The Influence of Skin Color on Societal Perceptions in South Asia “Foshra” and “Kalo” The Influence of Skin Color on Societal Perceptions in South Asia Tahsin Chowdhury

What will we be discussing? We will: Take a brief look at the differentiating skin complexions within South Asia and how they shape social conceptions Briefly address British colonialism and its imposition of racial prejudice through “structural adjustment” Draw upon the marketing and services of contemporary consumer products and their effects on the matter

India: A Brief Look at “Outside Influences” Aryans Dutch East India Mughals British Scholars indicate the genetic diversity of India can be attributed to the influences and interactions of these groups with the Indigenous communities of India

British Colonial Influence on Indian Social Hierarchy Like any account of colonialism, the British entered the India with a perception of the existing culture of India as “uncivilized.” The East Bengali communities were labeled as Dark Skinned or N____ because of their lack of industry and closer resemblance to the African communities due to skin complexion The Assamese and North-Western Indians, however, faced relatively less prejudice and were labeled as “Light copper” or “Wheaton” and were recognized as the closest to the European image due to skin color

Some Images

Moving into Contemporary Times In the modern day South Asia, there exists a social “hierarchy” based on skin color where lighter skin is perceived as superior. Lighter skin color in the Indian Subcontinent is associated with the “Eurocentric” look, higher potential for accomplishment, beauty, and draws demand whereas darker skin color is associated with labor, lower class, etc. This commonly affects the arranged marriage situations with women as well: Women who are born with lighter skin are more likely to get suitors and proposals Women with darker skin are not and are perceived many times as financial burdens in the “economically underdeveloped” families given the fact that a higher dowry is asked from their families for marriage.

Matrimonial Sites Four Indian Matrimonial Sites were studied by two scholars (Jha and Adelman.) In their studies they found that: Each of the four sites provided a drop down skin selection menu of: very fair, fair, wheatish, dark and no preference No bride or groom chose dark as an option, while most success stories portrayed pictures of brides more fair than the groom Out of 100 brides, only 6 of them were dark skinned, only 1 was “very dark skinned.”

Language Bangladeshis tend to have a scale for skin complexion within the Bengali language with adjectives: Forsha- fair or light skinned Ujjal Shamla- literally means brighter version of not too dark yet not entirely light Shamla- not too dark, not too light Kalo- Black

The Corporate Scheme Businesses of Skin Products such as Fair and Lovely and Vaseline have used this social stigma to effectively market whitening products They market that lighter skin is more promising of accomplishments through representing how underaccomplished people of darker skin are This marketing technique has proved successful especially for Fair and Lovely These strategies have promoted the social divide along skin color and acted as commodification of the social misconception of South Asia.

Fair and Lovely Commercial

On a Side Note

In Conclusion Skin Color has been a huge factor in determining beauty in India and other regions. This can be traced back to the development of the case system, but British colonialism affected the overall social structure and hierarchy. Today this stigma still exists and is being used for profitable means by businesses of Large Skin Products such as Fair and Lovely, Vaseline, etc. What can we do about it? What can we do to stop this? My take is to first embrace yourself in your own skin color. WE ARE BEAUTIFUL IN OUR OWN SKIN!