What is the price of fairness?

India’s obsession with fair complexion isn’t a secret.

However, the price we pay for this obsession is still relatively unknown. The more than the 10-billion-dollar skin-lightening industry will take you from home remedies to facials at parlors and spa sessions to even the doctor’s clinic where the doctor wearing her white-coat armor awaits you — all for that coveted nikhri tvacha.

Colourism isn’t a new breeding cult; it is the bias against dark skin-tones that use fair skin as the ultimate benchmark for beauty standards.

Where did the entire hubbub kick-off? Let’s brush up some history, shall we?

So, in ancient India, black was…the new black. However, the idea that white is the new woah, and therefore, superior, was started by the Aryans, perpetuated by the British and spread aggressively through globalization and media. This cemented our obsession with light-skin.

The media, mostly atop the responsible shoulders of the celebrities, took pride in stating that you won’t get married, won’t achieve professional growth, and will physically combust if you’re dark-skinned.

Like charity, bias begins at home. The elderly encourage you to put the week’s worth of groceries on your face to achieve the nikhri-tvacha look. If only more people knew that the secret to gorapan resides with the local kiranawala.

The problems with the fairness creams are grave and their use could lead to long-term problems like mercury poisoning, liver damage, skin cancer, permanent pigmentation to name a few. These dangerous products are banned in a lot of countries, but in India, their future continues to look bright.

Doctors and in-clinic treatments offer a variety of options ranging from zapping your face with a laser, getting a skin-peel, or injecting yourself with ineffable vitamins; all of which do not just target to lighten your skin tone but also your pockets.

As a result, low self-esteem, mental breakdowns, depression, discrimination, and anxiety are just the tip of the iceberg.

People are now beginning to realize that Colourism is just not fair.

In 2014, India announced that it would ban any advertisement that “reinforces negative stereotypes based on colour”.

So, change may be slow but hopefully, it’ll come in all shades!