The skin lightening industry currently spans the globe, with pockets of high interest and revenue generated in the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. Products such as Fair and Lovely, and other numerous derivates and copycat products have become synoymous with beauty and desirability. The advertisements for these products often play on the insecurities and inability to achieve and prosper in life, such as pursuing a career, job prospects and marriage options down to low self-esteem and confidence dominantely as a result of dark skin. The products are targetted at women, however there’s a large growing market who’s agenda are the male members of the species
The preoccupation with fair skin or fairness is evident throughout history. From the slave trade, to the rule of British Raj in the Indian Subcontinent. The Quran also refers to the houri’s as fair maidens, rewarded to believing men in Paradise. Although what is fairness in this context has been referred to character and not colour
Therein (Gardens) will be Khairaatun‑Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful]”
[al-Rahmaan 55:70]Ibn al-Qayyim said:
They are described as being fair and beautiful. The word khayraat (fair and good) is derived from the word khayyarah, which refers to the woman who combines all good qualities, both outward and inward, and whose physical appearance and attitude are perfect. So they are good in attitude and fair of face.
Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 243.
Taken from here
Historically in the Indian subcontinent, fair skin was equated with the richer classes and indicated a high social standing. Dark skin was an indicator of being a labourer, the skin darkened due to long exposure to the sun whilst tending to crops or farmings or roadsweeping to name a few. Although obsession with fairness has been proposed to link to the caste system and not completely a result or byproduct of colonial rule. Either way there is
no doubt over the pre-occupation in India and neighbouring countries with fair skin. And it seems to be spreading to other parts of the globe
Does preferring fair skin over olive or dark skin smack of racism? Or is it simply about what one finds attractive? Why is dark skin seen to be un-attractive when there are numerous examples of beautiful black/coloured men and women? Is the preference for fairness still as rampant as ever or with diversity being celebrated as advantageous, has it dampened a little or has it simply fired up the link of fairness with beauty and desirability?
Inner Reflections Transcribed 
I believe i have been somewhat ‘conditioned’ to find fairer men more attractive than darker men, perhaps because i grew up in a predominantly white community. I also think that the men in my extended family tend to be fair to ‘wheatish’. I, personally, don’t feel it has anything to do with racism – at least, i don’t consciously think that way.
I find black women, i think from Kenya (not sure), to be very beautiful. I love dark, black skin, mashallah. The whites of the eyes, and teeth shine through, and combined with their high cheek bones – subhanallah!
I always find it ironic that white people want to be more tanned, and brown/black people want to be more fair. It just goes to show how very few human beings appreciate their God-given beauty (incl. myself).
Rare features are also considered beautiful, simply because they are just that. For example, green/blue eyes are treasured amongst SE Asians, where brown eyes are the norm.
Good post sis. SubhanAllah, I’ve never had an issue with colour. But remember the saying “I want him to be tall, dark and handsome”. So where is this ‘dark’ coming from? Tanned? Naturally dark? At least they didn’t say, tall fair and handsome!
I’ve always laughed at the fair and lovely adverts, they have them on Egyptian Tv all the time. A girl can’t get a job on Tv, poor thing, they reject her. But as soon as she uses the fair and lovely cream for a few days, she comes back and hey presto, she gets the job!
I’d just like to say: Bah humbug!
Good questions. Actually one thing I’ve always wondered about this issue is whether the desirability of white skin can be totally blamed on the european colonists and their influence on various cultures as I’ve heard most people say. Or were these views present even before the arrival of the europeans to Africa, Middle East, Asia, etc ?
Anyways, I don’t think preferring one skin color over the other is racist. I generally find dark skinned people to be more attractive than white/light skinned peoples. I just view that as being a personal preference more than anything else. I think when it would start to be racist is if you didn’t want to marry that person or associate with them solely because their skin was “too dark” or “too light”, ignoring all other aspects of their being. Which, might I add, is quite common amongst Middle Eastern and South Asian peoples from my experiences. It’s really quite sad.
