Obsession for fairer complexion in the sub-

continent

Salman Rahman Ovi

1020279030
English 105, Section-15
Nasrin Pervin (NPn)
April 30, 2012
 Page | 1

Table of Contents

Page No.
1. Objective2

2. Hypothesis..2

3. Methodology..2

4. Introduction4

5. Root of Obsession for being fair5

6. Fair Skin and Marriage...7

7. Fair Consciousness among Male7

8. Corporations and Media.9

9. Fairness Cream and Skin Disease..11

10. Survey Findings.12

11. Limitations.17

12. Conclusion.18

13. References.19

Appendix-A
 Page | 2

Objective

It is being observed that the obsession for fair skin is increasing among both male and female.

Though in our country, most of the people are brown-skinned, they prefer fair skinned people

while they chose partners. Black is always considered evil in our country. So, dark people often

become the victim of various superstitions. Dark girls find it difficult to get married. Previously

women were concerned about getting a fair skin. Now-a-days men are also trying to make their

skin some shades lighter. My objective was to determine the reasons behind this obsession as fair

skin is not the only pre-requisite of being attractive.

Hypothesis
None could define beauty perfectly. It is not dependent on anything. Flowers are found in

different colors. All flowers are beautiful. The beauty of a shiny clear sky charms us. We also get

mesmerized to see the dark sky with glittering stars at night. Everything around us that makes us

pleased is beautiful. Even the smile of a child who does not have any teeth can give us enormous

pleasure as it has a beauty of its own. In our country we stereotype attractiveness and beauty

according to skin color most of the time. Though, in this sub-continent, people relate beauty with

fair skin, fair skin is not the only determinant of attractiveness.

Methodology
Both primary and secondary data has been used in this research. Questionnaires were used to

determine the expectations and interest of the students at North South University. A randomly

selected sample of 25 students received the questionnaire and 100 percent returns of

questionnaire were achieved.

Of the respondents, 60 percent were male and 40 percent were female. Among them 23

students were aged between eighteen to twenty-five years of age. Only two students were found
 Page | 3

in the age range of twenty-six to thirty years of age. For secondary data, I have gathered

supporting data from different online magazines, journals, printed journals, magazines etc.

Introduction
In this era of globalization, world has become a global village. Every moment we are

competing with each other to make our own stand. Whole world has become our battle field. All

the time people look for a reason to stand aside from the crowd and establish a distinct identity. It

is truer in a highly populous country like Bangladesh. People go all the way to shine like a

glittering star among all other people. People compete each other to achieve their goal in this

race of life. People now know only doing their best is not enough. We need to think of others

who are in the same race. Since childhood we are aware that western people has greater grip in

science, literature, business, education etc. Middle class people of sub-continent try their best to

educate their children so that they can nail English language and achieve the supremacy which is

already achieved by English speaking white people. Since childhood, we are grown up with the
 Page | 4

stories of foreign heroes like Albert Einstein, Shakespeare and take them as role models in our

mind. We do not realize we get obsessed with every aspects of their life. Though we are not born

with it we try to adopt everything which we think will take us to their level. Big corporations

know human psychology well. They try to capitalize every opportunity of making money. They

try to make money even playing with human emotions. Big corporations sometimes use media to

turn things around them. Corporations are fueling our enormous desire of being singled out from

the crowd by propagating that if we are fair skinned we will get better life partner, desired job,

money , luxury , confidence, recognition etc. Media has got greater control in human mind in

this new era of technology. Media creates and redefines human perception about good or bad,

beautiful or ugly etc. Youngsters are agents of change. A youngster always like change and they

are quickly adaptable to change .Media sometimes uses to take this attitude of youngsters as a

weapon to gain a certain corporate motive. Young generation of this subcontinent always admire

western lifestyle and products. Big corporations are trying to capitalize this obsession even by

changing concept about human attractiveness. Though fair skin is not equivalent to good look,

obsession for fairer skin is increasing among both men and women in this subcontinent.
Root of Obsession for being fair
There are historical, political and geographic reasons behind the obsession for fair skin in the

sub-continent. Jayaprakash (2008) noted that Obsession with fair skin is probably a hangover

from the British Rule. The white skinned people tried to ingrain in our mind that they are

superior to others and much of the colonization happened in this premise.

