not just the brand name.

Inside GlowThe word radiant or glow to is holistic. It comes from inside and is enhanced by what you put on the outside. It is important to have wholesome food and drink lots of water. On the outside, enhance natural features. Embrace your skin colour and match whatever foundation you are using to that. For warm skin tones, never try to make skin look fairer because this will work against you. It will make you look grey and dull. Find a shade that matches your skin tone. Even while picking eye shadows or blush, pick warmer earthy tones, low warm oranges or deep pinks. This will give radiant-looking skin!-Gazal Surana, makeup artist

tamanna@newindianexpress.com@tamannamehdi

(with inputs from Ananya Mariam Rajesh)

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Thats so unfair - The New Indian Express