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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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Ever since my childhood, I have been following the ‘Fair & Lovely’ ad and I can’t help but notice the underlying message of all their versions throughout these years. That for a capable girl/woman, achieving dreams is impossible if not for their fairness product. The most recent one I’ve seen has this young cyclist who aspires to buy a house for her mother one day. Her brother sneers at her for practicing a sport that has no money returns. In spite of that, she goes ahead and wins the cup. But apparently not her cycling prowess but the glow from her fairness cream is the reason for her landing the ad-contracts.
The brand has ads on similar theme for an aspiring air-hostess, aspiring model, etc as if to re-iterate the general belief that being fair-skinned is synonymous to being beautiful and successful. In the beginning of the ad, it is shown that the dark-skinned girls were unsuccessful in life and people didn’t take them seriously. After using the product, the girls have become not only fair but also successful. Ha! Does this mean to say that the society is not fair to dark people? Or is it only the fair-skinned ones that become successful? What is it with fairness and us Indians?
Talk about counting on the fairness fetish of most young (and gullible) women to work for the wellness of the brand. Sadly, for women, being dark-skinned was something that was brainwashed to be looked down upon since ages. No wonder all fairness brands are cashing on this unhealthy practice. I don’t speak for many women but I think this brand has quite a good following for itself, which means that it is successful in its promotion. The idea that fair complexioned people are somehow beautiful, more desirable, and hence more successful is something that seems to permeate the youth mindsets. Is this that brand’s way of telling women that fair is beautiful? Would it not destroy young dark girls’ self-esteem?
It’s very disappointing to see media contributing in a huge way to these color complexities. Though the scene is now changing, it is still hard to find as many dark-skinned women as fair complexioned ones. Are the advertisements cashing on a public sentiment or are the public strengthening the unreal habits by obliging the media? Sometimes it is very confusing to resolve whether reality is continuing to influence the media or if it is the other way around.
Few decades ago, brand promotion was not considered seriously as there weren’t many brands in a particular field to compete with. For a cool-drink ad, they just had to say Limca – refreshing lime juice and be done with it. But now competition has sky-rocketed so much that each brand has no other way but to jump into the promotion bandwagon with all zeal and fervor to outdo other brands. But I firmly believe that there are other ways to become unique in the eyes of the consumers and ads intensifying stupid beliefs and sentiments is definitely not one of them.
Nandana Nallapu
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...
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