Watching the advertisement for Fair and Lovely skin cream makes for uncomfortable viewing. The successful fair skinned lady at one points states, in relation to obtaining her dream job, that, "one of the biggest obstacles of obtaining my dream was my skin" more than suggesting, I’d say, that being ‘fair and lovely’ actually means being ‘fair, (powerful and successful) and lovely’.
This is the message given out to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women across the world (particularly India). Rather than being outraged, a generation of women are buying into the power that comes with fairness; namely, wealth and marketability (when it comes to marriage) but why?
Traditionally, the thinking in India that has been perpetuated by the current caste system is that the ‘fair’ skin tones of those at the top (jaat) indicate wealth, while darker skin tones are characteristic of the lower castes (choori) who are poor and uneducated. This is rooted in traditionalist thinking that while the poor (labourers, farmers, etc) were out in the fields getting dark, the elite few (royals and priests) at the top of the social hierarchy were indoors being fair.
Colonialism may well also be a contributing factor to this obsession, as the Indian history of the dominance of the white man, at the time of British Colonialism, may well have had lasting psychological implications about what colour is at ‘the top’. Thus, power, fairness and ‘loveliness’ become inextricably linked.
Time to turn to a ‘hope in a bottle’ solution. This is where the real concern for these products comes in, as it appears that these creams become less about superficial notions of beauty, but tools in which to exploit the poor. The issue of fairness ultimately becomes an issue of poverty. There is a sinister realisation by these women about the value and marketability of ‘fairness’. Why else do the fairest girls in Indian villages get snapped up by the desirable men? My own experience certainly dictates that the thinking is rife (and by no means subtle) that fairness leads to desirability within marriage, which ultimately means financial accomplishment (my family continue to be pained at my ‘darkness’).
It is worrying that places such as Bangladesh and Somalia, to name a few countries where these products are distributed, are exposed to skin lightening creams while lacking more pressing necessities like literacy and education. These are the consumers that are buying into a false promise that fairness is equal to power and wealth, and the only way to be seen. The by-product of this stigma, often small tubes of bleach creams marketed in fancy packages depicting fair skinned women, are found in shops across the world. Fair and Lovely is marketed by Hindustan Lever Limited - headquartered in Mumbai, India - and has made millions in profits by exporting worldwide. However, it is by no means the only of its kind, and therein lies a major problem. The growing availability of ‘copycat’ products that are cheap and contain harmful chemicals provides dangerous implications in areas where illiteracy is high, and products are often misused. Many of these cream bleaches contain chemicals such as hydroquinone, (a potentially lethal chemical which has been banned in countries around the world) along with various other bleaching agents.
It is not unheard of for (poor) customers being scarred permanently, burning hair, skin and scalp, simply because the instructions were not properly translated, or because they are used by illiterate consumers. Thus, selling products such as Fair & Lovely is not just exploiting racism: it is stealing from the poor at best and putting at risk the health of the poorest and least educated people at worst.
It is time for companies such as Unilever to stop perpetuating this thinking through these shameful advertisements, and to ultimately put a stop to the thinking that skin colour could ever be an obstacle for obtaining your dream.