Fairness Cream advertisements contribute to racism

Fairness Cream advertisements contribute to racism

Author – Punam Pramanick, a student of Department of Law, Calcutta University

Fairness is beauty, fairness brings you love, fairness is without doubt path to success – when you heard this over and over again every time when you turn on Tv, you believe in it without pausing a second to question whether it contribute to racism or not and in your acceptance in the believe fairness is beauty lies the success of multi million dollar fairness cream industries. One of the moronic ads is that of Fairness Creams. They say that their product will do wonders and that they have the potential to change a person’s natural skin color to something that has been made a virtual standard by the society, that is white, which simply can be classified as racism.

                               They, in their ads, indirectly say that you are just a shit, and using their product would make you a so-called ‘society – acceptable’ human. Fairness cream advertisements stabilized the sterior type interconnecting fairness with beauty which ultimately contributes racism. 

                                The advertisement of Fair and lovely, max fairness tells that you need to be fair to pass a job interview. Another advertisement of a fairness cream tells that a classical singer received a award because of her fairness and not because of her voice. This racist advertisement telling all dark complexion viewers that no matter how outstanding your qualifications are, you are not going to have a carrier until you change the color of your skin. Fair is lovely or handsome implying that every other skin color is neither lovely nor handsome isn’t it racist. What is wrong being a dark, brown, tan, it is something to feel depressed about? Fair cream advertisements answered yes! Your life is wasted, if you are dark and need to put all afford for turning fair as soon as possible. 

                                It is estimated that the end of 2023, the fairness cream market will reach the revenue of more than 5000 crores. 2014 marketing study found that 90% of the Indian girls sights skin lightening as a high need. It is initially focused on Indian women. Now the fairness cream market also started targeting men. 

                                 In 2014, Advertisement Standard Council of India rolled out a charter which prohibited cosmetic brands for communicating any discrimination based on skin color through advertising. The guidelines further stated that no brands can use post- production visual effects to exaggerate product efficiency, as well. India has diversity in skin color, but these companies never consider this diversity.