As Indian history has had a succession of fair-skinned invaders from the north pushing

darker-skinned people southwards. Fair skin is therefore associated with power and success.

Ahmed (2006) remarked that it is ingrained in colonized culture that fair-skin is civilized and

good, and natives or indigenous peoples are dark, uncivilized and dangerous. Ahmed (2006)
 Page | 5

added that many of the gods that are portrayed as blue-skinned in Hindu religion were originally

Dravidians and as the colonizers/Aryans spoke of the darker Dravidians as being ugly, making

their gods blue was a way of coding the dark skin, in a manner that still made them acceptable as

gods.
People associate historical economic status with skin color in this sub-continent. Dark skin is

associated with labour and field work in the sun, and fair skin with wealth, aristocracy and higher

education. Femininity and class have interacted to produce the ideas of fair as beautiful. Fair

was considered beautiful because it indicates women belong to rich family and didn't work

outside to do manual labour and stayed inside, and it was only peasants (chasha-bhusha) who

worked out in the sun, and got dark. (Ahmed, 2006)

Our culture is influencing our obsession for fair skin. The idea that fair is lovely is easier to

unpack if we phrase its opposite, namely that to be dark is considered ugly. Culturally dark is

considered malevolent and evil. The fairness of skin is a yardstick of purity and innocence. In

Bangladesh, fair (or pink-complexioned) women as heroines variously cast in roles of virtuous

wife, virginal bride, loving mother or sister etc. Women belonging to the pantheon of Bengali

folk myths when visually represented are also fair-skinned. (Ahmed, 2006)
These complexion-based rifts were further emphasized through religion. Hindu mythology,

for example, depicts heroic tales of fair-skinned benevolent gods, such as Ram and Shiva,

fighting the darker-skinned devils and demons, analogous to the Aryan versus Dravidian battle.

Religious stories, such as that of Lord Shiva ridiculing his wife, Goddess Parvati, for her dark-

skin color, remain part of the religious literature: One day the god Shiva teased his wife, the

goddess Parvati, about her dark skin; he calledher "Blackie" (Kali) and said that her dark body

against his white body was like a black snake coiled around a pale sandalwood tree. When she
 Page | 6

responded angrily, they began to argue and to hurl insults at one another. Furious, she went away

to generate inner heat in order to obtain a fair, golden, skin. (Padma Purana, Hindu religious text)

In Quran it is said that We shall marry them (believers) to Hooris (female fair ones) with wide,

lovely eyes (Al- Dukhan 44:54)

One could argue that these scriptures were not meant to promote racism based on skin color,

but nevertheless they have created stereotypes in the minds of the readers and followers-

stereotype that have lingered for generations.

Fair Skin and Marriage

"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 color (Indian Obsession, 2009).

Most women is concerned about good marriage but in rural areas dark women are usually

married off to someone much older or the girl's side need to offer a higher dowry than usual to

make up their darkness. Mothers become anxious when their baby girls turn out to be dark as this

puts their daughters at a disadvantage in the "marriage market". Many young women are

rejected and humiliated when they are checked out by the prospective groom and his relatives

because of dark complexion. Would-be mothers-in-law crave for fair-skinned brides for their

sons and men of all ages prefer lighter-skinned partners. As a result, women from all socio-

economic backgrounds go to unbelievable lengths to become just a little whiter. Now-a-days

 Page | 7

even young girls are conscious about not getting tanned in the sun. In our country bridal make-

ups are done in way so that the bride look lighter skinned on their wedding day so that they are

praised and appreciated on the big day. (Islam, 2005)

