Indian fashion's white skin obsession
The White fetish is not just limited to the Indian household. Even the fashion industry has been alleged of being racist off late.
Indian models have accused their own industry of racism over the increased use of foreign white models over darker-skinned local girls.
Many top models have spoken out about prejudice and discrimination due to which they lose out on a lot of assignments or are paid less as compared to their foreign counterparts. They say India has an obsession with pale skin that dates back to British colonial rule.
The Indian fashion industry is currently enjoying a boom. Many Indian designers such as Manish Arora and Rohit Bal are enjoying success in Europe and the United States. Indian fashion events have now become major media events.
While Russians, Brazilians and some other European models are cashing in, some of our top models have complained they are losing out on the jobs and are being paid much less than their European rivals. These models claim that the fashion industry is in denial of this phenomenon and it would take many years for the prejudice to fade. Supermodel Carol Gracias said the most successful Indian models were paid between £500 and £600 per show, a tiny fraction of the rates paid to their western counterparts, while lucrative Indian television commercial jobs mostly went to western models.
Indians have been obsessed with the White skin ever since the British established their domination on this ‘brown’ country. Although the British went away, the obsession still remains. The fashion industry doesn’t openly agree to this partiality, but the fact that most designers want to prove that their designs and garments will suit the foreign markets as well makes them prefer foreign models.
Supermodel and actor Deepanita Sharma pointed out that, "One could have understood, if it was about getting supermodels of international fame or to work in India but that's not happening, it's just that they want fairer skin on the Indian ramps."
As Indians we have had an inferiority complex, we have had a hangover about fair skin. The idea of fairness is an Indian concept. However, with Indian faces now endorsing foreign brands like Loreal, Longines, etc. it seems it is time we give up such shallow notions and think about giving our models more opportunities.
The perfect woman
Picture these advertisements common in Indian media today -
Ad 1 - A woman who wants to get fairer skin because she wants to attract that one man she likes
Ad 2 - Women are concerned about their skin colour, rashes or sun burns in hot weather
Ad 3 - A woman is busy thinking what she will cook tonight
Ad 4 - A woman is liberated, reason being a sanitary napkin which keeps her free from the trouble of the "Undino ke problems" (problems of those difficult days)
Ad 5 - A woman gets tired of meeting all the requirements of her family - husband, kids, in-laws - at the end suffers from a head/back ache. Finally, she gets some attention and then is provided with a massage or medicine.
Media decides the context in which a woman should be placed, and reinforces it constantly.
Media tries to establish a woman's feminine side, especially if she is a successful woman. It seems the Indian media loves to see women first as successful home-makers. The ideal picture is the femme fatale, the supermom, the sex kitten, the nasty corporate climber. Television, film and popular magazines are full of images of women and girls who are typically white, desperately thin, and made up to the hilt.
It is not that the portrayal has not changed with time at all. Earlier women either added the glam quotient of an ad or were busy looking good. Today, at least they are shown working in some ads. And today, even men are shown using creams and face wash to get that fair skin. However, when men do it, it is because they want to look macho. When women use such creams, it is because they want to attract men or to be accepted in the society which looks down upon dark women.
Although the media wants to project the modern, liberated woman, it is actually endorsing women as consumers. Not only is this derogatory to the image of women, it is also linked with their real concerns. They have better things to do than to look good and think about what the dinner menu will be. In fact many women today do not cook at all.
Have you ever noticed that interviews of men in newspapers hardly ever mention their marital status or their dress sense? The focus is on their work. However, the moment it's a woman, all such details are provided. What she likes to do apart from work, does she do all the household chores, etc.
While the women in Bollywood may no longer be portrayed as self-sacrificing door-mats, they still have to look sizzling hot most of the times. Although men have also started doing item numbers, the number is still less.
Media probably ignored the fact that the last few decades have seen tremendous changes in the lifestyles of men and women in India, all thanks to globalization, market economics and above all, fast strides in technology. Media, itself has also undergone a sea of change.
Another image of women in India that has grown in the recent years is the portrayal of the woman as a showpiece or an icon of glamour. We hardly come across an advertisement these days where we don't see a pretty model beaming at us, be it the advertisement of a new model car or that of a cold drink.
Thus, it won't be wrong to say that the portrayal of women in the Indian media oscillates between these two extremes: the "mother India" and the "glamour girl."
What the media ignores to see and project is the image of woman as a serious partner in decision-making, a serious contender as a professional: doctor, engineer, teacher or a computer specialist, a serious politician or leader. India today has a lot of successful women who have other roles as well and are not just home makers or pretty empty-headed bimbos. What is worse is the fact that this portrayal comes when the media industry is said to be dominated by women.
Sad huh!
