Colour Shaming: How does it matter? How to face it? (tale of a wheatish small town girl)

…Unkind as it might seem, the reality is people suffer from a widespread failing that is not edifying. No matter where we hail from, or the phase of economic development we are in, the belief that our culture, and language are superior to others is a trait found in literally every nook and corner of the globe. However, this never justifies domination or cruelty…

In numerous cultures across globe, the notion of beauty is defined by the melanin in one’s skin, which climbs up to one’s race and region where one is born. This is the story of a wheatish skin toned girl hailing from a small town of north-east India. She has never been very comfortable with her naturally clear wheatish skin tone somewhere due to being scrutinised for not being fair since childhood. While growing up she has always been advised not to get too much exposure to sun for preventing her wheatish skin from getter darker, avoid wearing certain colours to evade looking darker, apply paste of turmeric and besan mixed with curd or milk with pinch of lemon. In addition, in moving out of her home town, her insecurities regarding self-grew because of her belongingness to a discriminated part of India by ignorant masses.  Though over the years, her skin tone improved, and she has learnt to embarrass her caramel colour skin tone but somewhere she looks back to growing up as a child with lower self-esteem and self-confidence somewhere having roots in her disliking her complexion, making her think that fair skin tone is normal.

     Today no wonder plastic surgery exists, bleaching exists, make up exists, but colour shaming and racism too exists. A renowned 1964’s Assamese song written and composed by Bharat Ratna Late Dr. Bhupen Hazarika with lyrics-

“Maanuxe maanuxor babe jodi he okonu xonanubhutire nabhabe, kune nu bhabibo kua”.

The English translation of the lyrics is- “If people don’t empathize with each other with the requisite sensitivity, who else will”. This legendary song throws insights upon the present day cruel world where people believe in making judgements and look down upon other based on their caste, creed, colour, race. In many households, the fairer children are complimented by relatives and friends this prejudice keeps mounting with oldness. It is mostly driven on by peer pressure, societal standards or the advertising industry. The world where embracing one’s natural self, and simplicity are still not accepted as much as superficialities and shallow show offs. 

 

These kind of unjustified instances continues to be a pervasive scenario even when humans have started calling themselves modern. Historically, the colour black or dark has been seen through the lens of negativity and given lesser value. The best evidences could be traced back to 60s when the white Americans used to treat the African blacks as their guinea pigs for their risky medical research (Schiebinger, 2017). Thus, this discrimination based on skin tone was chiefly promoted in western countries and disseminated into other countries making the lighter skin toned individuals enjoying privileges, considered having affluent status being not involved in tedious labour, and preferences given in education and employment market. Meanwhile, individuals with darker skin tone were considered socially and economically disadvantaged due to high melanin concentration being consistent exposure to sun working outdoors in agricultural fields.

 

 

A survey on females across the globe by the United Kingdom’s group of scientists revealed that almost one in ten women gets suicidal thoughts resulting from pressure due to maintaining a particular body image. Similarly, even after 72 years of India’s independence, several women with tanned skin has to undergo hardships whether in career or marital lives. This omnipresent situation has led to increased revenues for the fashion industry, but at the cost of human lives since negative body images have high chances of depression, untimely deaths or mental disorders. The cosmetics industry has been advertising severely popularizing the idea that the beauty of any individual equates with lighter skin tone. In India, with issues such as employment and relationships often latent on skin tone. Individuals make investments in skin-lightening cosmetics with a hope of better existence. India's fascination with fair skin-tone is deep-rooted and widespread. All qualities are allied with "fair" while whatever “dark” has negative associations. Similarly, this issue hits deep in typical arranged marriages matrimonial cases where greater preferences are given upon people with lighter skin tone. So, are individuals with dark skin tone not valuable? Is being dark skinned an individual’s fault? In the age of equality when the world has made much progress, the injustice and discrimination against the dark skinned continuous. Is such obsession with fairer skin tone called modern in real sense? Or is it the mind-set of a person which is tanned?

The skin colour of an individual gets determined by the sun. Nature being sensible has shaped the adaptation of humans over centuries as they migrated across our planet. Thus, the skin tone of an individual and the latitude shares a positive correlation. With increased proximity with the Equator, the darker the skin tone gets. Therefore, to protect itself from harmful ultraviolet rays, the bodies need to create a shield to adjust with the natural forces. Similarly, in areas far from the equator are cooler, thus a lighter toned skin helps in producing more vitamin D. Thus it is the nature which influences skin tone of any living creature as propounded by evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin. Thus the race and skin tone of an individual is often resultant of habitat. How does this reduce the individual’s worth as a person? Given our genetic built, it is next to impossible for commandeering one’s skin tone. But it continues to be a deep-rooted prejudice, imbedded into the minds of youngsters running colourism into a deeper societal issue. If children are taught right from the beginning that having fair skin determines the worth of their lives creating superior opportunities right from jobs to marriage prospects, would pave the way for creation of more of a negative mentality and cruelty. It wouldn’t be unbelievable to say that almost every Indian’s sense of self is informed by it in some way.

The Africans are criticized all across the globe. However, the reality stands true that every individual alive today have some gene of Africans. Since the Home Sapiens species have evolved from Eastern and Western Africa, the modern genetic research studies have proved that humans are all somewhere related. Thus, despite of much progress made with increasing educated mass, how equality continues remaining a less understood and practiced concept? Aren’t we living in a world that makes you dislike yourself in certain situations? A modern instance of this is through smart phone filters and hiding one’s true self through excessive make up. These not only lead to creation of more of fake personalities but paves the path for increasing wrongdoings.  

Thus it is essential for elders to guide their younger ones towards thinking rightly and ethically. Children tends to follow their elders and people around while they grow up. Children if taught to gracefully embrace their natural self, could be the first essential step for combating self-criticism and then it gets easier to ignore judgement passed on by others. In addition, this creates even ways for self-acceptance and self-confidence and thus contributing to one’s emotional and spiritual well being. Most importantly, the mind-set that beauty of an individual comes from within needs to be imbibed in every individual’s mind. Children needs to be taught that their real worth gets determined through their values, thoughts and behavior. Most importantly, the feeling of self-acceptance and self-love would lead to creation of healthy relationships creating way for a better society and life would change for the better.

…the most essential thing which needs to be understood by every individual (including myself) that we only owe our lives the way we want it to take shape and that is the only way to live life…Every human life is unique and exist on this earth for certain purpose…Perfection does not exist, but the real wisdom lies is in realizing and being what one is, choose to bettering yourself each day and the right companions of this journey called life would anyway be there by accepting you as their “imperfectly perfect” …

References-

Schiebinger, L. (2017). Africans were used for medical experiments but were also scientists on Caribbean plantations. Retrieved on: 13^th June, 2020 from- https://qz.com/africa/1058121/african-slaves-were-both-medical-guinea-pigs-and-scientists-on-caribbean-plantations/.

Bhattacharya, S. (2019). Indian Woman Commits Suicide Due To Husband's Taunts About Her Dark Skin. Retrieved on: 13^th June, 2020 from-https://www.idiva.com/news-opinion/womens-issues/husbands-racist-remarks-on-mangibais-dark-skin-led-her-to-kill-herself-exposing-indias-colourism/18003966