Fair Consciousness among Male

Aspiration for lighter complexion is considered the prerogative of women. This perception is

no longer valid. In recent years educated, affluent men or men with well-paid jobs have emerged

as a group that seeks to improve what nature has endowed them. A number of exclusive salons

for men in Dhaka testify that in the race for beauty men are not lagging far behind. Though the

trend is a recent one, the number of men visiting beauty salons is certainly on the increase. (Khan

& Zaman, 2006)

Islam, Ahmed, Karim & Amin (2006) said that

Beauty salons for men are springing up offering a wide range of treatments, among them

those that promise to lighten the skin. Thus it is not a strange thing to see men slathered with 'fair

polish' or bleaching creams braving it out on the reclining chair in the hope of a fairer

complexion. What's more, there's a new product in the market called 'Fair and Handsome' that

promises to make a man a few shades lighter over several weeks of use. It seems the standard of

'tall, dark and handsome' doesn't conform to the South Asian ideal anymore.

Asian men no longer believe that fairness is only for women. Now-a-days Asian men want a

skin tone which is very close to fair. Fairness cream for men is highly being promoted in the

market. Indian men, as well as their counterparts in other Asian countries, including Korea and
 Page | 8

Japan are turning to fairness cream. According to trade analysts, mens fairness products are

valued at Rs 30 million, and constitute 35 percent of the market. (Fairness Cream, n.d)

And so women, and, actually, even many men (32 percent of consumers of fairness creams

in India, apparently), make the sun their worst enemy and go in search of their true complexion

(usually brought out in four to six weeks) in tubes and sachets and pots and packs, generally

costing between Tk 6 and Tk 50. (Islam, 2005)

Advertising via celebrity endorsements for skin-whitening products has had profound

influence in making fairness creams popular among men. Sportsperson like Tamim Iqbal, Shahid

Afridi are also endorsing Fair & Lovely-Mens active. They claim this product saves their skin

from getting dark while they play in the sun.

Shevde (2008) said that

Shah Rukh Khan has been signed on as the new brand ambassador for the recently launched

male beauty cream Fair & Handsome. This has resulted in a mass following for the product

based on the deadly combination of Khan's appeal as a Bollywood personality and his ratification

of the fairness cream as an element of his success. This product has had astounding success, even

though there are strong taboos against Indian men using cosmetics creams for beautification

purposes.

Khan & Zaman (2006) claimed that in a globalised culture looks are a serious matter. Good

look is one of the criteria of getting a good job especially in multinational companies. However,

good looks are not only important for social acceptance but also for self-esteem which is deeply
 Page | 9

attached to it. How one wants to project oneself in the society is something that is very important

and it is eternally tied to the ability to take care of one's appearance. A well-groomed look

certainly goes to bolster one's confidence.

Corporations and Media

In South Asia the preference for fair skin has been exploited by the manufacturers of fairness

creams. International cosmetics giants were the initial manufacturer. However, now-a-days local

companies are also producing fairness creams. Fairness creams have been estimated to account

for up to 40% of the profits of the cosmetics industry. (Shankar, Giri & Palaian, 2006)

The emergence of a paler global entertainment industry has served as a stimulus to the

marketing of an international beauty ideal. Beauty pageant winners are usually extraordinarily

tall and breathtakingly slim, have light honey-colored skin, and peddle Western ideals of beauty.

Fairness cream manufacturers sponsor beauty pageants and carry out an advertising blitz in the

print and audiovisual media. (Shankar, Giri & Palaian, 2006)

Shankar et al. (2006) observed that Fairness cream manufacturers have exploited the

preference for fair skin as they have portrayed it as a necessary prerequisite for success in all

aspects of life starting from career to relationship and promoted the use of their product to

achieve the ideal. Many leading manufacturers have expanded their range to include fairness

lotions, cold creams, and soaps and creating hype about their product.

