Colorism is on the rise. It is a problem in other countries and has long been an issue in our country. This issue of intraracial racism or white preference for light skinned people of color has been a point touched on in some of the coverage of black hair issues. But here are a few points these articles don't touch on that I think are important to keep in mind when wrestling with appropriating whiteness as a means to acquire social and material benefits.
I approach coverage on India with a great deal of caution. Whether it's dowry murders, sex trafficking or skin bleaching, India is often conveniently framed by US media as the "other" country riddled with sexism and intra-community problems. In contrast, coverage of the US as a bastion of colorism, racism, domestic sex trafficking and domestic violence murder seem few and far between. However, I do think this article is informative and it's important that female lawmakers are getting credit for calling out skin bleaching products as racist.
The CNN reporter should have also noted that Unilever, one of the major companies hawking these products, is a multinational corporation that has British and Dutch parentage (Thanks Wiki!). This may have some implications for the marketing strategies of Hindustani Unilever. Another fact this report could have included is what the nature of the skin bleaching regulations are in India and Pakistan. This is important considering that skin bleaching has been linked to cancer. As a result, it's sale in the US has come under scrutiny by the FDA. These European based corporations may not just be behind racist marketing but be selling products that could have devastating health implications on people of color.
Lastly, as it pertains to the Black hair debate: it means something that skin bleaching creams are on the rise in India while hair is India's largest export and utilized en masse by Black folks in the US. It all goes back to this European standard of beauty. And colorism presents an opportunity for people of color to enter into coalitions that promote "critical solidarity." This notion, first introduced to me by scholar Trica Keaton, is about people coming together with their eyes wide open about how their differences should inform their advocacy while strengthening their coalitions. While the NY Times blog post on colorism in the US is informative, the conclusion that "racism wanes as colorism persists" is unhelpful. Critical solidarity on colorism between people of color is not about making comparisons about who is worse or better off. It's about recognizing that we all have a right to feel beautiful, valuable and enjoy economic security despite our proximity to whiteness.
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It's interesting that that CNN article on colorism is about the new "Fair and Handsome" product for men, when the counterpart product for females, "Fair and Lovely" has been around for years but is not mentioned in the article. When men are objectified to their appearance, it is considered racist and perverted, but when it is done to women, it is just another "beauty product".
I'd also like to point out that fairness of complexion in India is not just a race issue, it is also a class issue. Lower class people who tend to work and walk outside more are exposed to the sun more, and thus tend to have darker skin. It is not uncommon to see more privileged women in India wearing veils/holding umbrellas while walking outside to protect their complexions, or even refraining from going out in the sun altogether.
"It all goes back to this European standard of beauty."
Not necessarily. Many, many cultures associated light skin with status and wealth long before Europe ever encountered them, iirc...
I guess that makes sense, since historically wealthier people stayed inside out of the sun more, and poor people worked in the sun and got darker. Nowadays in a lot of countries it takes status to be able to go sunbathe-- lower class people are stuck in offices and can't travel in the winter. So now, having a tan can be seen as a status symbol in some contexts.