FAIR STEP TOWARDS FAIRNESS NO MORE?
The decision to remove the usage of words ‘fair’, ‘light’ and ‘white’ from the description of their cosmetic products by HUL, takes the spotlight back to celebs denouncing the idea of endorsing fairness ads
We are an unfairly fair skin-obsessed nation, which places a premium on being on the right side of the shade card, especially in the marriage ‘market’. We are a country where products to make one’s skin colour lighter are bought not only by women, but men, too. This is an obsession that has been repeatedly called out, more so in the wake of the recent Black Lives Matter movement. So, Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) pathbreaking decision on Thursday, to drop the word ‘fair’ from its Fair & Lovely range of products, came as a pleasant surprise.
“Taking forward the brand’s journey towards a more inclusive vision of beauty, the company will stop using the word ‘Fair’ in the brand name ‘Fair & Lovely’. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals and we expect to change the name in the next few months,” said an HUL statement. And celebrating the many shades of beauty, its chairman Sanjiv
Mehta said in a statement: “We are making our skin care portfolio more inclusive ... a more diverse portrayal of beauty.” Moreover, Sunny Jain, Unilever president (beauty & personal care) said in a separate statement: “We recognise that the use of the words ‘fair’, ‘white’ and ‘light’ suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don’t think is right, and we want to address this…”
Cosmetic companies have long been criticised for promoting stereotypes against people with darker skin. People believe this step, that too, by a global giant, will prompt others to follow suit. Actor Kubbra Sait is overjoyed. “I am so glad…especially when such an old brand decides to rebrand themselves, when they can surely be here for the next as many years as they want to. It’s high time that people were not reduced to the colour of your skin,” she says.
Actor Richa Chadha, too, is happy. “Brands think a million times before making the tiniest change to their design. Hence, I want to applaud the change of name of this renowned product. I hope, eventually, we get comfortable in our own skin (colour),” she says.
Delhi-based student Ayush Kalra, whose illustration ‘Fair My Jutti’ has gone viral on social media, says, “Not only are girls taught not to play in the sun, use fairness creams and not drink too much tea, but matrimonial ads are always looking for a ‘fair’ bride. And female actors endorse skinwhitening products, setting a benchmark.” Actor Divya Dutta is circumspect. “Our culture is such that we discriminate based on colour. Aap rishta bhi dekhne jaate ho with the idea ki ‘gori ladki chahiye’. We need to change the mentality,” she says.
Recently, a matrimonial portal removed its skin colour filter, which enabled one to search for potential brides/ grooms by the colour of their skin. So, can all this really bring us to accept a ‘non-fair’ bride?