Islam et al (2006) concluded that, in mid and late 1990, fairness product ads, while still

maintaining the husband-catching function, also began to focus on things like self-confidence,
 P a g e | 10

success and prosperity which will be brought by fairness. Women are showed to become more

confident as their beauty open doors to success. A controversial ad was multinational company

Unilever's Fair and Lovely's "airhostess ad". This ad shows a father unable to afford tea with his

sole pension. He sighs, longing for a "support" (He actually longed for a son). His dark-skinned

daughter, realizing her inferiority and incapacity in providing this, becomes determined to be an

airhostess and does so by using the fairness cream and then takes her father to a posh hotel for

coffee.

Some television ads show that a dark-skinned woman who is maintaining the Fair & Lovely

skin-whitening routine before the arrival of a prospective groom can instantly make him fall in

love with her due to the radiant glow on her newly beautified face. Some ads depict the benefits

of having lighter skin in the professional beauty industry. These ads are determined to give this

message that if one buys the fairness product can make her family proud, look beautiful, and

secure a wonderful husband-all of which are considered to be vital determinants of a woman's

happiness in the highly patriarchal and male-dominated society. Oddly, the current brand

Proposition for the cream"Fair and Lovely: The Power of Beauty"implies a more modern

message about choice and economic empowerment. (Shevde, 2008)

Islam (2005) said that

For ages, we've been taught and we've taught that fair means beautiful, and with outer beauty

comes every other success in life. In the modern day and age, businesses pick up on this

obsession, advertise like mad to create demand lest we stray from our inherent beliefs, and

provide us with just what we want and desperately need. And, for most of us, who just want to

look like everyone else, this is fine. Who are we to want diversity, to challenge the stereotyped,

i.e., accepted notions of beauty and glamour and success and set our own standards and trends?
 P a g e | 11

Fairness Cream and Skin Disease

Scientists say that brown skin is better as it can protect itself more from ultra violet ray as it

has more melanin. The chemical that are used in fairness products are harmful and may lead to

skin cancer at it destroys the protective melanin of the skin.

Islam et al (2006) reported that

Dermatologists claim that there is no such thing as a fairness cream, certainly not without

using skin-bleaching agents such as hydroquinone, steroids, mercury salts, and a number of other

ingredients including bismuth subnitrate, hydrogen peroxide, magnesium peroxide and zinc

peroxide. All of these ingredients, says Prof ABM Faroque, Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical

Technology, University of Dhaka, can cause, among more serious health hazards, nephrotoxicity,

mercury toxicity and serious allergic reactions. Nephrotoxicity refers to irritation to nephrons in

the kidney, causing kidney damage. Mercury toxicity includes effects like metallic taste,

increased thirst, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea, nephritis, decreased flow of urine, colitis or

constipation, tremors, anaemia, and skin problems. Mercury has adverse effects on the

developing brain of a fetus.

Survey Findings

I conducted a survey among 25 students of North South University. Most of respondents

were of age in between 18-30. Among our respondents 15 students were male and 10 students

were female. They gave their opinion for various questions.

 P a g e | 12

Are you satisfied with your complexion?

Extremely Satisfied
10 Not Satisfied
12
Wants Fairer Skin

Among the 25 students 40% people reported that they are extremely satisfied with their own

complexion. 12% said they are not satisfied and 48% said they want to be fairer.

Among my respondents 80% said people need not be fair skinned to be beautiful or

handsome. However, 20% believes a person need to be fair skinned to be beautiful or handsome.
 P a g e | 13

Among the respondents 56% said they do not have any preference for a particular skin-tone

while choosing partners. However, 44% of them said skin tone maters to them while choosing

partner.

Do you edit photo?

Does not edit photo

6 Sometimes edit photo
8 Most of the times edit
photo
All the times edit photo
4

7
 P a g e | 14

Among the respondents , 24% said they never edit photo to look fairer before uploading it

on social networking sites.32% of them said they all the time edit photo before uploading it.