And I was thinking the same thing, imuslim, about people wanting what they don’t have. I have curly hair and dark skin. I don’t have a problem with my skin (which I love) but my hair I detest. My pigment-lacking friends always go on about how jealous they are of people with “permanent tans” and curly hair LOL. I don’t think anyone is ever satisified with the way they look.
iMuslim: Some black women have beautiful bone structure and immaculate skin! Its lovely. I’ve never understood the fascination with tans, its not a healthy looking colour for the skin to be (orange – or as I call it, the “coal mine workers” effect). But yes, we’re never pleased with what we have!
A blonde/light brown haired with blue/green eyes is even rarer and people from the subcontinent are usualy more fascinated with people like that (natives, not foreigners!)
Unique: I took the “dark” to refer to dark hair, and not of dark skin. The Fair and Lovely adverts give me a good chuckle!
L: Generally I think the desirability is often linked back to the colonial days, but there has existed a system based on caste (and colour) prior to the Europeans arrival in the Indian subcontinent.
I think there is a fine line between preference and racism, much of the attitudes sported by some cultures towards people of colour borders on, if not swims in, blatant racism. It IS a sad reality. I love curly hair! The frizz is sometimes a problem but generally I adore curly hair. Lucky you 😀
Oh, I always thought it meant dark, tanned skin…hmmm. I know in Arabic there are songs that hail tribute to those with olive skin, which is slightly darker than fair skin. “Asmar”.
MashAllah Sumera.
I am finishing a book about Afghanistan, and one of the things the author describes is the craze with fair skin. Women pancake their face (I believe this is also a desi practice) on their wedding night.
As IMuslim said, I believe it’s because we are conditioned, it’s perception, but also personal preference (as the beautiful L mentioned).
There is a beautiful Arabic proverb that says “Darkness is half the beauty”
I am considered dark compared to my family members, and seriously, who cares?
I love olive skin! My husband and I always laugh over it because I want the kids to inherit his olive skin and he wants them to have my white skin. It’s silly, people seem to be obsessed. I don’t know if it’s racism or not. Is it a hanover from days of colonization?
I love the term “olive skin”. Sounds yummy! Well, it does now – i didn’t like the taste of olives, until recently. 🙂
It also makes the skin sound really soft, and smooth, as it reminds me of olive oil! 😀
I don’t understand it though – olives are green, or black. But people who are ‘olive skinned’ are brownish – it think?
I”m olived skin. Would you like to eat me?
Dear Sumera,
I just got back from India and yes the Indian sub-continent is absolutely obsessed with fair skin. Even in Bollywood you will notice that the main heroine will be a lot fairer compared to the extras around her. There are a million songs about ‘goris’ in India. During marriage, the emphasis on finding a gori girl is quite shamelessly put out there as a necessity.
Even my own mother has rejected a few prospects for me based purely on their skin color. Its wrong. Its bad.
I don’t quite care for skin any more. I used to. I think a girl that emanates innocence on her face is the best. Innocent with substance of course (spirituality, family values etc).
Stay tuned for my experience in India on my blog :).
Unique: In Indian and probably Arab culture, the dark generally refers to tanned skin. But in the general West, the “dark” remark for tall, dark and handsome men referred to dark hair.
Nowadays finding a man tall enough with hair on his head is an issue, nevermind the shade of skin :p
OM: Yeah, in Afghani cultures they cake some pancake type mixture on the bride the night before the wedding. In Indian culture the “uptan” generally does the same thing – its a paste made up of turmeric and other herbs applied to the limbs of the bride to make her glow. I would’ve thought it’d make her yellow 😀
Asiya: Your kids are adorable! Mash’Allah. Its an effect resulting from a mix of colonial rule influences and existing practises.
iMuslim: Olive skin generally refers to that which falls inbetween fair and brown. When I think of olive skin, I picture Latino.
