Atyuha Jain, History Association

Colourism is the form of discrimination that favors light-skinned members of the same ethnic group. A widely discussed phenomenon in black communities, it still is rarely spoken about in the South Asian communities. This issue wasn’t always of concern though because it didn’t exist before colonization. Many ancient Indian texts like the Mahabharata and Rig Veda celebrate dark-skinned gods and goddesses such as Lord Krishna and Draupadi.

The Varna system forms the basic structure of the Hindu society which is used to describe the social class divisions created during the Vedic period in Brahminical books such as Manusmriti. The word varna means color translating it directly from Sanskrit, the theory that class distinction earlier was based on skin color and was originally based on differences in the degree of skin pigmentation between a group of lighter-skinned invaders called “Aryans” and the darker indigenous people of ancient India. This theory has been discredited since the mid-20th century. The notion of “color” was most likely a device of classification as colors were frequently used as classifiers.

There are multiple mentions in the Rig Veda honoring dark skin individuals as talked above shows that ancient India didn’t discriminate on the basis of color. Presence and acceptance of beauty, valor, and status irrespective of skin color is evident in ancient texts. Dark skin tone didn’t attach a stigma and was used as a describing feature of a population or person.

After being invaded by the Mughal rulers, many people of Persian and Arabic heritage who had a fairer skin tone lived in the subcontinent. While Mughals ruled the country for approximately 300 years, there is no evidence on rulers discriminating against the people on the basis of their skin color.

The seeds of colourism were nurtured during the colonial invasion of India. The British, who had fair skin, began preaching their idea of being superior and more intelligent as a race and that they were meant to rule over “inferior” humans who had a darker skin colour. Darker-skinned Indians were less likely to be hired by the British Empire: they were given odd jobs that had tedious work while lighter-skinned Indians were seen as “allies” of the British and were thus hired more frequently for government roles. This notion of whiteness being continuously associated with being civilized and beautiful left Indians with the desire of having lighter skin tones. After hundreds of years of being ruled by lighter-skinned individuals like the Muslim rulers of India and the Europeans (with them institutionalizing the idea), unknowingly or unwillingly, social superiority was associated with those having fairer skin tones.

This did not change post-independence, for Indians continued to perpetuate this obsession with fairness. However, this mindset that promotes colourism completely goes against the genetic makeup and climatic conditions that lead to the production of melanin (the pigment that decides skin tone) in humans.

This idea of lighter skin being better than dark is deeply internalized in the minds of people, so much so that they go to extreme lengths just to make their skin lighter. The media has only helped further normalize this prejudice. It governs beauty ideals that glorify lighter-skinned male and female models; almost 90% of all advertisements show lighter-skinned models. All celebrities promote “fairness” products. Sadly, light skin is not just promoted by the “fairness” product market: billboards of upcoming movies seem to show that making it to the film industry is possible only for light-skinned men and women. Television advertisements for skincare products emphasize that the fairer a woman’s skin, the more likely she is to find a job, a husband, or even happiness. 

Major brands often exploit insecurities about the skin colour of people for financial gain through marketing skin lightening products. Brands like L’Oréal and Garnier who are never seen promoting “whitening” creams and products elsewhere have a huge market of the same in India. Indian markets are drowning in whiteness creams and bleaching products such as Garnier White Complete, Ponds White Beauty, Natural Glow Fairness Cream by Himalaya, Olay Natural White, L’Oréal White Perfect, and Nivea fairness cream. The advertisements of these products and brands constantly show dark-skinned models transforming into relatively lighter and brighter skin by the mere use of creams on the skin. The use of skin bleaching products is normalized despite the major harmful effects it can cause. 

This problem has come a long way from just whitewashing and editing photos to make oneself seem fairer; if people could shed their skins to have a lighter tone, they would do it in a heartbeat.

The realm of matrimony is where some of the most prominent manifestations of older generations imposing colorist ideas occur. Matrimonial advertisements of all castes and religions in national newspapers provide great insight into the one constant attribute needed in a potential partner—fair skin, which shows the love Indians have for fair skin. The Netflix show Indian Matchmaking, where its protagonist, an Indian woman who hunts down potential spouses for her clients, puts lighter-skinned individuals on a pedestal by showing their lighter skin tones as a desirable attribute. This is another example of how the media plays an active role in reinforcing this harmful prejudice.

However, the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, which caused worldwide protests and anti-racism discussions, has sparked a societal awakening in South Asian countries. As a result of these protests, people have begun to criticize colourist notions and the ongoing spotlighting of discriminatory concepts in pop culture. Due to this awareness, Unilever, the parent company of the popular skincare brand Fair & Lovely, announced that the words "fairness," "whitening," and "lightening" would be removed from all skincare products under its umbrella, and the Fair & Lovely brand would be renamed Glow & Lovely. However, at the end of the day, does anything really change? The product continues to be on the shelves of stores with a different name.

 Studies that showed the correlation between symptoms of depression and prejudice against darker-skin tones highlight the damage that colourism has caused. 

However, social media can play a key role in dismantling these outdated beliefs by connecting those who question and oppose colourism to like-minded individuals. This generation of individuals is seeking to reject these values instead of internalizing them. The idea of beauty that has been ingrained in the minds of people through generations of colonisation has been deepened through the fair-skinned images everywhere in the media. It is very disappointing that a country that celebrates diversity categorises beauty in such a manner. We can address this prejudice only by recognizing, challenging and dismantling the racism that supports colourism. 

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