Another 16% said they sometimes edit photo and 28% said they edit photo most of the times.

Do you use make-up or do facial before going to parties?

All the times

Sometimes
5 5

Among our respondents 50% said they use make-up or do facial before going to

parties. Another 50% reported they do these activities sometimes. People who reported

their affirmation for these activities were women.

Does fair skin give confidence?

11
12
10 8
8
5
6
4
1
2
0
All the time never most of the tomes Sometimes
 P a g e | 15

Among 25 respondents, 11 reported that fair skin sometimes can make a person more

confident. 8 persons said all of the time fair skin can give confident. Another one person

reported it stimulates confidence most of the time.

Does fair skin help to get attention easily?

sometimes 7

most of the times 4

never 2

always 12

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Among our respondents 12 agreed that fair skinned people get attention very easily.

Seven people reported sometimes it helps to get attention whereas another four persons said i

helps most of the time. Only one person said it does not help at all.
 P a g e | 16

Is there any role of skin tone in career success?

10 10
8
8

6
4
4
3
2

0
always
never
most of the times
sometimes

Among our respondents 10 people said that skin tone sometimes play a role in career success.

However, eight persons totally disagreed that. Three persons informed fair skin can play a role

most of the time. Three respondents said that fair skin has an enormous contribution to career

success all the time.

Do fair skinned people get better marriage proposals?

Aways
4 Never
9
most of the times
6
sometimes
7

35% of the respondents reported that fair skinned people enjoy better marriage proposals all the

time. 23% said it happens most of the times and another 15 % reported sometimes it may
 P a g e | 17

happen. However, the rest 27% people completely denied the link among fair skin and

relationship etc.

Alarmingly 68% of the respondents believe that now-a-days people are more attracted to

physical features. They do not pay attention to inner qualities. While choosing partner they give

highest preference in the physical attribute of the partner.

Are people more attracted to physical features now-a-days?

6 Always
never
2 most of the times
17
Sometimes

In the open-ended question, I asked the respondents to specify the physical attributes that

they want in their partner. Most of them said they do not have any preference. They crave for

beautiful minds. However, some respondents have bias for certain physical features. Tousif,

another student said that I want my wife to be fair. Mushfekun Nahar said, I like tall and slim

guy.

Limitations

I faced lots of limitation during our preparation of this report and they are :

Word limit: In this report we have certain word limit, so it is not possible to
 P a g e | 18

focus on each and every topic in details within this word limit.

Limitation of time: Time was a big barrier for me as I had to collect

information then had to analyze it and finally had to prepare information

based on that information. The collecting information was in primary basis so

it was also hard to have selected people.

Moreover, North South Students is not a perfect representation of the overall population
of

the country. I have found only people of only a certain age group and economic class. Young

people may lie as well to prove them more progressive.

Conclusion

From the survey, it can be concluded that North South University students have mixed

feelings for complexion. However, this does not prove that obsession for fair skin is not

increasing in the sub-continent and people are now no longer preference for marrying fair

partner. A fair-skinned person is considered attractive regardless of whether

that person has a

symmetrical face or a healthy figure. People who would not be considered

attractive in the

United States are considered beautiful in the sub-continent because of their

light skin. Some

who are considered unattractive because of darker skin would be considered

attractive in
 P a g e | 19

countries outside of this subcontinent whereas, many fair-skinned Americans

and Europeans

use tanning salons and fake cream to darken their skin .It indicates
complexion cannot be the

yardstick of good looks and attractiveness. There is no logic to conclude that

fair and beauty go

hand in hand. However, people should be judged by their inner beauty, not
by appearance.

