The Dark Side of Colourism
Growing up Indian in Malaysia, my parents were determined to keep our cultural heritage vibrant and alive. They bathed us in the colourful world of Kollywood (Tamil Cinema) and a spectrum of Indian media. As a child, I revelled in these experiences, savouring their humour and enchantment.
As I matured and revisited these childhood favourites, I began to notice a disconcerting pattern: the overwhelming presence of fair-skinned actresses
In Kollywood and Bollywood, most of the roles were occupied by gorgeous, beautiful and very fair skinned women. This trend extends to major films across the industry, including those from prominent directors and production houses. The obsession with fair skin is so pervasive that it even led to a non-Indian actress being casted as an Indian character.
In South Asian cinema, there’s a recurring theme where fair-skinned actors are depicted as more attractive than their darker-skinned counterparts, reinforcing the stereotype that lighter skin is more desirable. For instance, in the Tamil film "Sivaji the Boss," the leading man uses skin-whitening cream to appeal to women who prefer lighter skin, hoping it will win their approval for marriage. Additionally, South Asian actresses frequently endorse skin-whitening products, often showcasing a dramatic transformation from darker to lighter skin, which is portrayed as enhancing their allure and desirability.
This form of favouritism and bias based purely on skin tone, known as colourism, heavily influences the current state of the world visibly and invisibly. This type of bias impacts self-esteem and social dynamics. Colorism is a pervasive and troubling issue that still remains strongly entrenched in India.
But why?
Colonisation & Caste
Colourism in India is deeply rooted in the British Colonial rule and caste system. Unlike racism, colorism occurs inside the limits of a particular racial or ethnic group, establishing a hierarchy of skin tones that affects people's social interactions, opportunities, and self-esteem. India, one of the world’s oldest civilizations with a tapestry of over 100 languages, boasts a rich mosaic of culture, heritage, history, and traditions. This diversity extends to physical features, such as skin colour, which varies according to geography. For instance, people from northern India generally have lighter skin compared to their southern counterparts.
During the colonial era, the notion of superiority associated with lighter skin overshadowed the perceived inferiority of darker skin. This bias influenced employment opportunities, with lighter-skinned Indians often receiving preferential treatment. The British further exacerbated this disparity by favouring lighter-skinned individuals, offering them more opportunities than those with darker skin. For the next 100 years after that, the idea of superiority coincided with being fair skinned; with power, desirability, worth and especially beauty. This led to society associating greater prestige and influence with people of lighter skin, male and female alike; driving the pursuit of a Western idea of beauty that favours lighter skin, long after gaining independence.
Alongside colonisation, the caste system, or jati, played a significant role. This system is built on four primary tiers, each branching into various sub-castes. The caste system was structured with Brahmanas at the top, making up of intellectuals and priests, followed by Kshatriyas, who were military personnel. The third tier comprised Vaisyas, consisting of farmers and merchants, while Sudras, the labourers with darker skin, occupied the lowest position in the hierarchy.
With this system in place, there was an obscure need to not only categorise people by their labour but also within the conformation of their skin colour. However, it is important to note that individuals with darker skin held higher caste positions, demonstrating that the caste system is more of a product of societal needs for order rather than a tenet of Hinduism itself.
The notion that lighter skin is more attractive has become so deeply ingrained that many are willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve it. They resort to methods such as skin bleaching, whitening creams and other products laden with harsh chemicals. These have turned the quest for lighter skin into a commercial commodity.
Skin bleaching involves using products that lighten skin tone by inhibiting melanin production, but it poses serious risks, including skin damage, thinning, and increased vulnerability to infections. Whitening creams often contain potent chemicals which cause harsh side effects to severe health issues when used improperly. Mercury is a common substance present in these unregulated products, which can lead to long-term health complications. Despite these risks, the allure of lighter skin continues to drive the demand for these dangerous cosmetic choices.
The Skin Trade
The quest for beauty has given rise to a disturbing and perilous trade - skin trafficking. While the concept sounds like a horror story, it is a grim reality that is flourishing. The insatiable demand for lighter skin has fuelled a sinister market where human skin is trafficked. This gruesome process often involves plastic surgery, with reports suggesting that pathology labs in India unlawfully harvest skin from victims in Nepal and India. The processed skin is then shipped to companies in the US that produce cosmetic and tissue products for the global plastic market. Victims are subjected to horrific procedures, sometimes being skinned alive, leaving them with permanent scars and trauma. Many who manage to escape such horrors bear the physical and emotional scars of their ordeal. Often after being drugged or anaesthetist.
Many individuals are driven to participate in these horrifying practices due to extreme poverty. Each piece of skin can fetch between Rs 30,000 (AUD 540) and 50,000 (AUD 890), but the person from whom the skin is taken receives only Rs 5,000 (AUD 89). In cities like Delhi and Mumbai, a 100-inch square of fair skin can sell for Rs 50,000 (AUD 890) and Rs 1,00,000 (AUD 1,770). Sellers often report that non-profits promise educational support for their children but fail to deliver. Faced with such dire poverty, there seems to be no alternative but to resort to these brutal methods. Nepali women’s skin is particularly sought after in this illegal trade due to its fairness and resemblance to Caucasian skin.
Given the widespread knowledge of these atrocities online, it raises the question: Is the world truly ignorant or simply indifferent?
The most tragic aspect is that people in other parts of the world are profiting from these practices, flaunting their enhanced appearances on social media. Addressing this issue requires more than just raising awareness; it necessitated a profound change in societal values. The idea that one could hate their own skin colour so deeply as to resort to the illegal acquisition of another’s skin for the sake of a so-called “perfect body” is utterly appalling.
We must challenge the notion that lighter skin is inherently more desirable, starting with how beauty ideals are portrayed in the media. Additionally, addressing the root causes of poverty that drive individuals into such desperate situations is crucial. Only by confronting these fundamental issues can we hope to end this cruel exploitation and redefine beauty as something that should not be associated with suffering. Beauty should never be synonymous with pain, especially someone else's.
References
Barua , S. (2017, October 29). Thriving Skin Trade In India Is Forcing Poor Nepalese Women to be Skinned Alive. ED Times . https://edtimes.in/thriving-skin-trade-in-india-is-forcing-poor-nepalese-women-to-be-skinned-alive/
Basu, S. (2017, March 6). How Nepali Women Are Forced To “Sell” Their Skin To Make Rich Indians Beautiful. Youth Ki Awaaz; Youth Ki Awaaz. https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/03/how-women-from-nepal-are-trafficked-to-india-and-disfigured-to-make-rich-men-and-women-beautiful/
Beyond the Orphanage. (2017, July 10). Beyond The Orphanage: Skin Trafficking In Nepal. Beyond the Orphanage. https://beyondtheorphanage.org/skin-trafficking-in-nepal/
Daftary, K., Krishnam, N. S., & Kundu, R. V. (2022). Uncovering the roots of skin bleaching: colorism and its detrimental effects. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.15049
Jung, D. (2022, February 18). Colorism in Indian Society: A Complex History. STEAR. https://www.stearthinktank.com/post/colorism-in-indian-society
Mishra, N. (2015). India and Colorism: The Finer Nuances. Washington University Global Studies Law Review, 14(4), 725–750. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol14/iss4/14
Patil, S. (2018, January 31). Human Skin Trafficking. Readoo India. https://readoo.in/2018/01/human-skin-trafficking#:~:text=Cosmetic%20Surgery%20Industry%20in%20India