Why are Asians obsessed with fairness? - The 'Snow-white complex' vs Tanorexia

This is absolutely hilarious especially after you watch the original below

 This video is beyond words- I reserve my comments

From Korea to Japan to Thailand, dark skinned people are looked down upon . That being said, this issue is not just unique to South Asia, whitening creams are sold by Olay, Ponds and many other favourite brands profit off these ideas in Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and even East/South East Asia. At first glance this seems to be the flipside to the “Western” afflication of Tanorexia.  Bleaching vs. Melanotan

Indian VOGUE’s issue is tackling colour prejudice within the country, with a cover promoting darker skinned models. Under the headline “The Dawn of Dusk” five bikini-clad models aim to dispel the prevailing belief in the sub-continent that pale skin equals beauty. Just using the word Dusky has with it negative connotations.

"Every generation has its share of beauty myths. Perhaps it is time to bust this one," the editorial says. "Time to say that as a magazine we love, and always have loved, the gorgeous colour of Indian skin...dark, dusky, bronze, golden - whatever you call it, we love it."

 The appearance  of light-skinned Bollywood stars and models, the demand for skin-whitening creams - from big-gun brands like L'Oreal and Unilever - grew 18 per cent in 2010 and is set to increase by a predicted 25 per cent in 2011.

There’s a creation story in Thailand. In the beginning god created man. At first, he cooked the people too much (dark skinned people). Then he cooked them too little (pasty westerners). Finally, he cooked them just right (light skinned Asians).

In countries where “whiteness” is preferred, you’d think there would be racial tensions but there aren’t. In Asia, there are no race riots, no KKK, no nationalist parties, and no race based organizations.

Historically, dark skin was associated with people who worked in the fields (also known as the poor). The upper class stayed indoors and in the shade. Asian countries look down on dark skin not because of racism but because they don’t want to be perceived as poor.

In Asia, it’s good to be white. TV stars are white. Models are white. Everyone is airbrushed until they look like gauzy, ghostly versions of themselves.

"Looking for a slim, homely and fair girl for our son" - that is usually how most matrimonial ads read, the stress being on the word "fair". Many say it is proof of our obsession with a person's skin colour.

Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at New Delhi's Apollo Hospital, says obsession with fair skin has something to do with the British colonial era.

"Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion," Dhir said.

According to experts, a fair skinned person is considered attractive regardless of whether that person has a symmetrical face or a healthy figure.

The desire to be lighter-skinned, according to Indian anthropologists, is ancient, carved into the culture by waves of light-skinned invaders, and is also linked to India’s complex social hierarchy, or caste system. Those higher up the scale generally tend to have paler skins than people on the bottom rung. Perhaps this "snow-white complex " is related to the so-called "Aryan Invasion Theory"  with regards to India.

Some Indian women are so concerned about pigmentation that during pregnancy they eat saffron, powdered gold and green grapes, and drink lots of milk, in the belief that this will make their babies lighter-skinned.

Recently, spice shops and newly opened Indian and Pakistani beauty parlours in South Africa have been doing brisk business with “fairness” creams.

Former beauty queen Sorisha Naidoo claims her products have sold out since pictures of her “new fair self” appeared in newspapers. 

Naidoo, whose Pure Perfect skin-lightening creams are proving so profitable, said she’d decided to lighten her own skin because she was insecure about her colour.

“A photo shoot in a bikini for FHM brought out my insecurities ( I remember this issue and she looked really nice!). I really wanted to have beautiful skin and colour and began researching skin-lightening. I have no qualms about the fact that I lighten my skin, because I was unhappy with my original colour,” she said.

At R1 000 for a basic cream and R3 000 for a 113g jar, Naidoo’s products are, however, not guaranteed. "I have clients who put their children on the product — some as young as nine years old, with a reference from dermatologists, so that they are not the slightly darker child in school or in the class picture," says Sorisha 

Matrimonial adverts in India, the UK and South Africa all read the same. Besides the quirks of “girl prefers boys with turbans” , or “preferably vegetarian” you get the inevitable “ prefers fair girl”. I am still trying to figure out what a wheatish complexion means , I suppose it is a colour in limbo between “fair” and “dusky”.

Psychologist Sriddha Lutchman said Indian women’s perception of how dark or fair they were affected their confidence. Lutchman conducted a study in which she asked participants to rate their likelihood of finding a marriage partner, given their skin tone. She found that the lighter the skin tone, or perceived skin tone, of the person, the higher their self-esteem and belief in their eligibility.

“This sense of being better because you are light-skinned has been ingrained from generation to generation. This does not bode well for a large sector of our population, as those who are darker begin to feel inferior. They feel that they are not worthy and that they cannot be beautiful

As an Indian I can unfortunately say that these statements are completely true. What's more is, it's not really comparable to the tan-mania in the West which is purely a beauty thing, whereas the fair skin obsession in South Asia has to do with beauty, social status, self-esteem and affluence. The most successful actresses in Bollywood Katrina Kaif and  Aishwarya Rai, are depicted as lily- white and light-eyed (Rai)and therefore considered the epitome of beauty. Other naturally-dark actresses such as Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu and Deepika Padukone are miraculously lighter in their make-up ads compared to reality.

A good read that points to this is Michael Korda's book "Queenie" I’ve read it and  have  watched the  2-part  mini-series/movie. Korda’s book is structured on the life of his aunt and Hollywood legend Merle Oberon, who is widely considered to have been Anglo-Indian.

Lakshmi Menon - Supermodel

Dr Shalini Kapoor - transformed herself
into a Beverly Hills Barbie.

Dr Kapoor Again

Sorisha - Parfait Pale!

Sorisha before "the Lightening"

Priyanka Chopra

Beyonce too?

Sorisha Naidoo again

 No comment

LOL

That Vogue cover



Aishwarya