Mushir: Yes, the infatuation with fair skin particularly when doing marriage rounds is quite insulting. They want to know “is she fair?” as an initial marker of suitability, oh and God forbid if she’s “sanwalee” or “kalee”!
I was writing something on the same topic and then saw your post so responded to your post in my post here – http://achelois.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/indian-men-went-to-be-fair/
another annoying thing is that women are pushed to be fair more than guys are
you see lots of dark guys marrying fair girls but hardly the other way around
🙂
Yep. The quest of finding a fair skinned girl is a must for some men. Its all mind-boggling to say the least!
very very nice post…
may I also direct your attention to a satellite channel devoted for pople placing their marriage ads…watch that whenever you are reaaaaaaaalllly bored..it’s hilarious:)
in those ads you’ll find all the guys specifically asking for fair skinned wives.
I think women always have more presure to look a sertain way, tradicionalista, more than men.
Women are always shown as beautiful in advertisment and film, t.v. ect. And men can seem to get away looking like anything.
And when women don’t look as good as they ‘should’ they are slatted by the press in cheap gossip magazines (at least in the u.k) Its so weird. And no one seems to notice it.
When i was in Japan i was told i was beautiful alot. I don’t think i am. But i think it’s because i looked unusual over their with my blond hair, blue eyes and fair(ish) skin. I also think my hight had somthing to do with it.
I felt it was more media conditioning that they thought i was beautiful, more than general opnion or racism.
I feel that there is beauty in all races. But because of the media and fashion magazines, white people have always been placed on a higher pedestal than people of color. Dark skin people are usually portrayed as villains and criminals on television and in the movies. There are people in many different countries that do not have much contact with people of color. So the only way they get their information is from the media. All of us have been brainwashed into thinking that lighter is better.
Hi, lovely post! I’m white. My husband’s indian. That’s as factual as it gets, and that’s where it ends. I absolutely LOVE his skin colour, am crazy about ever mm of him inside and out, and he loves my white skin. I think we have the best of both worlds. I am comfortable being white and I yet I get to have his darker skin wrapped around me, and vice-versa. Wouldn’t change him for the world in a teacup! Insh’Allah, Allah grant us many years of happiness. I haven’t however met another white muslimah and would love to do so since there is an almost “cautionary” approach from them that I don’t understand. Not all, Subhanallah, but many. And its not nice. After all, I didn’t say :”Hmm… nah, won’t do Islam because there are too many dark skins where I live.” You see, either way, racism is ugly. I’m very, very pleased with the inside of my man, and his outside is a sure bonus, but that’s all it is- a bonus. I’d love him if he were pink with orange polka dots because I fell in love with his inside first.. Make duah, Insh’Allah. Will do so too.
Therein (Gardens) will be Khairaatun‑Hisaan [fair (wives) good and beautiful]”
[al-Rahmaan 55:70]
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
They are described as being fair and beautiful. The word khayraat (fair and good) is derived from the word khayyarah, which refers to the woman who combines all good qualities, both outward and inward, and whose physical appearance and attitude are perfect. So they are good in attitude and fair of face.
Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 243.
There’s also a verse which translates as full breasted women, i can’t remember the exact Surah. I wonder if that’s the correct translation or again a male wish!
Ah Seeker yes that common explanation. I’ve come across that numerous times. One of the explanations for “full breasted” i’ve read explained it in the context of it referring to a physically developed woman as opposed to a prebuscent child – dont think they mean actual large Pamela Anderson size breasts!
Thank you to everyone else who commented. Its nice to see we can look beyond colour, and take character and personality to be far more beautiful. Once you begin to love a person for who they are, their appearance also becomes beautiful.
