Sex and skin colour: India confronts its white-skin obsession

Oct 13, 2013 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The popular, international television channel, Al Jazeera, has done what no other network ever contemplated doing. It featured a documentary exposing the insane obsession India has with whiter skin, not light hue but white complexion. For those interested in its content, please go to the online edition of Al Jazeera and do the search. It is simply incredible that the world’s best media in every aspect, be it news reporting, documentary, investigative journalism has not touched on this infamy in India.

I am referring to the BBC. The thing is now wide open, thanks to Al Jazeera. The documentary is revealing in that though it was known throughout the world the white skin thing exists in India due to its film industry, what was not know was the extent to which India has become obsessed with this cultural hedonism, philosophical nihilism and colonial sickness. The first attempt at fighting this man-made cancer, according to Al Jazeera, was the formation of Women of Worth (WOW). Based in the southern city of Chennai, in August it promoted a campaign called “Dark is Beautiful.” Al Jazeera went on to state that though WOW wooed many sections of India when it started in 2009, its “Dark is Beautiful” campaign was boosted to the skies when it interview Bollywood actor (actor not actress, the latter word is gone from the English language), Nandita Das. Not only was Das a supporter of WOW, but Das herself got actively involved in a campaign committee that saw advertisements ringing out with the catchy phrase, “Stay Unfair, Stay Beautiful. In her interview with Al Jazeera, Das intoned, “As the issue impacts so many people, young girls in particular, by default I have become a champion of it.”

Then Das spoke the unspeakable. Yes, this is India, a great country, an enduring democracy and a nation whose judicial independence is second to none. Here is Nandita Das talking about her country, India. “I have had directors and camerapersons telling me that it would be good if I made my skin lighter as I was playing an educated, upper class woman.” Al Jazeera interviewed Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association. She indicated that it stems from the caste system.

When I read that aspect of the analysis of India’s insane pursuit of white skin, I thought of the famous book by Guyanese academic, Kean Gibson. Gibson’s book on the racist nature of Hinduism based on its inherency of the caste system (the great Mahatma Gandhi is on record as saying that the caste system is an essential Indian value that should be accepted) makes for good reading. The Al Jazeera documentary found that because of the colour bias arising from the caste system, certain professions are exclusively reserved for Indians with lily white skin. They include aviation, films, and white collar occupations. Al Jazeera quoting from the popular newspaper, Indian Express, found that in the state of Maharashtra, a hundred low caste girls were selected for training on a government scholarship programme to be flight attendants (not air hostess, that word like actress is gone from the English language) and cabin crew.

But 92 were refused employment because none was white as snow which is the requirement in the flight industry. Only eight who were brown-skinned were given jobs, but only as ground staff. According to Al Jazeera, the lightening cream industry is one of the fastest growing profit areas in the Indian economy and in 2014 it is set to raise about US$3.6 billion. Indians buy lightening cream the way parents buy chocolate for their kids (I wonder if Indians prefer white chocolate to the normal, phenomenal dark Cadbury’s?) The Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan has come under the radar of WOW and other campaigners. He is featured in a white skin advertisement in which he tosses a tube of fairness cream to a youth telling him that white complexion is the success to life. WOW has filed court papers against the cream company, Emami, requesting that the ad be pulled and the campaigners intend to ask Khan to distance himself from the depravity.

But if you think the Khan placement was bad, there was a huge outcry in India last year when a cosmetic company launched a fairness product with the words, “lighten your skin around the vagina.” Bollywood filmmaker, Shekhar Kapur joined the outcry when he tweeted against it and according to Al Jazeera, within a day millions had supported the anger of Kapur. But let’s end on a curious note. Why would sex be more enjoyable if around the vicinity of a woman’s vagina, the skin is white? Are orgasms and skin colour related? Over to the Sigmund Freud scholars.

9 thoughts on “Sex and skin colour: India confronts its white-skin obsession”

Pat patterson October 13, 2013 at 5:23 am

These Arabs should be the last persons to talk about skin whitening or white skin. If you are an Iranian or a Causasian then you got it made, with a good job, when you go to work in the middle East. If you are an Indian or another darkee with dark skin expect these Arabs to work you like a dog in no where phisical labor jobs for the rest of your life. Then they will kick you back to your country when they finish with you, all because of your dark skin.
Ashley Singh October 13, 2013 at 7:15 am

If only you were only a little, little white. Black is beautiful, but are ashamed of being black.
MrHFMetz . October 13, 2013 at 7:24 am

No matter how advanced the Indians have become technically, they still remain a backward society. Discrimination based on skin color has always been proof of the backward and uncivilised state of mind people are in, all over the world. How about ourselves? Are we free from this evil?
ivanholder October 13, 2013 at 8:28 am

Kean Gibson wrote about the caste system and how it affects the Indian psyche in Guyana. Unfortunately persons like Kissoon live in denial of the transformative influences of the caste system in the political dynamics of Guyana where the untouchables of the Indian caste system assume the white stance of the higher caste to reject the blacker skin African Guyanese who they have positioned in their new culture as lower caste and unfit to govern hold elevated psoitions and suceed.. The marginalization of African Guyanese can be understood in the context of a caste think.
Malcom James October 13, 2013 at 12:38 pm

whats the link for the documentary? I have looked through http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/documentaries/ and cant find it.
kaiteur October 13, 2013 at 1:47 pm

Let’s get to the inceptions of the dominance and total hierarchy of the
human race. First of all, the original inhabitants of the Indus Valley were the
Dravidian people who are dark-skinned, the Aryans (light-skinned), invented the
caste system to dominate over the Dravidians. They believed that white is
supreme and of such, they should control over all.

