While the less developed world is trying to compete with the West, they are also trying to gain their respect, which is why the categorization of darker skin tones range between two extremes; exotic and ugly, as some say.
Rabia Khan moved to California for college when she was 18 years old. She could have never imagined that her dark skin will be the source of fascination to her new class fellows.
“I remember I was sitting with this boy from my college and he was like you know what everyone says about you, right? I was like no, what? And he was like you have a really pretty, earthy, dusky tone. It is honestly quite exotic,” recalls Rabia. This remark was quite a pleasant surprise, as back at home in Pakistan, Rabia’s complexion was often considered a misfortune and the result of the long hours she spent outdoors playing basketball.
Rabia’s story points to a larger idea that should seem obvious: beauty standards are not universal. The prejudice towards fair skin has been long embedded in the psyche of many South Asian and Middle Eastern societies, but without an objective foundation.
Even though this prejudice was the result of light skinned invaders from the West, these Eastern societies have internalized these standards and made them an inherent part of their society and even their psychologies. Darker skin tones are now not only accepted in the West but are also sought after. Almost 7.8 million women in the US use tanning beds to achieve the perfectly exotic tan complexion that others around the world are feeling ashamed of.
The numbers are higher than ever, but the story is not as simple. Temporary tan is increasingly desired within the US as it signifies leisure, wealth and is a style statement, as this blogger shares in her story on the tanning trend. But it seems that this obsession is only limited to temporary tanning to signify leisure, and not to a more permanent tan, which might change their identity as Caucasian to the “less superior” race.
But how is the West reacting to this worldwide obsession with fair skin? The answer is simple – by cashing on it.
Mainstream media along with the cosmetic industry have pinned this interest in being fair as one of their highest selling markets and are rapidly introducing products that cater to these prejudices such as fairness creams, BB and CC creams, cosmetics that aim to “lighten and perfect complexion”. Not just cosmetics, but some Korean companies have developed technologies like the Sauna Belt that promise to melt fat in a month’s time if used regularly.
Many multinational companies, like Procter and Gamble, and Unilever, have introduced products like Fair and Lovely, and Ponds. These creams are advertised and marketed with the promise of achieving spotless fair skin after four weeks of use. In specific regions like South Asia, advertisements especially focus on sensitive topics like marriage and college admissions. Dark-skinned girls are shown as undesirable and less successful until they start using these creams. Once the four weeks pass and the
creams work their magic, not only do these girls shoot right to the top of the college merit list but are also flocked by men swooning and surprised at their new “beauty”.
The problem with this type of marketing is the social standards it lodges within the society and spreads like wildfire to young women as it becomes a trend. Spreading this discourse where fairness equates to beauty often leaves women who do not fit this standard struggling with their appearance and self-confidence.
“People often don’t realize what it means to someone who is not your usual definition of pretty,” Aisha said. She feels that it is unfair to young girls in Pakistan to have the unnatural standard of being fair to meet, as not being able to do so can badly effect their self-confidence.
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The problem with fairness marking the epitome of beauty is not limited to self-confidence only. These standards can create hurdles for women when it comes to marriage proposals and in applying for jobs. Society’s obsession with fairness labels darker women as undesirable for marriage. Parents in South Asian societies raise their daughters dreaming of their marriage. In these societies, the boy’s side of the family has all the rights to accept or reject a girl based on criteria ranging from her complexion to her education. The stigma around dark girls often means that these South Asian men prefer a lighter skinned woman to take on the role of their wife and if this demand is not met, the girl is deemed unattractive and hence, unmarriageable. For parents to suffer the rejection of their daughter because her skin color is a trauma most mothers would go to any extents to avoid.
Similarly, it also adds another layer to the already existing glass ceiling in the workplace for women. Darker skinned women are not considered as “attractive” or “well maintained” as most employers would expect for their office and are often denied opportunities. A research by Mathew Harrison and Kecia A. Thomas, at the University of Georgia, talks about the rampant issue of colorism and racial discrimination in the workplace. They discover how Black applicants are considered second choices regardless of their qualifications due to “skin-tone stratification”.