In light of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the backlash against companies that promote colorism through their products has spread around the globe. This backlash has reached companies like Unilever, which announced on June 25th, 2020, that it will be rebranding one of its well-liked products, Fair and Lovely, a skin whitening cream.
India, a country where this product is very popular, is known for favoring lighter skin tones due to the internalization of colonial preferences. Through many decades, Unilever has profited from the “white-washing” of the Indian population. This widespread favoritism of lighter skin is rooted in the traditional societal view of what beauty is, while it also feeds into the Indian caste system. Consumers continue to purchase it, not only to appeal to the societal view of beauty but to also symbolize their class and status. Unilever announced on June 25th, 2020, that their product, Fair and Lovely, will not be discontinued, but simply renamed. This rebranding allows Unilever to continue boosting its revenue while feeding into colorist ideals. Sunny Jain, president of the company's beauty & personal care division, stated, "We recognize that the use of the words 'fair,' 'white' and 'light' suggest a singular ideal of beauty that we don't think is right.”
Colorism, which is discrimination based on skin color, is widely exemplified in South Asian countries. Women and girls find comfort in the purchase of products like Fair and Lovely as many of them face bias regarding their skin tones in schools, workplaces, and amongst their families. Tanushri K, a public relations professional, stated, “I was bullied a lot in my school in Allahabad, and I remember applying the fairness cream on my face religiously during summer vacations, hoping I would startle my classmates by turning fair when I got back to school”. In countries where darker skin is frowned upon by society and associated with a lack of personal qualities, companies like Unilever thrive in the sales of their skin-lightening creams. The colorist ideals that Unilever perpetuates will not be minimized in South Asian societies even if the cream is renamed. Society’s mindset of appearance is one that is hard to shift, especially when colorism is deeply rooted in South Asian culture. The first step to normalizing every skin shade is to cease the production, sales, and imports of skin-lightening creams. Creams, makeup, and other cosmetic products only add on to the mask that girls and women create to disguise their true beauty simply because it is not accepted by society. The idea of colorism must be discontinued, along with the skin-lightening industry. This must occur to promote the idea that no skin shade needs to be modified in order to truly reach the peak of beauty. Additionally, celebrities like Sara Ali Khan and Priyanka Chopra, who have promoted these products, have the responsibility to encourage diversity in skin tones. Furthermore, advertisement campaigns should embrace people with different skin tones to celebrate and promote the beauty of the different skin colors as they have an influence over their audiences’ views. All skin colors are beautiful and unique in their own way and this should be the mindset that should be adapted in schools, workplaces, and most importantly, societies.
Citations:
Narayanan, J. (2020, July 07). Being young and dark - in an unfair world. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/fair-and-lovely-skin-colour-discrimination-6487200/
Jones, L. (2020, June 25). Unilever renames Fair & Lovely skin cream after backlash. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53178088
Frayer, L. (2020, June 25). 'Fair & Lovely' Skin Lightening Brand, Popular In South Asia, To Change Name. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/25/883322883/fair-lovely-skin-lightening-brand-popular-in-south-asia-to-change-name
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