Pores and skin-lightening allegations are sometimes directed in the direction of Bollywood celebrities by the general public. Actress Kajol is somebody who has routinely been on the receiving finish of this, so she just lately responded to those accusations by her Instagram tales. That is most related as a result of it reveals the insidious colourism rampant in our society.

How Kajol responded to skin-lightening allegations

Credit score: Instagram.com/kajol

Kajol took to Instagram to submit an image of herself in a pair of darkish sun shades and what appears to be like like a ski masks that covers her complete face, captioning it, “To all those that ask me how I turned so truthful #sunblocked #spfunbeatable.” Whereas this was a humourous tackle the questions directed in the direction of her, it’s reflective of a bigger problem.

Why do these magnificence requirements of society invade and management a lot about our lives? Within the Indian leisure business, why are ladies required to be “fairly” per social requirements? Why do these social requirements dictate {that a} girl should be light-skinned to qualify as engaging sufficient for audiences to observe them act?

This expectation of skin-tone homogeneity from actresses is the explanation we’ve got zero range in Bollywood. Actresses with darker pores and skin repeatedly lose out on work or don’t get thought-about for mainstream main roles as a result of they don’t look light-skinned like everybody else. Celebrities like Nandita Das and Radhika Apte have really talked about it taking place to them. However no one is questioning that injustice.

Does it matter why, how or if Kajol’s pores and skin tone modified?

Credit score: Dharma Productions, Yash Raj Movies

Individuals actually wish to discuss how an actress’s pores and skin tone can lighten, so let’s focus on that regardless that that’s not what’s necessary right here. Right here’s the deal: Whereas the pores and skin color we’re born with can hardly ever change past some extent with out dermatological intervention, pores and skin can look lighter if an individual stays indoors rather a lot and receives much less solar publicity. The melanin content material in our pores and skin can even cut back with age. Sunscreen use and sure skincare components can even contribute to skin-lightening over time.

However that’s not the tangent we’re presupposed to go off on. Right here, the query isn’t how an individual’s pores and skin tone modified. The query right here shouldn’t be whether or not somebody lightened their pores and skin, however why. Nobody is asking this, although, as a result of we as a society will not like the reply. That’s as a result of then the blame falls on us, since we as a society have created these biases primarily based on an individual’s color.

As an alternative of inserting the blame the place it actually lies, we as a society mock actresses for lightening their pores and skin regardless that they’re compelled to do it as a result of society places strain on them to do it. So, they’re mocked if they’ve darkish pores and skin, and mocked in the event that they lighten it.

Why do not we focus on the colourism that makes individuals lighten their pores and skin?

Credit score: SOL India

We’re fixating on if somebody lightened their pores and skin, not why, as a result of we don’t wish to admit to the strain society places on people to lighten their pores and skin. Image this: Just a little woman is instructed by her grandma to not play exterior as a result of she is going to get darkish. Relations go to her and say, “Rang thoda maila nahi hai?” She doesn’t see anybody together with her pores and skin tone on TV taking part in the main heroine, so the examples of “ultimate magnificence” she’s uncovered to are all light-skinned—nobody who appears to be like like her and has pores and skin like hers. She sees ads a couple of girl who can not get a job or a associate as a result of her pores and skin is darkish, however as soon as she makes use of a equity cream and lightens her pores and skin, all the pieces about her life is sorted.

Witnessing this over time, gained’t this woman develop up pondering that her pores and skin tone is an issue? How is she presupposed to shake off that concept with out society altering its methods?

One’s pores and skin tone is one thing one can do little or no about, but individuals in our nation typically get ridiculed, sidelined, and criticised for it. Each matrimonial advert desires a “truthful” girl. Each A-list actress is light-skinned. Each second skincare product on a grocery retailer shelf guarantees to do away with pores and skin darkness. Are we actually going responsible somebody who’s a sufferer of a lot social propaganda for succumbing to this?

Individuals can try to be as self-righteous as they need, however the truth is that until social requirements of magnificence change, skin-lightening will live on. You possibly can change the phrase “truthful” and name it “glow” even when whitening and brightening aren’t the identical factor, however you’ll nonetheless be promoting the identical concept.

What’s the resolution for the skin-lightening fixation?

Credit score: Yash Raj Movies

It’s wild that in a rustic which is predominantly dark-skinned, we see mild pores and skin because the norm everybody should adhere to. We have to cease treating truthful as one thing superior to darkish. In a perfect world, how or if an individual is gorgeous shouldn’t matter in any respect. But when we’re to have magnificence requirements, it’s excessive time we removed the poisonous concept that mild pores and skin is essentially fairly and darkish pores and skin essentially isn’t.

Colourism is a social evil that should die, and it’s not going to occur except everybody adjustments their mindset. So, cease asking if somebody lightened their pores and skin and query those that strain ladies and prey on their socially-fed insecurities on daily basis, resulting in that time. It actually doesn’t matter if Kajol lightened her pores and skin or not. It issues that so many ladies round us are compelled to really feel insufficient due to the pores and skin color they’re born with. That’s the actual illness right here.

Lead picture credit score: iDiva, Dharma Productions, Yash Raj Movies

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