Some sort of sick joke?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7010885.stm

Lordy lord.

Snobby.

Caucasians use tanning products. Asians use skin lightening products.

No biggie

. . . her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale . . .

But caucasians who don't use tanning products aren't classed as ugly in mainstream adverts, supported by entertainment stars.

The 'Star' endorsing the product himself has dark-ish skin.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:But caucasians who don't use tanning products aren't classed as ugly in mainstream adverts, supported by entertainment stars.

Aye, maybe the advert is OTT.

There's a general feeling that a tan on a caucasian gives you a 'glow' as opposed to pasty skin in our culture. So it's pretty similar to wanting lighter skin i'd suppose.

Is it? Is it not just a form of cultural imperialism (albeit one implemented by Indians themselves)? Feminists would have a field day with this. The beauty myth and all that.

Yikes. Next the Indian market will be trotting out before and after shots of Jacko.

I knew this Asian bird. She was well proud of her pale skin. A bit like medieval Europe.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Is it? Is it not just a form of cultural imperialism (albeit one implemented by Indians themselves)? Feminists would have a field day with this. The beauty myth and all that.

could be. Best we get an Indian perspective on it?

Speaking of weird ads, has anyone seen the ad for the Milan fashion week which says "No anorexia" and has a picture of a 31kg naked woman?

The colour white has always been regarded as 'superior' in most cultures, far as I know, and it goes beyond skin colour. Why do we have a 'dark' lord? Blackmail? The baddies have 'black hearts' or are blackguards. And so on.

As for the advertisement in the link, it caters to an Indian cultural/social obsession with being fair. Bull spit, but it is what it is.

It doesn't seem anything like tanning to me.



'Age-old prejudices'

"The ad simply reinforces the idea that you've got to be
fair to be anything in life," says Kiran. "It says that if you're fair
and good looking, you'll be a wonderful daughter-in-law or husband,
your skin colour determines how successful you'll be in life. The ad
reinforces age-old prejudices."

Actress Rani Moorthy knows first hand about the
prejudice suffered by Asians with darker skin. She is currently touring
the UK with her play that focuses on skin colour, Shades of Brown.
"When I was a child my grandmother took me to one side
and said make sure you're good at something, no man will ever marry you
for your looks," she says. "I knew this was because I was dark skinned. It was treated as a disease and every Friday I had to have oil baths in an
attempt to lighten my skin".



She feels a major Bollywood star backing a
skin-lightening cream will intensify the prejudice that already exists
within the South Asian community, in which the darker skinned can find
themselves looked down upon - just as it still happens in parts of
India today.
"Deep within this 5,000-year-old culture is the thought
that high ideals, nobility and high caste are associated with fair
skin," she says. "Dark skin is regarded as low status and low caste."

It's the same in countries like China and Japan- Fairer is better.

Always thought this obsession with being 'fair' a bit weird. Don't think it's a big hit with male Indians, sadly, probably is with the females. Which is strange as the two most beautiful women in India are also dark-ish.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:It doesn't seem anything like tanning to me.

It looks like a big conspiracy to you ??

So I guess it's surprising (And dissapointing for the product that he's endorsing) that this Sharukh Khan guy was lapping up the rays at the cricket yesterday!

Henry wrote:So I guess it's surprising (And dissapointing for the product that he's endorsing) that this Sharukh Khan guy was lapping up the rays at the cricket yesterday!

Not really. He's a sports fan and so was present.

Is he the guy who as a schoolboy was a prolific cricketer who could have gone all the way before his acting took off?

Social mobility in a plastic tube eh? What a sad state of affairs. :|

Love the skin you're in.

S F Barnes wrote:Social mobility in a plastic tube eh? What a sad state of affairs. :|

Love the skin you're in.

this has a long history to it.

BBC usually 'time-and-again' comes up with this 'and various other likewise articles' as psy-ops against uppity natives.

The "fairness cream" manufacturers are mostly multinationals out to make a quick buck at the expense of everything else.

BBC usually 'time-and-again' comes up with this 'and various other likewise articles' as psy-ops against uppity natives.

Not quite sure what you mean by "uppity natives", you mean ethnic groups in the UK? The beeb are usually very PC, although like any broadcaster they are prone to sensationalism ....

*Buckaroo* wrote:

S F Barnes wrote:Social mobility in a plastic tube eh? What a sad state of affairs. :|

Love the skin you're in.

this has a long history to it.

BBC usually 'time-and-again' comes up with this 'and various other likewise articles' as psy-ops against uppity natives.

The "fairness cream" manufacturers are mostly multinationals out to make a quick buck at the expense of everything else.

Sod all to do with the Beeb Buckie... they just report the news!
More fool the idiots who buy the product!
Wonder if the stuff would work on KP's acne?

S F Barnes wrote:

BBC usually 'time-and-again' comes up with this 'and various other likewise articles' as psy-ops against uppity natives.

Not quite sure what you mean by "uppity natives", you mean ethnic groups in the UK? The beeb are usually very PC, although like any broadcaster they are prone to sensationalism ....

BBC has one set of rules in UK.

It has another agenda outside UK.

"Uppity Natives" would be unfortunate people of former colonies.