White Beauty — skin tones and the illusion of beauty!

White Beauty– Speculations over skin tones!

—Why can’t dark, round and plump be beautiful?

In the era where fair is the ultimate description of beautiful… in the times where televisions complied the assurance of attractiveness with the fairness creams… in the age where dark people are forced deliberately to reassess their skin tone…

In the era where slim is the direct meaning of gorgeousness… in the times where people look at the plump woman with knotted brows… in the age where plump woman are pushed and poked to reassess their shape…

Yes, she is so beautiful…

The modern ideal of feminine beauty is so severely destroyed and hence, it poses a serious threat to the emerging younger generations, who unanimously falls into the idea of making themselves fair and thin and thus, beautiful.

Well… with the effect of globalization and the pervasiveness of the media and its pertinacious concept of portraying those actresses in the ads (who are immensely airbrushed and painted beyond recognition) as the norm for textbook beauty, we are whitewashed to believe that the definitive course of beauty is the fair skin… and yes, don’t forget the reed-thin body.

The whiteness of the skin and the slimness of the waist, it is swanky in all the fields of media… this concept has been regularized as our artistic philosophy – to believe in this false identity. We are too focussed on the beauty that is only skin deep, that we forget to look behind the invariable mask of whiteness.

Who designed the norm for beauty, anyways? I have always wondered about that. Who created the criteria to judge beauty? The criteria that defines some and destroys others. And is this criteria, is it really worth following religiously?
Slim, fair, sleek… Is that really what beauty is all about? Why can’t dark, round and plump be beautiful?

I have met the constant disapproval of my skin tone from my fellow children when I was young. I was taunted deliberately for my skin tone. Many-a-times, I had the desperate urge to change my skin-tone, to fit in that beauty criteria that they all perversely follow. And sometimes, it had snubbed my confidence to step forward and act, because… well… because I was DARK and dark people were not as widely embraced and admired as FAIR ones.

Then when I grew-up and when I was in my teen days, I had faced the same taunts from another set of girls and ultimately, I fell into the wistful dream of becoming white with the help of one such fairness cream (The effort failed. That was another news). It had never occurred to me to break their ideals with my voice and my attitude. It had never occurred to me to stand back and confidently announce my real beauty.

But now… as I am here at this stage —matured — I am forced to look back at those childish days and I am ashamed of my own act. Then… who can blame a guileless child? I was just a little girl with the dream of becoming a beautiful, fair, slim princess and that was not my fault.

THAT WAS, AND IS THE SOCIETY’S FAULT.

These ideals and prerogative notions are thrust upon us even before we form an opinion of ourselves and thus, we are lead to believe the voices from the media than our own.

Many women have faced the brunt of this colour-oriented and size-oriented culture, since men have fallen prey to the standardization of whitening products, as well as the thinning ones, and hence they much prefer a fair and slim woman to the dark and plump one. Funnily, these men, as often than not, will be dark and plump.

Be comfortable with who you are and you will shine …

‘I can’t find her a groom, for she is dark.’

Haven’t you heard such murmurs and declarations from parents?

I don’t know how to judge such people who judge a woman by her color — not by her heart and character and strength. Are they to blame, because they believe these falsities with blind trust, or do I have to blame the widespread agenda against dark skins and round shape?

Those actresses in the fairness creams ads – do they look like that (bleached!) in reality? Well… see for yourselves! (Mm… she is beautiful without the bleaching, isn’t she?)

So why are these lies so prevalent and are still spreading? Because… we are to blame. Every single individual in the society. And we have to change this mind-set now or it will be too late.

If your little one is dark, don’t show her the fairness creams. Show her the light of her inner beauty and strength. Change her outlook and please, please, show her that she is truly, really beautiful, no matter what her skin color is. By doing this, you are immensely helping them against racism (added bonus!)

I hate to see another young girl depressed about her skin color – the same way I was once. I hate to look at those beautiful girls who feel sad because they are not fair and I hate for them to lose their self-esteem over a stupid and trivial concept of color.

This is the time to change the lust towards the fairness and slimness. In truth, dark is as beautiful as fair and plump is as gorgeous as thin.

Be dark… be beautiful. Let your inner soul and character lighten your heart and face, not a useless cream!

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