The skin lightening industry currently spans the globe, with pockets of high interest and revenue generated in the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. Products such as Fair and Lovely, and other numerous derivates and copycat products have become synoymous with beauty and desirability. The advertisements for these products often play on the insecurities and inability to achieve and prosper in life, such as pursuing a career, job prospects and marriage options down to low self-esteem and confidence dominantely as a result of dark skin. The products are targetted at women, however there’s a large growing market who’s agenda are the male members of the species
The preoccupation with fair skin or fairness is evident throughout history. From the slave trade, to the rule of British Raj in the Indian Subcontinent. The Quran also refers to the houri’s as fair maidens, rewarded to believing men in Paradise. Although what is fairness in this context has been referred to character and not colour
Therein (Gardens) will be Khairaatun‑Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful]”
[al-Rahmaan 55:70]Ibn al-Qayyim said:
They are described as being fair and beautiful. The word khayraat (fair and good) is derived from the word khayyarah, which refers to the woman who combines all good qualities, both outward and inward, and whose physical appearance and attitude are perfect. So they are good in attitude and fair of face.
Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 243.
Taken from here
Historically in the Indian subcontinent, fair skin was equated with the richer classes and indicated a high social standing. Dark skin was an indicator of being a labourer, the skin darkened due to long exposure to the sun whilst tending to crops or farmings or roadsweeping to name a few. Although obsession with fairness has been proposed to link to the caste system and not completely a result or byproduct of colonial rule. Either way there is
no doubt over the pre-occupation in India and neighbouring countries with fair skin. And it seems to be spreading to other parts of the globe
Does preferring fair skin over olive or dark skin smack of racism? Or is it simply about what one finds attractive? Why is dark skin seen to be un-attractive when there are numerous examples of beautiful black/coloured men and women? Is the preference for fairness still as rampant as ever or with diversity being celebrated as advantageous, has it dampened a little or has it simply fired up the link of fairness with beauty and desirability?
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I always find it ironic that white people want to be more
tanned, and brown/black people want to be more fair. It just goes
to show how very few human beings appreciate their God-given beauty
(incl. myself).
I don’t quite care for skin any more. I used to. I think a
girl that emanates innocence on her face is the best. Innocent with
substance of course (spirituality, family values etc).
I don’t understand it though – olives are green, or
black. But people who are ‘olive skinned’ are brownish
– it think?
It is a definitely interesting topic. I know in parts of the
carribeans specifically darker skinned people are looked down on. I
feel that was a remnants of slavery and the colonial mind set. I
remember my great grandmother, delicia who was lighter skinned
asking me why did I come out so dark, because I was a nice boy. lol
Its amazing how race is such a big issue. I think it was Franz
Fanon who gave some great criticism to the Marxism saying that
though there could exist at some point a classless society, there
would never be a raceless society. By theway he [Franz Fanon] wrote
an interesting book, Black Skin, White Masks.
I’ve always laughed at the fair and lovely adverts, they
have them on Egyptian Tv all the time. A girl can’t get a job
on Tv, poor thing, they reject her. But as soon as she uses the
fair and lovely cream for a few days, she comes back and hey
presto, she gets the job!
Good post sis. SubhanAllah, I’ve never had an issue with
colour. But remember the saying “I want him to be tall, dark
and handsome”. So where is this ‘dark’ coming
from? Tanned? Naturally dark? At least they didn’t say, tall
fair and handsome!
A blonde/light brown haired with blue/green eyes is even rarer
and people from the subcontinent are usualy more fascinated with
people like that (natives, not foreigners!)
Ah Seeker yes that common explanation. I’ve come across
that numerous times. One of the explanations for “full
breasted” i’ve read explained it in the context of it
referring to a physically developed woman as opposed to a
prebuscent child – dont think they mean actual large Pamela
Anderson size breasts!
Anyways, I don’t think preferring one skin color over the
other is racist. I generally find dark skinned people to be more
attractive than white/light skinned peoples. I just view that as
being a personal preference more than anything else. I think when
it would start to be racist is if you didn’t want to marry
that person or associate with them solely because their skin was
“too dark” or “too light”, ignoring all
other aspects of their being. Which, might I add, is quite common
amongst Middle Eastern and South Asian peoples from my experiences.
It’s really quite sad.
In SE Asia, the fairest your skin the more outstanding you will
be! outshine the others…especially true when one living in
non-light community, tell you the reality is, in employment skin
color is very dangerous, unequal treatment in terms of promotion.
Most first line management is fair-skin and there is no way fair
skin in operation or should i say labour line.
Even my own mother has rejected a few prospects for me based
purely on their skin color. Its wrong. Its bad.
fair skin is too bright for my taste……I like the
warm sensual dark chocolate skin and brown eyes.
Good questions. Actually one thing I’ve always wondered
about this issue is whether the desirability of white skin can be
totally blamed on the european colonists and their influence on
various cultures as I’ve heard most people say. Or were these
views present even before the arrival of the europeans to Africa,
Middle East, Asia, etc ?