Do Indian Women Want Lighter Skin?

[Mizz.Yasmine]

as far as getting a tan goes, most people just look ''healthier'' becuz they have a glow going on from the sun, thats something any darker skinned girl should be proud of, u don't have to risk skin cancer just to get some color

and i wouldnt call pale skin ugly! if u want to be blunt, ur facial features make u ''ugly'', not ur skintone. look at someone like jennifer lopez or eva longoria, u can see pix of her from pale to tanned and shes still beautiful simply becuz her face is beautiful.

[chocolategoddes]

It's not just India or other Asian cultures(obviously) but as far as I know this is VERY popular among West African women. I have aunts with husbands, kids, and siblings who are very dark and yet they are this funny shade of brown and yellow.
I'd ask my mom, " Why is Auntie so-and-so lighter than everyone?" and she'd tell me because she bleaches her skin.
It's a big beauty fad in places like Nigeria but it's also looked upon, kind of like extreme tanning is here.
Light skin sometimes means youthful and brighter skin to people. I would be lying if I said I never used to wish I was slightly lighter, too, but I'm happy with myself now. But hey, it's up to them. Bleaching your skin, wearing blue contacts, straightening your hair... all the same idea to me.

[frocher]

Both darker and lighter skin can be beautiful. I have seen people turn their gorgeous pale/dark skin ugly by over tanning or using bleaching creams, both are horrible for the skin.

[frocher]

YouTube - Not Fair, Still Lovely

Fair and Lovely Ad in English:

YouTube - Fair and Lovely Skin Cream Ad (in English)

[xsnowwhite]

That fair & lovely ad is very interesting. It is much like a tanning ad you would see in the US.

[frocher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xsnowwhite

That fair & lovely ad is very interesting. It is much like a tanning ad you would see in the US.

Exactly. When I am in Asia, people are always referring to how lovely and pale my skin is, and maybe I should just do something about all my freckles. In the US people say I could use a bit of sun, and that I look too pale. It's an interesting dichotomy.

[Shaquille]

I used to live in a country in south east asia where they think "fair (white they call it there) is beautiful". There are whitening lotions everywhere.. They think being fair is superior and much better.
My skin is medium dark brown and I hung out with friends whose skins are much fairer, and I just didn't get appreciated the way they were.. and for awhile, I felt depressed and wanted to have fair skin color too, so I started using the whitening lotions - apparently gave allergic reaction.
When I moved to Europe, and now I'm in Canada, I learn that skin color is not important, and I get more appreciations because of my attitude and aptitude.
Now I am so comfortable in my own way and use make up and lotions to enhance my skin color.

[seonmi]

I'm from a south east asian country and I hated that notion of beauty because I'm tanned. There were girls that all the guys would die for just because of their fair skin tone (they totally didn't have pretty faces). I used to whiten my skin in spas and wear face mask (if you know what I'm talking about) and gloves and jacket everytime I left the house.
My mom several times asked me if I needed some whitening lotion, she could send me some. I was like: no, I don't have any problem with my skin tone here
I feel bad for my sister being disadvantaged compared to those fair skinned girls

[ndn-ista]

Im indian..I think i wrote this before somwhere on this site..I have pretty medium-olive-honey color tone. I use fair and lovely, ONLY because it makes my skin look and feel softer. But I loveee getting tanned, and that glowy almondy look. I actually wear a darker foundation and lots of bronzer only because it looks good!

[miss_supra]

In the east lighter color is wanted because it means you have money. Back in the day if you had money or was in a higher caste/social ldder you had people to work for you. Lower closes, such as farmers, were always outside so their skin were dark and upper classes didn't work outside so they had lighter skin.


I forgot when it happened, but sometime in the 1900s a woman that was in the public eye vacationed in Europe. She developed a tan, which was then started people wanting darker skin because it was an upper class thing in the west. In the west you had people working in factories and office so they would go outside. Their skins were lighter, but the rich, upper classes had time and money to go to Europe for vacations. During their vacations sunbathing was the thing to do.

