https://www.dawn.com/news/1086532
Skin-whitening creams reveal dark side of beauty
Tansy Hoskins
February 12, 2014
The Dark is Beautiful campaign by Women of Worth, an Indian NGO.
SKIN-whitening cosmetics are a multi-billion dollar industry pushing the idea that beauty equates with white skin and that lightening dark skin is both achievable and preferable.
The cosmetics industry has traditionally relied on convincing people that they are incomplete without a particular product. Yet, unlike make-up or fake tan, skin-whitening creams base beauty on a racial hierarchy, fuelling intolerance and causing serious social harm.
In a country such as India, the dominance of fair skin has both a colonial and a caste legacy and the global narrative is that those at the top of society have fair skin. With issues such as employment and relationships often resting on skin tone, people invest in skin-whitening creams in the hope of a better existence. Capitalising on this inequality, hundreds of products are peddled by corporations, among them armpit whitener, genital whitener and fairness baby oil.
In countries such as India and Thailand it is difficult to find beauty products that do not claim to have lightening or whitening properties, and a recently launched celebrity backed product in Nigeria sold out within 24 hours. Many global corporations are involved in this market, such as Unilever, which sells Fair and Lovely, Pond’s White Beauty and the Vaseline and Dove whitening ranges.