Hey guys I just wanted to show you some advertisements of Fair & Lovely. The First one is in English which shows that when women become Fair, they have got a better chance of getting a good job. I think that this ad is emtremely sexist but eventually quite true about the job market because like if there are two women with the same qualifications, the prettier one has a better chance of getting a job. But I am of course assuming that the interviewer is a stereotypical male or a homosexual female. But notice when the women says that 4 is her lucky number, her skin becomes 4 shades lighter. Anyway the second ad is in Hindi but if you watch it you will understand it. The emphasis is on 'modern beauty company' so basically they are saying that you have to be fair to be beautiful nowadays. You guys may think that this is wrong because in the western countries people actually pay hundreds of dollars to become tanned but in the East, women actually think they are inferior if they are dark.
Its interesting to notice that human beings are never satisfied with what they have. White people want to become dark and vice versa. Below is a Fair & Lovely ad aimed at Malaysian women.
"Inspiring women
Since 1993 until today, we have been committed to transforming and inspiring the lives of women through beauty. We also believe in the economic empowerment of women to improve standards of living and contribute positively to the quality of life of all Malaysians.
What we offer
The products we offer are dedicated to the beauty of women everywhere. Our range comprises Fair & Lovely Fairness Cream, Fair & Lovely Herbal Cream, Fair & Lovely Facial Facewash, Fair & Lovely Under Eye Cream, Fair & Lovely Fairness Soap and Fair & Lovely Fairness Body Lotion. Our Multi-Vitamin Fairness Cream is yet another innovation to make your skin naturally fairer and radiant in a mere 4 weeks – harnessing the goodness of 4 essential vitamins, namely Vitamin B3, C, A and E. "
Doesn't that sound so noble? So now all of us dark women know that in order to be respected, successful and happy we have to be fair. Oh and if you guys are interested, go to YouTube and find Fair & Lovely ads for men. Apparently the days of the dark, rugged and handsome men are over.
Vidoes are from
Skin-bleaching creams used to be marketed heavily to African Americans, especially women. Check out this vintage ad: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vieilles_annonces/4040131639/ Some of these creams are still on the market, but popular opinion is rather strongly against them, now. That popular opinion is interesting in itself, though: consider white Americans' reaction to Michael Jackson's increasingly fair skin. The revulsion and anger people felt about that seemed more to do with a desire for people to fit into preconceived notions of what a "black" person should look like (vs. a "white" person) than it did with whether MJ was exhibiting some sort of internalized racism.
ReplyDeleteAnd as messy as this is in the US, the issue (while related, I think) is further complicated in the sub-continent by the history of colonialism. These ads are prime cultural real estate.