Fair Skin Fetishes

I remember being told a story about how during a raid by the Narcotics Department at a club, they found no cocaine; but a guy with a tube of Fair & Lovely in his pocket. While they thought that the tube was fake and may have been filled with drugs, they were sadly disappointed. There was nothing but Fair & Lovely in there. Fair & Lovely - really? On a 26 year old guy! 

It's funny how entrenched this whole idea of 'being fair' is in our system. Everyone wants a fair girl for their boys; regardless of how chimp-like their sons might look. People want to look fairer in their photographs. I have often gotten dirty looks from the photograph developers at that local Polaroid place when I told them that I didn't want them artificially 'lightening' my picture. Really now? Do the guys at the visa place care how fair I look on my application form? I didn't think so. 

My worst experience till date with this entire fetish for 'fairer skin' came in the form of the Sindhi Aunty who did the make up for my sister, my mom and me at my sister's wedding reception. While we sat down in front of her, her tools in place (read: make up brushes); little did we know that we were heading towards an absolute disaster. What looked okay under the tubelight at our place looked horrendous and ghastly in the wedding pictures. Her attempt to make us look 989 shades lighter than what we were (we are dark and full South Indian women) ended in an absolute caked looked that kept crumbling as the evening went by. 

It's from that day on that I realized that choosing the right kind of make up is an art. I know a lot of feminists swear by the whole 'no-makeup' theory. I, on the other hand, see no harm in indulging in a lil bit of color here and there when I feel like it. Let me be clear, I do it for myself and for no one else. However, its also funny how the cosmetics industry in India caters to only half its population - the fairer and lighter skinned batch of women. It's almost like the other 50% or more don't exist for them.

As for the women who are constantly giving me advice on what colors suit darker women; all I have to say is - If I can carry it off with elan, I don't see how what colors I choose is anyone else's business!