FAIR AND LOVELY? DARK AND UGLY?

I wrote this article around two years ago because I was really angry with those fair and lovely ads and one of my classmates who said, "shut up, i'm an aryan, you're a dravadian. we chased you to south india. i'm far more superior to you because i'm white and you're dark."

when I read my article today, I thought it was really sweet. I liked my strong opinion of things then, which shows that I'm growing up to have a mind of my own. This usually gets me into fights with my dad who thinks I don't listen to or respect of other people's opinions. well, I do listen to, and respect opinions from others, but that doesn't mean I have to agree to what the majority think or what he thinks [ his idea of respecting opinions is agreeing with them]. like I said I have a mind of my own........

My name is Rheaa Rao. I’m an eleven year old girl studying at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. The article you are reading now is not about me. It is about my biggest problem, people differentiating between skin colours. Always favoring the white and pushing the dark skinned to a corner and making them feel humiliated.

All ads about beauty creams have the same irritating, unfair saga. A dark skinned lady applies for the airhostess post, they reject her because she is dark skinned, a few days later she puts a cream and becomes fair, she goes for her job interview and men jump out of their pants of awe and immediately give her a job. Are these ads trying to say that fair is lovely and dark is ugly, aren’t dark people beautiful or handsome, aren’t the fair skinned ugly?

Why are dark-skinned always meant to be felt small, and of a low caste? And why are the white meant to feel big, handsome and superior? Is it because the British who took over us were fair skinned? Is it because the white were the Aryans who overthrew the Dasus or dark skinned people and pushed them to South India? And what are they called now? South Indians. People mimic the way South Indians talk, but I think they speak good English; they only have an accent that’s Indian and that’s perfectly fine. But what about the Americans? They speak terrible English and mispronounce every word because of their scrawny, airy accent. But they aren’t mocked; they are followed just because they are ‘white’.

White means heaven, white is pure, clean, superior and black is shown as dirt, scum, filth, dust, devil. That isn’t fair.
In addition I don’t think that the ads should put wrong things in people’s heads. They show a dark skinned girl as a poor girl, with a sweaty face, and icky oily skin, dirty teeth and grime, they make the audience feel revolted and swear that they will never give a job opportunity to any dark- skinned person. Then comes the magic cream, she undergoes the change; they show her coming as a fair skinned person, with lovely soft pink and white skin and pearly teeth and lovely clothes and dainty heels and a beautiful smile. It makes everyone want to abandon their teddy bear and cuddle her instead. I don’t think creams should be made to make a dark skinned person a white-showy one; they should instead be made to improve the complexion.

We are Indians, come on, we are dark skinned, that’s our original skin colour, we will earn nothing following the West and behaving like them. Development and progress is good, but on the account of totally trying to cut yourself from your roots; forcibly putting on an accent and desperately trying those useless creams to turn 'FAIR AND LOVELY'.

Come on, we have our own riches, our country, our ways of dressing, behaving, talking, reacting, we have our special Indian accent, our own slang, our own unique personality and most of all, our skin colour. I’m dark skinned, but I don’t care, I’m feel beautiful and intelligent and I’m proud to say I’m a South Indian.

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Adding to this, look at all the sucessful actors and actresses, Kajol, Bipasha, Rani Mukerjee, Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Johnny Liver, to name a few, who are dark skinned, but very good at their jobs [ and sucessful too]

We're learning 'Roll of Thunder, Hear my cry', by Mildred D. Taylor which talks about a coloured child, Cassie's trials and tribulations in a white dominated society. its a really sad book, with lots of gory scenes and sad truths, taught to tell us spoilt brats how safe and privileged we are in our society compared to the Logans [Cassie and her family].
A must read for all you folks who liked this article.