By: Moni Basu
Thursday, September 27, 2013So now, Middle Eastern women are trying to lighten their skin tone...Sound familiar in any way? Many Indians have now the obsession with fairness compounded by Westernization; of course, this after our new Miss America, Nina Davaluri was crowned; interest reignited in the Indian culture. The author, being of Indian descent herself, can recall her family telling her to stay out of the sun, "..lest she turn darker. " The Article refers to a young lady Tanupriya Khurana (age 23) as she watches her sister get a makeover in one of New Delhi's malls. Behind the kiosk in the mall is an advertisement, of a beautiful lady with blonde, blue eyes,tall thin bodies, and how could we forget....milky white skin of course. "Being white is the preference" Tanupriya mentions. She also states that Indian women have a problem with acceptance. Who knew? The girl goes on, she knows she is being racist, she professes, "White is beautiful". Pria Warrick, former Miss India, says that Indians are still trying to get over their colonial past. ""We, of course, in India are very obsessed with being very fair. I think it's something the British left us with," Warrick says. Warrick then tells the author that she is convinced that India needs someone like Oprah Winfrey to do for Indian women what she did for African American women in America, to make Indians proud of their culture, their heritage, their looks.
First of all, no one needs anyone to make them proud of themselves; why can't we realize for ourselves that each of us are beautiful in our own way? Well I don't know; we all do it. In my opinion, no one can really answer that question. Anyway, I don't really find this typically surprising; however, it was bound to happen . I found it a bit odd though
because most Middle Eastern people I know are very proud of who they are. Beats me. Oprah Winfrey does serve the purpose of helping African American women, but we don't need to necessarily depend on her. So, before we have another race spinning down the drain, how about we all take a second and consider ourselves all as beautiful beings, made exactly how we were supposed to be. I say EVERYONE is beautiful, and for cryin' out loud if we all had light skinned people, wouldn't the world be a bit boring? Then, after everyone has gone through their "light skinned stage" (if they already aren't) ,it will be the other way around and then they want to be dark again...uughh just whatever. It's all to complicated. Moral of the story? Be you. I'm out.
<3, Arlesia (: ( I have no idea why my words are highlighted)
Click on it: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/25/world/asia/indian-ideal-of-beauty/index.html?hpt=wo_t5
I completely agree. This is so sad, because the more women obsess over societies definition of beauty the less they empower themselves. Obviously, all skin tones are beautiful, but so many women feel pressure to be something they are not. I hope this awful trend ends soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is really sad to me that this Is happening in India. It seems like this kind of desire to conform to western culture is becoming an issue all over the world, and just shows how much of an impact our actions have on other peoples' self esteems in the examples we put forth for young children and just people in general.
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