Skin Deep

The last time I travelled to India, I figured that many things had changed. My In-laws' place was not sub-urban like it used to be before and I saw a lot of businesses come up, especially the ones selling designer Sarees and Salwars. Not to mention the ones selling dreams and beauty. There were two beauty parlors just stone's throw away in our quiet neighborhood, promising a slimmer bod and a fairer complexion to all their customers just like many more of their kind.
Since spas, pedicures and manicures are so much more expensive here in the United States, I got tempted to pamper myself with a pedicure and a facial. I chose the nearest beauty joint to go reward myself. Armed with a cell phone so that my MIL can call me if Aarti gets out of hand, I headed out.
I waited for a few minutes before I got to my appointment and could not help over hearing the conversation between the lady that owned the clinic and one of her customers. "I did not see the 'glow' this time" The customer complained. "you should go for the bleach before the facial" the owner suggested. And then there was a big lecture about how to make the skin appear lighter and a sales pitch that promised the coveted glow if a certain kind of creme was used.

Fast forward to my utter disbelief when I saw the variety of facials they offered. They had a gold one, a silver one and an all natural fruit-skin-detox (or something like that) that would not have costed me any less than something similar sounding here in the US. I chose the most affordable one and begged to skip the bleaches or anything else that could be a potential hazard to my over sensitive, acne prone oily skin. I re-heard the similar sales pitch about achieving a glow. In my case, she insisted that she had a product to help with my acne related redness. I politely excused myself saying "I'll think about it".

Walking back home I was suddenly stuck by the fairness obsessed society we lived in. The conversation between those ladies made me realise how beauty is looked at as being 'fair'.

It did not take me much time to notice everything else that was fairness related. the famous "Fair and Lovely" creme was not the monopoly in the market any more, I'd noticed on the trip to a hyper market to buy some groceries. The beauty isles were busting at seams with fairness soaps, lotions and even cleansers. Shah rukh Khan was advertising a fairness creme for men. Isha Deol was endorsing another creme that boasted of making the skin fairer in just six weeks. An unknown model was shown getting a better husband after using a particular fairness soap. And the fairness fever was not confined to the idiot box. People who visited us to see Aarti noticed her complexion before anything else. As I mom, I wanted people to see her as a happy baby. Not a fair one. I wanted them to see the dimple on her cheek or those shining eyes with lush lashes. Nada...her complexion gets the vote. Everywhere, everyone has a faint or a strong obsession with fairness. From my 11 year old cousin to the 75 yr old I knew - everyone is partial to fair skin.
the fairness mania that existed for ever in our society, suddenly manifested itself the moment I started noticing it. i wondered if the outsourcing of the female leads in telugu movies was fairness related as well. I wondered what Aishwarya Rai had more than the earthy and brown complected Rekha to walk away with the title of the better "Umrao Jaan". I was depressed to see the matrimonial ads that wanted a "fair" bride and the tan girls around me that had a complex due to their skin tone. So what does beauty boil down to? Having fair skin?? The most beautiful women I'd seen so far were not fair. They were beautiful without being necessarily fair. The radiance a warm smile generates is lost in the obsession for a lighter skin tone. The girl that is smart and sensible loses the chance to meet her prince charming because she is not fair?? What kind of a message is Shah rukh, the icon of millions giving to his blind fans? Does having a fairer skin promise you a better life partner or worse yet, a better life?
I hope the yonger generation gets to learn that true beauty is all about how are from the inside and nothing about how your skin looks on the outside.
Fairness according to me, is only a reflection of the melanin content under our skin. I am flabbergasted at what a big deal it is made out to be.
That being said, the prayer for being in a society that looks beyond the skin tone joins my prayer for world peace. Amen.