Tuesday, April 17, 2007

the fairness quotient

Fairness is one quality that surpasses all others. With respect to the selection of heroines, brides, bridegrooms.... The list is not long, but isn't that sufficient? When a baby is born, it is approved, only when it is fair.

We are so bent upon it. A person is termed beautiful, only if she/he is fair. I've spent so much time and energy convincing my mother that fairness is not everything. I must say, i've succeeded, to a considerable extent.

We belong to the tropics, which calls for high amounts of melanin to be present, simply to withstand the kind of heat that occurs in this region. Indians' are generally of wheat-coloured complexion. I am on the darker side. I don't have any qualms about it. There's no sound reason behind me having it, either. A multitude of creams flood the market, which makes the skin fairer, within a stipulated amount of time. While, the consumers seem to be asking for more. No wonder, we've fair creams being used by the men as well.

Talking about our dear 'icons', all of them are fair. If not totally fair, they are definately not on the darker side. Moreover, we follow their habits, thinking that one of us can make it to the big screen one day. When we think about this, it is very foolish, silly.... But haven't many advertisements been created with the above as their brilliant idea.

'This young dark woman(who is generally dressed in dark colours, ill-fitting if necessary) is walking past some shop, and she sights this product which aims at her being fair. Later we are shown that she is fair and beautiful(her face is made-up, and she is wearing a pink gown). A director walks by her. Upon noticing her qualities, she is inducted into the cinema. The next slide shows her making news as a successful star(?)'

While, we talk about being broad-minded and all that.

15 comments:

balar said...

Interesting post..

/*When a baby is born, it is approved, only when it is fair.*/
I dont agree..

Srik said...

I second balar. "Hethavarige Heggana muddu" can not be a wrong statement.

And Anand, unfortunately, you are true :'(

Raghavendra D R said...

haha..I agree. Starting from the concept of fairness to the silly ads proferring them, everything is silly!

mouna said...

balar,
ok, probably i was a little too sarcastic, but it is true(99.9999%), atleast with what i've seen ... they first enquire about the colour of the baby..

anand,
racist yes, but 'the foremost' u really think so?

srik,
for the parents, yes, but when the general public is concerned, don't u think that they concentrate on the colour?

raghu,
terming ads silly, well, yes. honestly, it reflects our baseless ideas.

Anonymous said...

Foremost, yes. Here's why: What's the population of USA compared to that of India?

Racism is not tolerated in any manner of form in America anymore, but it exists in pockets. Do we have any such mechanism here in India? Or have you heard of any kind of ostracizing of its peoples in China, the most populous country; based on caste, creed or other differences?

Racism is simply not a question of black or white; it runs deeper. What about the Caste system in India? What about the hegemony of certain classes over the other?

What about denying opportunities to Muslims in this country just because they happen to be from a community that is wrongly portrayed in the media and social mindset?

Aren't all these a form of racism? A woman cannot decide her destiny today... remember what happened a few days ago when a Hindu girl married a Muslim boy?

And you still believe we aren't the foremost racist nation?

balar said...

@mouna,
visitors or relatives the first question they ask is, whom does the baby looks, then they may ask for color but it doesnt mean that they disapprove or approve based on the fairness.

And why do we care about general public comments????

mouna said...

anand,
u have me convinced, racism is certainly not restricted t the colour of a person.

balar,
u have me thinking? and opinions about the general public does not matter as such... what u say sounds logical too...i guess i was brash.

thanks!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to add one more aspect... every chap wants a slim, FAIR, beautiful, well-educated girl to marry.

Please show me one matrimonial ad that says a guy wants a dark-skinned girl for a wife.

This country is filled with Male Chauvinists who conceal their identity and mix into the crowd of sane people.

Srik said...

Anand,

Relax dude, its not that bad yet.
There is no stopping for people to dream, but when in reality, a black girl and a sufficiently fair guy make a good pair, at least to themselves. This is true,'coz love is blind.

Everything cant be true on everyone at every time.

mouna said...

anand,
very true. well, wouldn't u want to consider a fraction of the population who are not chauvinists? this is far-fetched(very), but to think of a glimmer of hope somewhere.. is not wrong, i guess.

srik,
dreaming yes, but the effectiveness of the same is definately questionable. most of the times, this kind of positive-talk is omnipresent. but when it comes to implementing such ideas, we fail to do it, miserably. aaga, dreams do not aid us.

Sharad Mathur said...

racial segregation?? huh!!

kale hain toh kya hua dilwale hain.. yeah that holds true!! hehe

sharad

Shruti said...

well, i can fairly understand what you are trying to say. In my whole family, im the having somewhat dark complexion and my father is always worried about my marriage, what if no body select me..and i cant able to understand why w all think like this way only..is the marriages are done by looking to faces only...many other thing do matter while choosing a partner..but then why our colour make so much of difference..
anyways...you have put the thoughts wonderfully...
Take care...

mouna said...

sharad mathur,
yeah, true!

shruti,
true, it's not only abt marriage, but 'colour' plays a major role, in everthing mundane in life!!

Shiv said...

Mouna,

A 'color-ful' post !

I agree wid u..what a silly ad is that abot director picking a color morphed gal..

Gud one !

mouna said...

shiv,
'color morphed', true! :)