[mocha_queen]

Im quite pale compared to most indian women, but i absolutely love dark/brown skin tones
It bothers me that a lot of women feel that in order to be beautiful or sucessful they need to be fairer/lighter.

Yes, bollywood was all about celebrating just that
but im glad darker women are slowly emerging on top and are considered beautiful. They will set an example.

[kimmy]

i don't see why the media is allowed to tell me that the better tan i have, the better i will look but when the tables are turned it seems to be percieved as some big racial conspiracy.

i don't understand why the whole world can't just stfu about skincolour/tone anyway. does it really matter?

[Tinkee-Belle]

I think what it comes down to is people want what they dont have...

For instance, Indian women want lighter skin, but I am super pale with (naturally) blonde hair and I dye my hair very dark and get spray tans so I can look more "exotic." People ask me what my nationality is everyday and they are always suprised when I say... German.

[frocher]

I think it has more to do with caste than anything else. Preferring pale skin in Asia has been the norm for a very long time. It has little to do with race, these groups are all the same race, that has more to do with our perceptions.

This issue matters to Indian women because it can limit their opportunities. They may not be considered for certain jobs. In a country where arranged marriages are still the norm, and women by and large are expected to marry, it can negatively impact their social standing. Also when a trait is associated with ugliness no one wants to possess it.

What I find really interesting is that in many of those Fair and Lovely commercials, the difference in skin color is not huge. NC40-35 you need to fix it, NC25-30 you are fair and lovely! You will get modeling contracts and land that hot guy! You will go from frumpy and unappealing to a knockout with a jet set lifestyle! It's really interesting.

[DirtyPlum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frocher

NC40-35 you need to fix it, NC25-30 you are fair and lovely! You will get modeling contracts and land that hot guy! You will go from frumpy and unappealing to a knockout with a jet set lifestyle! It's really interesting.

LOL, damn I'm NC40 I better dig out the Fair n Lovely! Haha, maybe thats why I'm single too! Lol, its so funny you are spot on!
I got told by this guy once, you'll have no prob finding a guy, you have a nice personality, smart, and youre 'fair' - I just looked at him and shook my head. Its so shallow but youre right its ingrained in the culture and minds of south asians, I worry it wont ever change.

[lovelyweapon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by frocher

Exactly. When I am in Asia, people are always referring to how lovely and pale my skin is, and maybe I should just do something about all my freckles. In the US people say I could use a bit of sun, and that I look too pale. It's an interesting dichotomy.

I definitely agree with this. I am Hispanic and was born in the Dominican Republic but I live in Miami, Florida. In both locations, which are predominantly populated by Hispanics, the tanned look is mostly preferred. It is viewed as a sign of health, as mentioned earlier, rather than with class. A positive sign of health here is generally considered more attractive than a positive sign of class.

I guess it also explains the whole J-Lo booty being preferred as well But that's a whole other thread...

[Misstink]

I am east asian born and raised in the USA. I have an "all year tan". and I do use a "brighting" line, to keep my skin as light as I can.

Why?

1. Saddly, alot of people in the west think of asians very sterotypically. Straight black hair, no eye lids, and light skin. I have naturally wavy hair that is not black in the sunlight, eye lids and a tan. Because of this I often get taken for another race and have been even told they would have never guessed I am east asian. And to be completly honest, it feels like a big blow to your esteem when you get told you look nothing like what you should "look like". Lightening my skin makes me have more self esteem that I "look like what i actually am"

2.I grew up around american and asian pop culture. As many have said above, most of the celeberties in the east are fair skined. In every country women idolze these women in the spot light. EVEN IN THE WEST, women want their skin another color, want their hair another color, evne their body another shape, because these beautiful famous women were like that. Same with eastern women, excpet having tan skin, those idols have fair skin. so for me, i want that too.

3. I get a shade darker being in my car for 30 minutes. and my skin doesnt tan smooth, it tans blotchy. no matter what color you want to be or what culture. we all want an even complextion. for me to get an even complextion without having to use a full coverage make up, is to keep the tan off my skin, and diminish those tan spots.


anyways, that is my two cents on that subject.

