BCM222 Project

1. COLORISM
IN INDIA

2. colourism is the
discrimination
against individuals
with a dark skin
tone, among
people of the
same ethnic/ racial
group.
Image by Charles Bankhead, 2021

3. One of India’s main contributors
to colourism is the media

4. Mainly,

5. We see it by the people they cast…

6. The people they cast as their leads:
Image from movie ‘Main Tera Hero’ 2014

7. The people they cast as the
‘poor and unhygienic’:
Image from Bhatt J. 2019

8. The people they cast as their background dancers:
Backstage at Bollywood nights by atmtx CC by 2.0

9. And we know
this has a huge
impact

10. An interviewee of Neha Mishra, 2015 said:
“if a dark-skinned
person sits next to me
while I am using
public transport,
subconsciously, I relate
darkness with un-
hygiene”
Riding the Bus in the monsoons by Anomalily CC by 2.0

11. All this to make darker
skinned people feel
inferior only for the
cosmetic industry to
capitalize off it

12. Skin bleaching
and lightening
has become a
norm in India
Image by Param Sahib (@parambanana on Instagram) 2020

13. An ad that
clearly
shames
darker skin
and
promotes
skin
lightening
Fair and Lovely - Billboard for Skin-Whitening Cream - Chittagong – Bangladesh by Adam Jones CC by 2.0

14. 61% of
women in
India
regularly use
skin-
lightening
products
‘Unfair and Lovely’ by Arthi Venkat 2021

15. 60% of men and
83% of women use
skin bleaching
products despite
knowing the
pathological
harms that come
with it
‘Colorsim’ by Anika Chatradhi 2022

16. “I don’t know how consciously
I have applied all fairness
product, since Fair and Lovely
was the cream of the house
everyone would apply it”
An interviewee of Neha Mishra, 2015 said:

17. The
consequences of
colourism
unfortunately
extend beyond
making darker
skinned people
feel insecure
‘The fairness hype’ by Asheeta Khanna CC by 2.0

18. Colourism
can also
affect one's
employee
status
‘Colourism posters’ by Nikita Maharaj CC by 2.0

19. ‘educators and employers
prefer light skinned people
while holding biases against
dark skinned people’
(Thelwell, 2020)

20. It also affected
marital status,
especially for
women

21. In India, arranged
marriages are
common. Therefore,
picking out your
bride/groom by
different factors such
as wealth, caste or
profession is normal.
‘AN INTIMATE DESTINATION NEW YORK FUSION INDIAN WEDDING’ by Matt Druin CC by 2.0

22. Skin colour had
become one of these
factors, causing
mainly women to
be discriminated
against and seen as
an ‘unworthy’
bride.
‘AN INTIMATE DESTINATION NEW YORK FUSION INDIAN WEDDING’ by Matt Druin CC by 2.0

23. “I remember my
parents telling my
sister that. . . be
happy that someone
really liked you in
spite of your color.
What if you lose this
match?”
An interviewee of Neha Mishra, 2015
said:
Image by Param Sahib (@parambanana on Instagram) 2020

24. Some women
have also felt the
need to make
themselves lighter
skinned with
makeup on their
wedding day to
look pretty.
Image by Sara Hussain 2017 ‘Reality of Colourism’ by Maliha Khan CC by 2.0

25. It’s time we break the stigma!
Boycott colourist
media/companies, educate the
younger and empower darker
skinned people!

26. Because dark is beautiful
‘HUES’ by Ananya Saraf CC by 2.0

27. The End
by Arthi Srinivasan

28. References
Anomalily (2010) Riding the bus in the monsoons [online] Available:
https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/7d7e647f-7c68-4ecb-a616-77015174fb55 [Accessed 17 March
2022]
Bankhead C. (2021) Unhealthy Quest for Lighter Skin Fuels Bleaching Epidemic [online] Available:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/dermatology/generaldermatology/92786 [Accessed 17 March 2022]
BFFC Network (2020) Bollywood finally takes charge against defamation by media houses! [online]
Available: https://www.bollywoodfilmfame.com/news/bollywood-finally-takes-charge-against-defamation-by-
media-houses!_3710.html [Accessed 17 March 2022]
Bhatt J. (2019) Dear Bollywood, Your 'Brownfacing' of Actors Is 50 Shades Of F***ed Up [online] Available:
https://in.mashable.com/entertainment/4149/dear-bollywood-your-brownfacing-of-fair-actors-is-50-shades-
of-fed-up [Accessed 17 March 2022]
Chatradhi A. (2022) Colorism [online] Available: https://amhsnews.org/3037/uncategorized/colorism/
[Accessed 17 March 2022]

29. • Druin M (2016) AN INTIMATE DESTINATION NEW YORK FUSION INDIAN WEDDING [online]
Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/56081861@N07/30435530346 [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Druin M (2016) AN INTIMATE DESTINATION NEW YORK FUSION INDIAN WEDDING [online]
Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/56081861@N07/30173726790 [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Hussain S. (2017) Two Young Women Are Calling Out India’s Fair-Skin Obsession Via Art & Poetry
[online] Available: https://homegrown.co.in/article/801002/through-art-poetry-two-young-women-are-
calling-out-our-fair-skin-obsession [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Jones A. (2014) Fair and Lovely - Billboard for Skin-Whitening Cream - Chittagong – Bangladesh
[online] Available: https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/1494babe-1750-4868-8eb1-658456694b1f
[Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Khan C. (2020) Skin-lightening creams are dangerous – yet business is booming. Can the trade be
stopped? Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/23/skin-lightening-creams-are-
dangerous-yet-business-is-booming-can-the-trade-be-stopped [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Khan M. (2021) Reality of Colourism [online] Available:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/128528537/Reality-of-colorism

30. • Khanna A (2017) The Fairness Hype [online] Available:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/52698057/The-Fairness-Hype [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Maharaj N. (2016) Colourism Posters [online] Available:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/44688867/Colourism-
Posters?tracking_source=search_projects%7Ccolourism [Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Mishra N. (2015) India and Colorism: The Finer Nuances, Washington University Global Studies
Law Review, 14 (4), pp 20-25, [online]. Available:
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1553&context=law_globalstudies
[Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Sahib P. (2020) parambanana on Instagram Available: https://www.instagram.com/p/CB23dZglbR0/
[Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Saraf A. (2021) HUES [online] Available: https://www.behance.net/gallery/111782619/HUES
[Accessed 17 March 2022]
• Thelwell K. (2020) Colorism in India and the Fight Against It Available:
https://borgenproject.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg [Accessed 17
March 2022]
• Venkat A. (2021) Will South Asia’s obsession with fair skin ever end? [online] Available:
https://arthivenkat.medium.com/will-south-asias-obsession-with-fair-skin-ever-end-b301ee2e0ba
[Accessed 17 March 2022]