Beauty & Grooming  Discussion Forum

hello, i´m writing a paper on why indian women want to have fair skin. would be very grateful if somebody could help me with this question! First i wonder why fair skin? What does it symbolize? Is it western influence or is it related to the caste-system? I really don´t know, so please help me. In my country, sweden, we try to be in the sun as much as possible to get a nice brown tan.
Thank you! shreya replied. laura no offense but I think you are being racist in your remarks and anyway I guess its highly inappropriate to generalise us indians in the way you have given the description of having racoon eyes and blah blah \";whatever\";.So basically I guess you have been racist in your remarks and then tried to cover it up by saying that you are not racist.Have you even seen some of the beautiful indian girls and boys if not do see them that is my advice and clear your head of the misconceptions that you have about indians.One last thing to answer your nah! an indian wont kill to be white or blonde.
Shreya. hey replied. Hey, light skin is a big issue. I myself have also always wanted a light and fair complexsion. I have family members from both sides of my family who are light and have beautiful skin. I think the reason that we're all longing for light skin is because light skin seems to be more wanted, attractive and feminine. Western white women are all light and not hairy and that seems to us as the \";ideal women\"; To us it seems that lighter skin and less hairyness symbolizes more femininity and seems to be what guys what. I have cousins who are all light and beautiful. It seems to me like where ever they go people are admiring them for their fairness and get lots of rishtey (proposals)because of being light. I am starting to love my skin for the way it is. And i definitly think that when you love your skin and show it others have not choice but to like you for who you are. We are the color we are for a reason and should love it as the way it is. I hope this helps people find their inner beauty. And in the end it's your personality that will count. Laura replied. I am not indian nor paki or anything like that,but I am going to take a guess.

Indians,generally,aren't very handsome.They,unfotunatelly,inherit of their dark skin ( when us whites want to tan,we do not want to tan like them,but like jennifer lopez tan,if you get the picture..),dark lips,racoon eyes,thick dark bushy eyebrows and other sins like that.

White is viewed as pretty,I do not need to tell you why,it just is.So,indians try to look the more pretty possible, i.e look the more white possible... It's like Michael Jacson trying to be white,they in a way try to hide their indian looks by looking more 'occidental'.

Indians tend to be terribly self-concious,bleaching their skin every other night,and removing ever bit of hair of their hairy body.I know,because my Indian friend does.

I hope this didn't sound too racist or something,it's just the TRUTH,it really is.Wouldn't an indian kill to be blonde,or just white??

beenthere replied. hi,
I don't think i am the person to comment on why indians feel that a fairer complexion is something to be vied for, but since it is a assimilation that i have i wanted to put it forth.
what kind of mindset would anyone end up with when he/she has been forced upon that kind of an idea right from childhood. I call the idea of fairness being a glory to be a mindset, a thought process established from generation to generation.If a person raves about how fair.. how beautiful... what would one but relate... ok.. fair is beautiful( by one person i mean every person around you). Even if you had not thought in that way before, you are bound to mould to that thought at some point.
The gist of it is that, wanting fair skin is a \";mindset\";. I dont think i will ever live to see any change in this kind of attitude, but certainly do hope that in the future at some point things change!!! Buddy replied. Its again got nothing to do with younger or older generation its all different views given by people of different age groups and you never know there may be a lot of older folks who feel the same like me and the reverse too is true.So I hope this lets you get to the finale of your paper.Good luck.
Buddy. buddy replied. You can definitely quote my points in your papar as long as it makes sense in the right sequence.Hey I feel that you cannot generalise such things like a brahmin is born with fair color or a person who is from some other caste is dark its all a perception because again you may find a lot of people from the latter category fair and vice versa.So thats why I told you that colour is not decided by caste or anything its what god who has blessed people from different walks of life with different attributes that takes the ultimate precedence.So I hope I helped you reach your decision fast on this issue.I dont say that your mom is from a old school of thought becuz she has a right to her opinion and you should respect that.SO once again good luck and have fun.
Buddy. LW replied. hi again.. i just wanted to know if it is okay that i quote some of your answers. that would really help a lot!

LW replied. hi! i am reallay glad that you answered my question! thought it might be a sensitive one... anyway, i understand now the phenomenon of white complexion i think. the thing is.. my mother was born and raised in madras, and when i asked her about this she told me that white skin relates to brahmins, which relates to education and the fact that the brahmins are closer to God... are these thoughts of an older generation? do you understand/agree? are your thoghts the modern way of thinking? please help, thank you! buddy replied. Hey!LW there is no particular reason for craving to be fair for indians and it dosent symbolize anything but a vain issue more related to vanity and looks unlike any particular symbol or stuff like tan for you symbolises wealth.People just want to be out of the ordinary which is unfortunately the lovely dusky complexion which god has bestowed to the indians very naturally.Hope this time I was close to the answer you wanted to hear.Good luck.
Buddy.

buddy replied. Hey!LW there is no particular reason for craving to be fair for indians and it dosent symbolize anything but a vain issue more related to vanity and looks unlike any particular symbol or stuff like tan for you symbolises wealth.People just want to be out of the ordinary which god has bestowed to the indians very naturally.Hope this time I was close to the answer you wanted to hear.Good luck.
Buddy. Priya replied. Hi, I think that indian women want to be fair because of western influence. The country has been ruled by the British for so long, there's bound to be side-effects and I believe this may be one of them. Its like Buddy said, the grass is greener on the other side. Because the norm of people in india are say, brown, a white or fair person would seem 'beautiful' or out of the ordinary. Personally I don't agree with it, but I do understand it and that's why I respect it. Buddy replied. Hi! To answer your question have you heard of the saying the 'The grass is always green on the other side\"; thats what is part of the whole issue wherein its like the westerners try to crave for a tanned skin and the Indians try to go for the milky complexion.Nobody is satisfied with what they have.But again its difficult to generalise because some of us whatever country of origin we are from are happy with whatever we are blessed with by god.Now some of the Indian people who are born with a dusky complexion want to crave for the fair skin also on account of not the caste system as you put it but on account of the racist attitude rather the discriminatory stigma of the society where some of the times in our Indian society which has the majority with the dusky complexion there are certain families where one child is treated special because it is fairer than the other child or its sibling.Therefore in a nutshell ,I feel it is the partly trying to have the western people's fair complexion and partly the personal painful experiences gone through by such people because of the discrimination against them on the basis of colour.Hope you got the drift of what Iam trying to say.Good luck with your paper..
Buddy.