Sunny Singh comments : Is it really so bad as you make it sound? Lets go through the list again: Sushmita Sen is hardly "fair" even by the laxest standards. Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu are all pretty dark. As far as fair = good equation goes, can I remind you that the "nicest girl of all" on Indian screen, Kajol, was quite dark. And yet she was the country´s favourite for years. Going back a few years, Zeenat Aman comes to mind. I agree that given the "Punjabification" of Bollywood since independence, there has been a preponderence of Punjabi looks (complete with light eyes and light skin), I would be however hesitant to extend that to large scale generalization. Cheers Sunny
While it is true, that complexion of a person, whether for a woman or even for a man, does effect her/his persona to some extent, it is only one of the many, but a less important physical attribute that matters even less on the silver screen. In fact on the silver screen, the complexion can be neutralised to a great extent by appropriate make up. What makes Ash, Preity, and Rani, more attractive are their soft, homely, and roundish Indian features, and combined with their expressiveness and superb acting establishes their image. In addition, Preity is gifted with her dimples which she uses smashingly along with her great smile. Ash's large round expressive eyes match perfectly with her facial innocence. The light eye color seldom appears on the screen. In the photo of Ash in your article, I only see her black/brown eyes. Rani will be welcome as daughter-in-law in any Indian home. These images have much less to do with their complexions.
There is also a wide range of shades of fairness or darkness between black and white, that are almost equally attractive. In fact these intermediate shades are far more preferable to stark white or stark black. A stark white complexion can appear closer to lukodermic, and certainly is not attractive in any culture. The preference for lighter eyes as you mention, in my opinion, is more confined to those who have lately become more obsessed with the foreign white skinned models or actresses, while the brown/black Indian eyes go perfectly well with most Indians, I know of. In Indian culture, light eyes are not really considered a sign of beauty, resembling more the eyes of a cat(an inauspicious sign)!
Rekha one of the most glamorous and longest surviving actresses on the Indian screen, as I understand, is quite on the darker side? Kajol is another example, who has won many a hearts and awards at the same time. I doubt, even Ashwarya or Sushmita are very fair? Ash is more ash like complexion. It is her outstandingly soft Indian innocent features combined with her large round expressive eyes, that makes her so beautiful. The contrast, in sucess and their respective images, between Ash and Sushmita on the silver screen, both world beauties, highlights the more dominant importance of other attributes than the complexion. Vipasa and Mallika are certainly not beautiful from any standards but for the sexual image projected by them themselves. I doubt that a fairer complexion would have done them any more justice.
These preferences are, however, highly personal. But any day I find the Indian actresses on the silver screen far more glamorous and attractive than the Hollywood ones, even after living in USA for 30 years. So Vimlaji, I choose to vote anyday for the less fair Indian beauty, than the fairer western ones. Yes, if all other attributes are perfectly identical, a fairer Indian girl(within limits), might carry the day.
Lt. Col. Raj Aggarwala(retd) FACULTY, Univ. Of Mich.(retd) USA
Kaka comments : you have to understand the biology of human beings.Women are not considered the fairer sex for nothing.In any race,the female is fairer than the male counterpart.That is why in any movie the hero has to be darker than the heroine.Try remembering a movie where the hero was fair while the heroine was dark.The attributes of a good looking man are tall dark and handsome,while those of women are fair,clear complexioned and delicate/innocent.Scientists say that a fair and clear complexion help a man while identifying a suitable mate,because presence of disease would be more visible in women of lighter skin. While in a man,the attributes to look for are height,physical attributes(muscles) and financial position.This is the reason why you could also argue that short thin heroes are rare in movies. I would also like to say that one has to take pride in one's complexion,see the blacks in america how proud they are to be black,now everyone wants to look and act like them! If Indians potray pride and confidence in being dark skinned,attitudes will begin to change.The truth is,the dark skinned people of the south and bengal are achieving more for the country(IT,literature,sports) than the fair skinned ones.(anju bobby george,arundhati roy,barkha dutt).
Indunil comments : What I can't understand is that Rani Mukherjee is actually dusky coloured or at least couple of shades darker than those such as Kareena and Aishwarya Rai. Also what about actresses such as Kajol? She was and still is loved by Bollywood, millions of girls adore her and admire her including myself. Also actresses such as Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta are both Miss Worlds/or Universe. They both also appear in movies, which doesn't require them to appear sinister. Also I think this article is unfairly true in some aspects, yet it is articles and posts such as these, which increase the criticisms of dark-skinned women of India. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysian women should be proud of themselves no matter the skin colour. An individual or group have no right to make any women or man feel less due to their inherited skin colour. It is something we cannot change for the present or future, it is something we are born with due to our parents and ancestors. It is us who are relentlessly obsessing over fair skin yet claming racism to those in the western countries. I believe racism cannot be solved if people like us don't stop criticising ourselves.
