I truly believe that the Saif-Priyanka-Neha ads have taken the usual Fair n Lovely regressiveness to newer heights. They just remind me of a piece I had written for my Advanced College Essay class about the Fair n Lovely ads controversy a couple of years ago. Its sad to see that the essay is STILL relevant. (Please don't mind the overly essay-ish language)
...
...
I have terrible news for all the ardent devotees of the Indian television. While some of you may have already figured this out, some might still be wondering where the much-hyped Fair and Lovely commercials have disappeared. If you are already missing them, buck up, because you won’t be seeing them for a very long time, thanks to the recent ban on these ads by the All India Women’s Association. One of the ads featuring two young women sitting in a room having a personal conversation has become an integral part of the Indian television routine over the years. The woman with a fair complexion has a boyfriend and, obviously, is happy. The darker one, without a partner, is not. Her friend’s advice: use a skin-whitening cream to get rid of “the dark skin that is keeping men from flocking” (Indian Women Criticize Fair and Lovely Ideal).
This is one of the many commercials that helped Hindustan Lever Limited (commonly known as HLL) dominate almost eighty percent of India’s skincare market, which is valued at about $150 million a year (India Fatally White). Interestingly, the company is the Indian subsidiary of UniLever PLC, based in London. To some, the commercial may seem cheesier than a typical Bollywood flick and particularly offensive due to its discriminatory connotations. But, to the Indian eye, it is a reply to long hours of prayer. Fair and Lovely, the savior from dark-skin, is an embodiment of the deep-rooted Indian desire to be fair.
The ad attacked by the All India Women's Association shows a woman, “whose father had lamented not having a son to support the family, landing a well-paying job as an airline attendant after using the product” (Indian Women Criticize Fair and Lovely Ideal). According to Brinda Karat, the general secretary of the association, the ads are “discriminatory on the basis of skin color” and “an affront to woman’s dignity,” because it shows fairer women having greater job success based on their skin color (A Fair Way of Advertising). The ban propelled by her association has been imposed all over the country and the ads have disappeared. In short, the market has worked. So, what makes me dig up this old controversy from its grave?
Last week, a quick trip to a nearby Indian grocery and the sight of shelves stocked with the familiar pink and white boxes made me realize that the ads may have vanished, but Fair and Lovely is far from disappearing. I held up the box and read the bold label’s bold claim: “The World’s No.1 Fairness Cream now gives you unmatched radiance in just six weeks.” Industry analysts estimate that the 25-gram tube of cream priced as little as Rs.23 or 50 cents draws in $60 million annually for HLL (Fair Color as a Cultural Virtue: Creams for a Lighter Skin Capture the Asian Market). In such a scenario to state that the market worked because after several years of struggle two advertisements were banned, “long after HLL had generated considerable revenue by pushing the message that lighter skin equals happiness seems a bit disingenuous” (The seduction of Fair and Lovely). The controversy has seemingly ended but this is not the resolution I had envisioned as the problems associated with the product continue to persist. After all, how can the All India Women’s Association with its 7.6 million members, which only account for 0.01 percent of the Indian female population, represent the wants and desires of the whole of India
The desire to be fair is traditionally rooted in the Indian psyche and is manifested visibly in cultural ceremonies and rituals. According to a survey, it can be linked to the “colonial standards of beauty” (Fair Color as a Cultural Virtue: Creams for a Lighter Skin Capture the Asian Market) and is a reflection of Indians aping the west. But, research shows that the fairness fetish is not a mere colonial hangover and dates back much longer, echoing even in Hindu mythology. Many of the ancient Hindu texts such as the Upanishads laud the most beautiful maidens and goddesses for being endowed with skin ''cast out of white marble'' (Fair Color as a Cultural Virtue: Creams for a Lighter Skin Capture the Asian Market). Popular Hindu Gods such Krishna and Shiva are craftily described as blue-skinned, a euphemism for being dark-skinned, lest one hurts their sentiments. On the other hand, demons such as Ravana are stereotypically depicted as dark-skinned even today in most mythological comic books.
All of the above help HLL shun away any criticism that comes its way by a simple response: “we did not create skin-color bias in India.” In the documentary, “The Dark Side of Fair,” which focuses on the issues of skin color and discrimination in India, HLL argues that the company has simply responded in a pragmatic manner to an existing demand for skin-whitening products in society. Discrimination on basis of skin-color ought to be condemned, but how can one stop millions of consumers making an “aspirational purchase” based on the notion of the superiority of fair skin. In this case, the consumer is making a rational choice....
