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If You’re Light, You’re Right?

By Loryn Wilson - Jan 19th, 2009 at 11:44 am

A few weeks ago, I saw this ad for Fair and Lovely, a skin-whitening cream:

I know that skin-whitening has been an issue in communities of color for a while now–it’s big in India and in parts of Africa as well–but this was actually the first time I had seen a TV commercial for a skin whitening product.

Colorism–the preference of lighter skinned people over darker skinned–is an ugly reality in the black community, and in other communities of color as well. After years of white imperialism and oppression, many women of color grow up in a society that devalues darker skin. When I open up an issue of Vogue or even Cosmopolitan, chances are that the black women I see in the fashion ads will be light-skinned.

Additionally, in India and in other parts of the world, color is directly related to class. India’s caste system often categorizes light-skinned people in a higher caste than those with darker skin. And in other cultures, darker-skinned people are seen as being lowly because it is implied that they work outside in the sun.

When I was growing up in Los Angeles, there was a tall, beautiful girl with ebony skin who went to my church. When I asked one of my black male friends if he’d date her, he said, “Hell no, she’s too dark.” One could say that this was just a matter of preference–perhaps the girl just wasn’t my friend’s type–but it still remains that in the U.S. and abroad, light skin is the preferred standard of beauty.

It is this way of thinking, that light is always right, which leads some women to lighten their skin. As the advertisement suggests, if a dark-skinned woman uses Fair and Lovely to lighten her skin, she will gain acceptance by white women. Hell, it might even get her a job!

Nothing surprises me anymore, but I somehow found myself shocked by the glaring message of the ad. It reinforces the idea that in order to be accepted by white people, you must look white. The ad implies that dark skinned people cannot find work and are less successful than light skinned people.

The doll study which justified the overturning of racial segregation in American schools in 1954 comes to mind.

On the other hand, the Fair and Lovely ad has the power to spark a global discussion about colorism and what it means to be a woman of color living in a world where the European standard of beauty is so dominant.

It is important that we teach our daughters to love their skin no matter what color they are. Perhaps we can start by showing them this ad. Let’s start to discuss what colorism means, not only among women of color communities and circles, but in white feminist circles are well. I am willing to bet money that many white, middle-class feminists have no idea that this is an issue that women of color face, so perhaps this ad will pique some curiosity.

Tags: advertising, multimedia, race, video