Sumera,
thanks for showing me your page on this…..I just tired of prejudice tolerance in a whole. Can’t beleive a skin tone came mean so much in how our lives turn out…
I just wanted to make a comment that no one has seemed to address. When we change our skin from it’s natural coloring we often are damaging it. People who whiten their skin as well as those who are tanning. I have quit tanning because of the sun’s damage to my skin, just as I have quit smoking because it is bad for me. We need to be educated about the damage done to us when we don’t protect our skin from the sun. It has nothing to do with needing to be fair skinned. More people understand this now. Yes, your skin will be more beautiful if you don’t expose it to the sun. Not because it will be whiter, but you will have less wrinkles, brown spots(liver spots), darkening of acne and other scars. There is nothing prejudice about protecting your skin. People of all ethnic backgrounds, in fact, are damaged by the sun. Whether they darken scars, cause wrinkles, to skin cancer. We know the sun is damaging. To educate yourself, email me at ihanaskincare@yahoo.com
Perhaps fairer skinned women appear more weak, vulnerable and in need of protection to the men that prefer them?
I hate it how Indian people prefer their daughters and wives to be fair. I have traditionally dark skin and I enjoy spending time outdoors but my mother is constantly doesn’t like that because it will make me darker. She is always scolding me to put on sunscreen so that when I grow up to marriageable age boys will like me for my fair skin. It’s such a faulty way of thinking.
Sadly people in my generation do prefer girls who are fair skinned and have lightly colored eyes. Like a girl who has no bone structure or cheekbones but has blue eyes and fair skin is automatically considered beautiful. Like blue eyes and fair skin = Aishwarya Rai. But seriously not everybody can be Aishwarya Rai and she is not the ONLY beautiful person in the world. She is quite beautiful but there is also Sushmita Sen, Kajol, and Bipasha Basu who are all brown eyed and dark skinned but so enchanting and equally as beautiful.
I think the problem is sticking to the older generation’s thinking. Some stuff about Indian culture needs to be reformed and this is one of them. As long a girl is healthy and clean, she is considered physically beautiful to me. But physically is only 1% of beauty while heart and soul make up the rest along with a few other things.
It is a definitely interesting topic. I know in parts of the carribeans specifically darker skinned people are looked down on. I feel that was a remnants of slavery and the colonial mind set. I remember my great grandmother, delicia who was lighter skinned asking me why did I come out so dark, because I was a nice boy. lol Its amazing how race is such a big issue. I think it was Franz Fanon who gave some great criticism to the Marxism saying that though there could exist at some point a classless society, there would never be a raceless society. By theway he [Franz Fanon] wrote an interesting book, Black Skin, White Masks.
Me too i’m dark……… i’m indian…….. racism still exists and i’m still looked down even in my pg college!……..this may seem strange…….. but i sometimes feel this is done by them all bcoz of their natural instinct…… i sometimes dont care….but sometimes have even cried sitting alone in my room….. u wanna know one fact? 47 girls rejected me after i proposed them…….. and i think/ believe i neva had given or made a mistake or bad impression…….but still they dint like me bcoz of my skin color tone………
—-ayroospasha@yahoo.com
i wanna share this Pond`s TV ad in the Philippines where the bride has dark skin and the bridesmaid is fairer than her because she uses the said product. When the bridesmaid walked down the aisle ,the groom just cant take his eyes off her because she is fair and the bride herself was so disappointed because her husband wasn’t looking at her anymore…see? the media has created this negative stereotype of what is being “beautiful”
oh my gosh!! i dont know why!WHY!!! indian mothers are in a hunt for fair wives for their sons!!its horrifying! Im indian ,im really fair (i must have had european ancestors)and my husband is indian too but hes really dark!! i tell my husband (hes a doc) u married me just because im fair!!(because i was freakin 18 when we got married (arranged) and i had no sense,but ofcourse its a combined thing good family..deen,iman…bla) i feel sad when i think of girls getting rejected for being dark!! I feel one has to look at the overall quality of a person and not just skin wise!! i have 2 sons and if i would have to look for a daughter in law in the future for sure i wouldnt be lookin particularly fair skinned girl…and when my sons grow up im gonna educate them on that!! Skin tone really does effect how our lives turn out!!
