Despite prominent campaigns to end colourism, discrimination based on skin colour is alive and well, writes Pramiti Sharma, 16, from Chatsworth International School. Now, it is time to stand up say: fair does not equal beautiful.
You cannot be too white; that would be “pale”.
But you cannot be too dark; that is “ugly”.
Does this sound familiar? The world has always judged a person based on their skin colour, and in the 21st Century, this still occurs. Colourism is not just a prevalent, but also a prolonged, issue in India, where dark skin tones have been labelled as ugly, or in Hindi: “kali” (uncaptilised, a derogatory phrase meaning dark skinned).
To many, colourism is not a problem, simply a “beauty preference”. But, when this beauty preference is the reason for 37% of South Asians in 2024 believing you need lighter skin to be beautiful (according to Poondru et al.), it is no longer “just a preference”. It becomes the reason for someone to feel worthless. At 12, this prejudice infected me as well. I found myself using “besan masks” to achieve lighter skin, and crying on the bathroom floor because I felt “ugly”.
Many also argue that colourism has completely erased in India. For instance, after Tyla, a South African singer recently performed in India, people began admiring her ethereal sunkissed beauty. However, when Indian skin care influencers, for instance Krishna Patel, has a similar skin tone as Tyla, Indian men troll her and leave unsolicited comments such as: “You did so much but still haven’t gotten any fairer”. To me this is a stark reminder of the deep rooted hypocrisy that still lingers today.
With this, according to Sohini Dey, India is a nation with over 36 shades of a melanin rich spectrum, ranging from very deep to light. But even today, the darkest foundation shade in some make up brands in India only goes suitable for a medium-rich complexion. This highlights how dark skin tones are not regarded as a skin tone in the first place.
In RajasthanA state in northwest India. Rajasthan means “The Land of Kings”. , a Grade 12 textbook was discovered on “How to be a successful entrepreneur”. The book lists “acchi unchai, aur sundar rang” (good height and beautiful complexion) as two of the attributes, once again reinforcing that in order to be successful, you have to be fair.
Although colourism has significantly improved in India, through sustained campaigns such as “#UnfairAndLovely”, we are still being questioned if our skin is fair enough. But, the real question is, is this system fair? Because what they don’t teach us is that the same “kali” used to ridicule our skin, when capitalised, “Kali”, culturally represents an Indian goddess of power and strength.
Colourism has embedded in our minds for generations that it has created a hierarchy. I realised if we want to truly end colourism, we must first accept that we are different. We need to change our attitude not our skin colour, and to spark change we must start the change from ourselves. So the next time you look in the mirror, embrace “Kali”, and unapologetically reclaim yourself as a fierce, empowered Goddess.
Because you were never a source of shame in the first place.
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Keywords
Rajasthan – A state in northwest India. Rajasthan means “The Land of Kings”.
Dey, Sohini. “There’s No Such Thing as an Indian Skin Tone.” Thevoiceoffashion.com, The Voice of Fashion, 30 Jan. 2024,
www.thevoiceoffashion.com/beauty/features/theres-no-such-thing-as-an-indian-skin-t one-5811.
Poondru, Sneha, et al. “Perceptions of Sun Protection, Skin Tone, Colorism, and Dermatologic Care among South Asians in the USA.” Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, Jan. 2024,
www.researchgate.net/publication/380082568_Perceptions_of_Sun_Protection_Skin_ Tone_Colorism_and_Dermatologic_Care_Among_South_Asians_in_the_USA.