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So Shah Rukh Khan, the king of popularity, is endorsing the
'Fair and Handsome' cream now! Those who have been crying hoarse
about the obsession for a fair skin in a predominantly brown-
skinned country are chocking in exasperation. Women who had
long been derided by male counterparts for resorting to the
'Fair and Lovely' kind of creams (though they themselves would
perhaps prefer a fair-skinned wife) have now run short of words.
Cosmetics companies, who are not concerned with 'what should
be's but what sells are apparently responding to market demands
while coming out with this new segment of product. According
to advertisement gurus and to a recently aired TV channel's
special programme, the idea of launching fairness creams for
men came out of the fact that a major chunk of buyers of the
existing fairness creams has been actually men! So why not
have a cream for men who want to shed their dark tones, as
these creams claim to achieve, to look more attractive?
Meanwhile, others, women especially, see the move as a classic
case of 'the empire strikes back.' For long women have been
preening, ex-foliating, getting lipo-suctioned, bleached and
what not, to look attractive so that men find them attractive,
which could perhaps lead to marriage vows, or at least invite
interest. Now the man is doing the same, trying to attract
the attention of the increasingly confident Indian woman who
cannot be taken for granted. Of course, the male species in
the animal world is always more handsome and more attention-craving,
simply to woo the female to attract in order to procreate,
the basic interest in natural law. But for the humans, it's
been a different story altogether.
But aside from this change in attitude, at least in our country's
context, the fairness cream's increasing popularity also points
to the fact that more things change, the more it remains the
same. Who would have thought in the rebellious 60s or roaring
70s that the thinking man's advocacy for a change in social
attitude, particularly to the girl child for judging her according
to her skin colour vis-a-vis the marriage market, would still
remain as ingrained in the age of the BPO boom, ipods and
Kalpana Chawlas? Many see it as a reflection of the relentless
juggernaut of the market economy where advertisers, cosmetics
companies and sundry PR exercises churn out body images to
entice the buyers.
Whatever it is, the fact remains that external changes do
not necessarily mean changes in attitude. It has to come from
within, with genuine education and not degrees.
Saying that, one has also to admit that there's no point
being didactic either. Social trends reflect a majority community's
mindset. Unless it changes from own compulsion, who can dictate,
'it's bad, don't do it'?
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