Elizabeth Tharakan comments : When a baby is born, there would be at least one person from the Indian subcontinent ask "Is the baby fair or dark?" When someone got married, at least one person from the Indian subcontinent will invariably ask "Is the 'bride' fair or dark?" That is why it took me by surprise when my Canadian friend told me, without being asked, that her grandson was dark. I realized a second later that she meant "dark haired!!!" So there you go! It still exists, this obsession with being fair but honestly I think the idea of beauty or what was conceived as beuty has changed. People have become more sensible. Its no longer a fair face, its the whole package, the whole personality. I am not saying it does not exist here and there, but on the whole I think the audience are ready for any dark heroine as long as he or she has the talent and the "personality". Even people out there no longer look at the color of ones skin the way they did in the whole days. Believe me there are fair Indian girls who are going to the tanning saloons too. Times are changing and I am so very glad. Way to go!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Tharakan comments : Sorry, I reread my comments and there are a whole lot of errors in it. Can I correct them. I meant old days, the spelling of beauty, salons and of course add hero if I say 'he or she'....can I edit this!!
Malavika comments : More than anything, I wish we can stop ads about lightening creams from appearing on TV screens. Yes, we are making a little bit of progress with the "color complex" issue. But, what does it say to any dark skinned woman when she sees an ad demonstrating that the only way to get ahead in life is to become lighter?? Then, all the progress we have made to assert that women of all skin complexions can be equally beautiful and can achieve the same amount of success is lost. And, although Bipasha Basu and the other dark skinned actresses may not always take positive roles, I am glad that they appear on the big screen. At least it gives some level of confidence to young girls everywhere that a darker woman can be beautiful and can be admired by thousands. And honestly, maybe Bipasha is cast as a seductress, but recently, all Bollywood films seem to revolve around the theme of seducing and cheating. Look at Kareena Kapoor, she is very light, but in almost every movie, she is wearing a bra and a skirt.
Anyway, in America, a similar view that light skinned African Americans are better than dark also exists. But, with the prevalence of African American women, of all different shades portrayed positively in the media, the representation that beauty can come in all shades is starting to infiltrate people's minds. I hope that one day, Indian media and mentality can adopt that model.
i think that there is this obsession about a girl being fair or dark. i m dark complexioned and i have to say that there are people who think that i m not beautiful and will find it difficult to get a guy to marry me..i dot think so.. i have a boyfriend and we are planning ot marry next year.and he is fair!! also in my workplace I think that I ve more people admiring me than fair skinned lasses there.. true to heart.. so the guys are cool .. i think the northies and the metro sexuals are the one who need to change.. also the aunties and grannies are the ones who are obsessed about the "white skin"..
bipasha ,kajol, priyanka chopra,rekha.. all are beautiful.. if god has decided me to look like this .. then i believe that no ne has the right to say that I should not look like this.!!! i believe and i m confident that i look good even though i m dark.. i have no regrets of being dark..
Shanthi comments : i was born and brought up in south india with a dark complexion. i'm settled in france; the french like very much the dark complexion, most of them like me especially for my colour. whereas in india, its a minus point . let me tell my unhappiest moments when i tripped to north india. in france , most of the time we're unhappy about the weather because of cold, so we come to india mainly for the sun. and i become much more darker, no matter, i regain my complexion when i come back to france. when i travel in india, i'm really unhappy for not being fairer because wherever i go, indians staring at me, making jokes, even laughing at me. that makes me terribly upset . though i'm in my own country i cannot feel happy. travel to india makes me cry, instead of enjoying.
Annie comments : hey i agree wiyh you.I am a dark-skinned girl and when i was 13 my best friend compared my skin colour to cow-dung.my self-confidence dropped to a great extent but my mom is very broad-minded and she told me tha i looked better than my fairer counterpartsand she told me that though i wont be considered a beauty in India foreigners will find my skin-colour as excotic.and now i am really proud to be a dusky indian
Annie comments : hey i agree wiyh you.I am a dark-skinned girl and when i was 13 my best friend compared my skin colour to cow-dung.my self-confidence dropped to a great extent but my mom is very broad-minded and she told me tha i looked better than my fairer counterpartsand she told me that though i wont be considered a beauty in India foreigners will find my skin-colour as excotic.and now i am really proud to be a dusky indian
