Destroying the colour complex

The girl who has fought discrimination against having dark skin deserves a pat on her back. For men, Fatima Lodhi’s work might go unnoticed, but for girls she has aced it. Lodhi’s campaign raising awareness among people on colourism actually caught my attention as this issue is something every girl can relate to.

In countries like India and Pakistan, facial complexion is one big subject greatly discussed among women. The girl with a darker complexion is looked down upon. It can happen in her school days, her gatherings with cousins or at her workplace. Lodhi explains how she was scrutinised even in her time at university just on the basis of her complexion.

The issue is not just limited to a certain class, but to a number of women from all walks of life and they are all worried about their complexion. I can easily relate to my maid back home when once all what she was worried about was her daughter’s complexion. She was a beautiful girl, but the only reason she couldn’t get married was her skin tone.

There have been many articles raising awareness among people that the complexion issue is a big deal at any cost. On one hand there are writers and activists who work hard to change public opinion and helping them to accept the darker skin tones and react normally to it. On the other hand, the advertisements have left no stone unturned. Television is nearly present in every household now and the viewers get to see the ads where the fair ones are always the most successful and most praised. With celebrities promoting such products more people like to follow them and they love using beauty creams to get fairer skins.

This colour bias is not new to society, but the education deficit and the inferiority complex has worsened it. Changing the mindset from “the prettiest are the happiest” to “the happiest are the prettiest” will definitely take time, but if such girls and activists continue to work hard and arrange workshops in schools, colleges and social media, we believe that mindsets will change.

The reader is a student based in Sharjah.