The British made the meaning of Aryan to be ‘noble’ so that they can rule
as white skinned people in India. That’s why Hitler and the Nazis claimed to be
Aryans and represented the ‘pure-race’.

In the Ramayana, King Ravana was depicted as a
demon man although his family who were exiled from the South –Eastern State of
Devagana where they lived as the king and emperor were actually Brahmins but
because they were dark-skinned, they were kicked out by the Aryans.

In Lanka, where Ravana great, grandfather became the King more than 7,000
years ago were actually the noble ones.

Getting back to the Ramayana, the real
story is not that Ravana kidnapped Sita who

Incidentally was his own daughter, but that the King’s step brother invited
Ram to Lanka to help overthrow him from the kingdom.

We should also note that Ravana wrote many historical volumes of Indian
philosophies and medicines. He also invented the VIOLIN and the CHESS game
among other inventions. He was a genius, but was dark-skinned.

Why it is that history is warped? It intention is to delude the world of
the intelligence of black people and by so doing; the white- skinned can
continue to rule and dominate us. Guess what, people are buying it.

In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas were depicted as the real Aryans, but they
were defeated by the Kauravas. That was the beginning of the turning of the
TRUTH. That was more than 5,000 years ago, but the white-skinned controllers
haven’t learnt their lessons. It is however, unavoidable that black man would
not be subjugated anymore.

In recent times, light-skinned have turned into red-skinned. Their demise
is coming. When you have to change your colour to prevail, it’s the end game
they are playing with.

It is unfortunate that the white-skinned dominance is rampant in India. This
is due mainly to the Colonial systems that were implanted in the minds of the
rich to preserve that culture.

Professor Kissoon, your late good friend wrote in 2010 that “The Guyanese
African ancestries are the ones who must lead”. He then said, “Until then we
must wait”. I think he meant a real black man.
1. Tamla Hamilton Beaton October 18, 2013 at 6:01 pm
  
  Thank you !
Martin October 14, 2013 at 2:37 am

I don’t know Sigmund Freud but I know”philosopher” The Mighty Sparrow who said “I never touch a white meat yet” meaning he was eager to have a sample because it was appealing to him.
I can’t see the relevance of this article to our situation except to denigrate Indo-Guyanese and those who practice the religion Hinduism, and once again another subtle attempt by you to sow hatred between the two major ethnic groups in the country. The mere mention of the infamous book by Kean Gibson ( Which was condemned by prominent Afro-Guyanese and Caribbean scholars and have a limited ban because of its erroneous , unscientific,vulgar and wicked fabrication not worthy to be read) is giving credence to a dirty piece of work and at the same time insulting a large section of the society in Guyana that practices the religion Hinduism. India has over one billion people and if a small set of people is fascinated in whitening their skin with their ambition to get into the film industry (or what have you)
why is that an indictment against the entire country and Hinduism.? King of Pop music, Michael Jackson and many Blacks in the USA practice this skin whitening solution also.
I don’t think you could be a film star if you are ugly therefore both me and you cannot make it to the film industry due to our ugliness.
If the Indentured Servants came with their caste systems from India, that practice has died away along time ago possibly since the 1930s. because Christianity was propagated country wide and in schools, and teachers had to abide by Christianity for all the schools were Christian based.Religious knowledge/Scriptures was a compulsory subject in most secondary schools for those writing the College Preceptors and GCE o’Level Exams. The practice of Hinduism as a religion among mostly Indo-Guyanese continued but without the caste ranking . Pandits which was the preserve of the highest ranking caste/class was now occupied by the most qualified and disciplined individual who could eloquently delivered,explained and interpreted the Ramayne and Gita (The Holy Books of Hinduism) Marriages among Indo-Guyanese flourished without the adherence to the caste system ( that is madrass,chamar,Chatri and bramhims marriages were happening without reference to the caste system which died a natural death also marriages among the different religious persuasions ( that is Hinduism,Islam/Muslim and Christianity) were happening frequently without any conflicts or observation to caste and color of skin.For instance you,Freddie Kissoon came from a Hindu background ( maybe from the Chamar caste based on your behavior) and married a nice pleasant Muslim girl,practicing Pandits and their children who were strict Hindus later became preachers of Christianity-all good for the soul and make life richer..Come let’s go have lunch but it has to be dholl,rice and catahar curry and don’t tell me that you won’t indulge in this delicacy.
Hermann October 15, 2013 at 11:02 am

Eurika…..Freddy can walk the streets of GT naked proclaiming his revelation……