[BeautyPsycho]

I find it interesting that the guy in the "Fair and lovely" commercial is tan (and hot btw)...

Oh, the joy of being a lady. We are too fat, too skinny... too light, too dark... our hair is too curly, too straight, our skirt is too tight, too short and too long... we are bitchy if we say what we think, stupid if we don't. We are sluts, we are uptight and act as virgins... we are never good enough.

Well, screw that.

[~Zoé~]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissChievous

Cosmetics companies have a knack for preying on women's insecurities. Either your skin is too dark, too pale, too wrinkly, too uneven....when will it ever stop. Of course we as women can strive to make the best of ourselves, but we should just be comfortable in the skin we're in and accept those factors which we cannot change.

I think you said it best MissChievous
It is really heartbreaking that these beauty ads are basically exposing women's insecurities -- and instead of building us up to appreciate what God blessed us with, we have to view it as something thats 'wrong' in us and needs to be 'fixed.'

Although I do think cosmetics' companies are now (slowly) more aware of the many complexions of women, they use it to make us feel like we will never be beautiful unless we use their products. There's this idea that 'perfect beauty' is one single aspect of a women and whether that be our complexion, shape, or height, there's never a focus on accepting & loving the diversity that exists in the world...

This was a really interesting article -- thank you for sharing this

[free09]

I'm Pakistani and I want fairer skin....no I don't hate myself....but my body is fair and my face is really dark. Also when my skin is light, my dark hair and eyes 'pop' more..

[Holy Rapture]

Umm well, readin all this, am really having a big laugh ... I am an Indian who stays in India Well, given that I'm very fair (compared to the general population), it really doesn't matter anymore. Plus, no body can or should categorize these things as per the country or region they belong to! A mentality originates from the mind n as we all know, all minds work differently. The main thing is YOU ALWAYS WANT SOMETHING YOU DON'T HAVE!! If you're fair, you wanna get tanned, you're darker, you might fancy being a tad lighter, you're fat, you wanna be slim, you're thin, you wanna look healthier!! I mean, come on, the Fair n Lovely ads They are ads!! Since when have ads shown the REALITY ?????? They take a notion they think is common n blast it onto the screen!! No body in India or for that matter, any place else in the whole world could care less for complexions!! You want stuff you don't have. People, let's not say things based on the outlook you have of a region ... But, yea, am glad this came up, at least some body needed to clear the air!

[DirtyPlum]

^^ I'd like to think that fellow specktrettes are not going to base their opinions and judgments on India on discussions about complexion hating and Fair and Lovely ads. There arent any direct attacks on people of Indian/South Asian origin, but this notion has developed and is prevalent in South Asia (not just India).

I am south asian and do think its still an issue and fairly common.

[Holy Rapture]

It certainly is good that everyone talks about stuff But, since the topic says "Indian women", my reaction is bound to be the way it is ....

[abbey_08]

lol oh my god women always want what we cant have!! im really pale and fake tan to the high heavens (i wont use sunbeds for obvious reasons) so im just assuming that indian women view being fairer the same way as a pale woman would view being tanned.

i mean SOME people do associate having a tan with wealth and the like and tan because they want to look like a celeb or look like they been away to somewhere exotic...so its not that much different for an indian woman wanting to look fairer

i say aslong as the products are safe and wont cause any bad reactions or illness then its fine.

[FlashBang]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xolovinyoo

i think lighter skin or pale skin is uglier on women, i have a medium tan skin& i wanna get a little darker, lol.

I was quickly skimming through the forums and found this thread. I was sooo relieved to see so many diplomatic and intelligent responses...until of course I saw that.

As a very pale person (nc15) I take great offence that comment is racist.

Anyway...Im with alot of the girls here, its all about embracing what you already have and making the best of it. The only time skin looks bad is when you havent looked after it, maybe from caning the sunbeds or something.

OMG lol! I just watched that fair and lovely ad! I couldnt help but laugh, that thing is so bad! How can they even air that without feeling racist? 'The one obstacle in my life....my skin' wow....