Surviving Discrimination: The Mary Smrutha Paul Photo Story

By Mary Smrutha Paul | An UNfair & Beautiful contributor

I've endured a lot when I was younger and in school. While studying in an International school, I was made fun by my classmates. I'm skinny and dark, and adopted. I used to be laughed at all the time. The boys used to say that I looked like a Somalian refugee. I understand they were pre-teens and were just bullying girls, but that affected me a lot.

Surviving Discrimination: The Sreeja Raveendran Story

By Sreeja Raveendran | An UNfair & Beautiful contributor

Yes, I have been called mean names in school on account of being dark.
Yes, I have been rejected in the matrimonial space by parents of several non-eligible bachelors.
Yes, I have not been chosen to occupy the front line of dancers for a show.
Yes, I have been reminded of my colour several times at my workplace.
Yes, I have been asked at beauty product stores if I needed a fairness cream.
Yes, I was asked to cut a cake during my farewell at work which said, ‘Goodbye Blacky.'
Yes, I have created content for a fairness cream.

Not Fair!

By Kavita Emmanuel | Founder Director, WOW

Each year on Independence Day I get to recite our National Pledge: ‘India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it…”

Are we really proud of our varied heritage? Do we accept each other as fellow citizens on the same level barring differences over caste, creed, and particularly, colour? Is skin colour bias an issue in our country?

The answer is obviously ‘yes’! And I would not be completely wrong to assume that skin colour bias is more pronounced among the educated and the most forward sections of society.

Be Yourself: Be Dark, Be Beautiful

By Lydia Durairaj

Have you witnessed any of these statements or realities around you:
• Buying Double-whitening-action cream to get fair in three days?
• Not casting fair-skinned actors to play the role of a housemaid, the evil nemesis, or the outcast?
• Families looking out for a ‘fair bride’?
• Making pregnant mothers bathe in milk and saffron and eating lots of nuts so that the child is born with fair skin; and if that doesn’t work, then buying the double-whitening-action cream?

These ideologies have not changed since the days of our grandmothers. For generations now we have been saturating in the belief that dark skin is undesirable – to the point where we, consciously, start to discriminate and create divides between the fair and dark skinned people.

Even in the 21st century, when issues like poverty, hunger, and war are ravaging our lands, we have contributed to the booming half-billion-dollar skin whitening industry.

Advertisers play on our insecurities and market products that endorse discriminatory philosophies

On Raising Children

By Kavitha Emmanuel | Director, WOW

The issue of skin colour goes deeper than we would like to admit. It is actually more than just ‘skin’ deep; it is in our hearts. How does this bias against people of a darker skin colour, really affect the way we live and relate to others? 

I have a daughter who is 5 years old. I would like to describe her skin colour as 'golden brown'. She is my honey bunch. My hope and dream for her is that she will grow up believing that she is beautiful just the way she is. In South India, she probably does not fall in the category of being dark-skinned, but neither is she really fair. 

I am, at the moment, considering adopting a child. I have asked myself this question, “What is my preference, in terms of skin colour, for the child I would like to adopt?"  My first thoughts were that he or she should be of a similar skin tone to that of our daughter. I couldn't bear the thought of one of them being darker than the other and have people make comparisons or comments that would be hurtful to them. I would not want them, in turn, to compare themselves to each other and, perhaps, echo the unfortunate but common opinion that the lighter one is better. I do empathize with parents who are faced with this situation. As parents we want the best for our children. 

We live in a world where we suffer discrimination in various aspects of life - rich against the poor, upper caste against the lower caste, men against women. We discriminate on the basis of religion, profession, designation, status and SKIN COLOUR! Let's wake up to a new world where we spread love and acceptance rather than prejudice or bias.

If I adopt a child and he or she is dark-skinned, I will do all I can to let my children know how beautiful they are. I will teach both my children to rise above the limitations that the world might try to place on them because of skin colour. We need to teach our children to soar!

An ideal Indian woman?

By Kavitha Emmanuel | Director, WOW

We often conclude that our worth is based on what we do or how we look. And for many of us, especially women, what we see in the mirror – or what we think we see in the mirror – shapes much of our identity. Added to these notions are our society’s norms on how a girl or a woman should look and behave. The Media sends us confusing messages about who we are and what we should look like often capitalizing on the norms that are already found in our society.

An ideal Indian woman! Who is she? She is tall, slim, with well defined features and FAIR!  

What do we read when we open the matrimonial sections of our newspapers? Have you ever tried to count the number of ‘fairness’ advertisements that you are exposed to on television everyday? It seems the marketing universe would have us believe that the majority of Indian girls and women need to lighten up!

Based on the Global Village Theory, if we were to shrink the whole world into a village of 100 people, 70 of us would be colored! And we are a nation made of up people with different shades and colours of skin – from yellow to light brown and darker shades of brown. To set ‘fair’ as the norm of beauty is so ‘Un-Fair.’

The Dark is Beautiful campaign is all about spreading the message that beauty is beyond colour. We are all citizens of one nation– tall or short , men or women, children or adults, Fair or Dark. Why make a big deal about skin colour when you are beautiful just the way you are?

Is it possible for us to shed our bias against dark skin and give everyone a ‘fair chance’ to be accepted, loved and represented in all walks of life?

Yes, it is possible!

Runner Up poem entry in the 2009 Contest

A Lullaby for Yamini* - By Susan Philip

The Sleep Fairy’s coming my little one,
She’ll stay for a while, my pretty one,
She’ll bring sweet dreams to your jet-bright eyes,
And sing you the loveliest lullabies.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s near,
She’s here.

Her wings ruffle your corkscrew curls,
Fanning them into spirals and swirls; 
Where, she asks, did you get this black,
This dark, deep, rich, velvety black?

God waited till the deepest moment of night
And took a bit of the darkest spot in sight
By dipping His finger in the sky,
I reply.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
She’s here.

Her breath sets your lashes fluttering now,
Her palm smoothes your winged eyebrow;
Where, she asks, did you get this black,
This soft, soothing, downy, black?

God went to the big, glossy raven’s nest
And waited till the bird was at rest,
Then took a tiny feather,
I answer.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
She’s here.

As she caresses your cheek so soft and tender,
You flash your sweet little dimple at her;
Where, she asks, did you find this brown,
This bronzed and burnished shade of brown?

God scoured the woods and the forests deep
For the sweetest honey the bees do keep,
And scooped some in a frond,
I respond.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
She’s here.

She strokes your enchanting bow-shaped lips,
The merest touch with her fingertips;
Where, she asks, did you find this colour,
It looks so pretty, so perfect on her.

God found it in the dreamy, secret part
Of a sun-soaked grape’s garnet heart
One happy day
I say.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
She’s here.

You have all my blessings my pretty one,
As you grow up a woman, my little one.
May the world be your oyster, my pretty one,
And you a precious black pearl, my little one.

May you ever be sweet as warm caramel,
Yet hold the fire of a black opal.
And always be strong, as coffee,
Or ebony.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
She’s here.

The Sleep Fairy’s come, my little one,
She’ll be here a while, my pretty one,
She’s brought sweet dreams for your tight-shut eyes,
She’s singing you the loveliest lullabies.

Sleep, little Yamini, my life, my light,
Sleep, little Yamini, queen of the night,
The Sleep Fairy’s here,
Right here.

*The name Yamini is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘night’.