I am African American. The same thing goes on in my culture. Black women want their sons to marry light skinned women. This is all about what we want our children to look like. We want our children to have a better life than we had. We feel that if our children are light skinned, they will have a better chance at life such as good job oppurtunities and a good selection of marriage partners. All of this comes from racism. Because historically, if you were black or dark, you were discriminated against. You did not receive fair treatment. But if you were light skinned or almost white, you recieved better treatment and you had more job oppurtunities. This is why many black people who were fair skinned, if they were light enough to pass for white they did. Because they knew this was the only way they would be able to advance in life. Many of us as people of color, whether we are Black American, Indian, or Hispanic, do not feel in our heart of hearts that white or light if better, but because of racism and prejudiced, we feel that we have to wear the mask to make it in this white ruled society.
Noone will be able to create beautiful humans like God. Nobody have this capacity. As if God was silly if he creates such person darker or fairer. Everything is done by His knowledge and reason.
If people was intelligent enough they wouldn’t care about beauty but caring of staying white and pure in the inside,in the actions etc.. Because it is this who will give you strength to say I’m better than anyone by God’s will.
That is the true value not colour! What To do with a guy or girl with a beautiful face n colour if he/she worths only streets..
When someone wants to marry someone,look good first,because it is this who will give you happiness!!
And in Quran when we say houris we talk about big eyes .. Which are virgin n no men has touched them. It shows you a pure female creature! It’s purety who creates beauty not beauty who creates purety.
I am tan i absolutely love fair skin! all woman who have fair skin look like ANGELS
fair skin is too bright for my taste……I like the warm sensual dark chocolate skin and brown eyes.
In SE Asia, the fairest your skin the more outstanding you will be! outshine the others…especially true when one living in non-light community, tell you the reality is, in employment skin color is very dangerous, unequal treatment in terms of promotion. Most first line management is fair-skin and there is no way fair skin in operation or should i say labour line.
Lol which part of the world are you from ? Someone ought to put up a statue for just for these words . 🙂 First of its kind I’ve ever heard.
Lol which part of the world are you from ? someone ought to put up a statue of you for these words. First of its kind I’ve ever heard 🙂
@ Rav btw and sorry for posting it twice .
These are not liver spots. Liver spots are more like freckles. They are caused by long term exposure to UV waves. You could have a eczema or a fungal infection among other possibilities. Perhaps you should consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment options.Skin Pigmentation
hey, i just came across this blog.it’s interesting that you suggest thoughts instead of shoving what we should think.you paint the situation so clear with your words and you let readers think for themselves. it’s very rare.
how can i follow you on facebook or know the latest updates?
Hi Twinkle
You can follow me by subscribing to the RSS feed at the top of the home page, and my twitter account details are also up there.
Hope to see contributions from you soon 🙂
I am an Indian girl and I am dark. and yes Indians thinks fair skin is the first prerequisite of beauty . We have milk white actresses , models , news readers .. It would probably be considered near blasphemy for any of these to be dark . but why NOT ? why is my skin supposed to be so ugly ? Who decided this any way ? As much as I love my country this is one thing i despise about it . I am sick and tired of this racism because thats what this is. When will things change ? when will it cease to be important ? when you hear it over and over again somewhere down the line there is a part of you that starts believing it to be true. And yet there is a huge part that refuses to accept this , that wants to destroy this poisonous notion. That really wishes that SOMEONE else also would TRULY feel the same way I do . Really…
It’s a sad reality that skin colour is associated with status in many countries. And this obsession is resulting in people applying toxic substances on their skins in order to reach their misplaced and misappropriated goal. This can only change when people change their attitudes towards what is considered beautiful, and thus desirable.
Hey, I am a very fair redhead. You spend your whole life drowning in sunblock and worrying about skin cancer. Maybe this is a minority opinion