References

Fairness cream (n.d). Retrieved from

http://www.copperwiki.org/index.php/Fairness_CreamIslam, K. (2005, February, 4). The fair

factor. Star Weekend Magazine, 4(32)

Retrieved from http://www.thedailystar.net

Islam, K., Ahmed, H., Karim, E., Amin, A. (2006, May, 12).

Fair factor. Star Weekend Magazine, 5(94) Retrieved from http://www.thedailystar.net

Jayaprakash (2008, March 14).Fair skin obsession in India [Electronic mailing list message].

Retrieved from http://www.window2india.com/cms/admin/article.jsp?aid=680

Khan, I., Zaman, M. (2006, July, 21). Male grooming. Star Weekend Magazine, 5(104)
 P a g e | 20

Retrieved from http://www.thedailystar.net

Ray,S.(n.d), Does fair mean Beautiful?

Retrieved from http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/does-fair- mean-beautiful/

Shankar, P., Giri, B., Palaian, S. (2006) Fairness creams in South Asia

A case of disease mongering? PLoS Med 3(7): e315. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030315

Shevde, N. (2008) All's Fair in Love and Cream: A Cultural Case Study of Fair & Lovely in

India. Advertising & Society Review, 9(2)

The Indian obsession with fair skin. (2009).

Retrieved from http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-10-

01/beauty/28105867_1_skin-colour-fair-skin-obsession
 P a g e | 21

Appendix-A

QUESTIONNAIRE

This survey is intended to know why the obsession for fair skin in increasing in the
subcontinent. The findings will be used in a research. Please tick the answer which seems
appropriate to you.

Name:

Gender: Male / Female

Age: a. 18-25 b. 26-30 c. 31-35 d. 35 and above

Occupation:

Relationship Status: a. Single b. Married c. Engaged d. In a relationship

1. How do you define your complexion?

a. I am dark
b. I am fair.
c. I am yellow skinned.
d. Others.
 P a g e | 22

2. Are you satisfied with your complexion?

a. I am extremely satisfied of my complexion.

b. I am not satisfied with my complexion.

c. I want fairer skin.

d. I want darker skin.

3. Do you think people need to be fair to be beautiful/handsome?

a. Yes b. Sometimes c. Not necessarily

4. Do you think skin complexion is a matter of concern for you when you will chose
boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife?

a. Always b. Sometimes it matters c. Never

d. Rarely

5. Do you use skin lightening product?

a. Always b. Never c. I dont use but I want to use

d. Sometimes I use.

6. Do you go to beauty salon regularly to take care of your skin?

a. Always b. Never c. I dont go but I want to go d. Often

7. Do you edit your photos in Photoshop/Picasa and make your skin lighter before
uploading it on social networks (Facebook, Tweeter etc.)?

a. Always b. Never c. Most of the times. d. Sometimes.

8. When you go out for a party (birthday, wedding etc) ,do you use make up (or do
facial ) so that you look fairer?

a. Yes b. No c. Most of the times. d. Sometimes.

9.Why Do you think fairer skin can give you more confident?

a. Because I feel good b. People find me good c. Dont have any idea
 P a g e | 23

d. Others_

10. Do you think skin tone has an important role to play in career success?

a. Yes b. No c. Most of the times d. Sometimes

11. Have you ever experienced that people are getting better grades, job prospects and
better married life for their attractive Physical features?

a. Yes b. No c. Most of the times d. Sometimes

12. Do you believe now-a-days it is equally important to have good physical features
along with intelligence and personal qualifications?

a. Yes b. No c. Most of the times d. Sometimes

13. Have you ever got dumped, refused , rejected or were ridiculed for your skin colour?

a. Yes b. No c. others_ d. Refused to answer.

14. What do you want in your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband?

(If you have any preference for any physical attribute like being fair, tall, skinny etc.)
(Tell me your fantasies)

......................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................................

15. Do you think people are nowadays obsessed for fairer skin?

i) Yes ii) No

(If your answer is Yes then why ?)

 P a g e | 24

Thank You!!!