The world has been fighting against racism for a very long time. Racism has been a big issue across the world, where people are getting discriminated based on their caste, religion, gender and even their skin colour. The tragic death of George Floyd has fueled the fight even more. People have come ahead with their ideologies to fight against racism.
Amid the same debate, Hindustan Unilever – one of India’s leading multifunctional company has announced to remove the words Fair, Lightening and Whitening from Fair & Lovely products as a progressive step. Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu reacting to this decision posts a heartfelt message on social media to show her support and applaud the decision and also shared her personal experience of how colour have been the topic of discussion in her life. Taking to her Instagram Bipasha wrote, “From the time I was growing up I heard this always,”Bonnie is darker than Soni. She is little dusky na?“Even though my mother is a dusky beauty and I look a lot like her. I never knew why that would be a discussion by distant relatives when I was a kid.”
She further adds, “Soon at 15/ 16 I started modelling and then I won the supermodel contest … all newspapers read … dusky girl from Kolkata is the winner.I wondered again why Dusky is my first adjective ??? Then I went to New York and Paris to work as a model and I realised my skin colour was exotic there and I got more work and attention because of it. Another discovery of mine,”
Bips further shares, “Once I came back into India and film offers started… and finally I did my first film and from an absolute Ajnabee to Hindi film industry …I suddenly was accepted and loved. But the adjective stayed which I started liking and loving by then. DUSKY girl wows the audiences in her debut film. In most of my articles for all the work I did, my duskiness seemed to be the main discussion.. it attributed to my sex appeal apparently. And sexy in Bollywood started getting accepted widely. I never really understood this… To me sexy is the personality not just the colour of your skin…why my skin colour only sets me apart from the conventional actresses at that time. But that’s the way it was. I didn’t really see much of difference but I guess people did.”
Bipasha also comments on the notion that was there related to looks of an actress. “I was DIFFERENT as it was pointed out. Didn’t really stop me from being and doing all that I loved. Well you see I was confident and proud of who I was from childhood. My skin colour didn’t define me … even though I love it and wouldn’t want it to be any different ever,”
“Many skin care endorsements with loads of money was offered to me in the last 18 years ( some were very tempting)… but I stuck to my principle always. All this needs to stop. This wrong dream that we are selling … that only fair is lovely and beautiful when the majority of the country is brown skinned. It’s a deep rooted stigma….It’s a mammoth step from the brand… and other brands should follow in the same footsteps soon,” concludes the actress.
Earlier King Khan Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter also hailed the move and was appreciated by many. Hindustan liver took to their Twitter to make an announcement. They tweeted, “We’re committed to a skincare portfolio that’s inclusive of all skin tones, celebrating the diversity of beauty. That’s why we’re removing the words ‘fairness’, ‘whitening’ & ‘lightening’ from products, and changing the Fair & Lovely brand name,”.