In various cultures, it may or may not come to a surprise
that social norms where females are driven to desire lighter complexions and
fairer skin tones still currently exist today. Personally growing up as a
South-Asian female, I have had instances in the past where I too desired the
look for a fairer complexion because of the various influences of family
relatives, media and cultural norms. In South-Asian countries such as India,
women are heavily under the influence of the media and advertisements for the
desire for fair skin through skin-lightening products (Li, et al. 2008). One of the most famous brands that still
exist to this day is Fair & Lovely, a cream that promotes achieving lighter
skin and guarantees fairer skin with constant use of the product. However
social media platforms, such as Instagram, allows for a new generation of females
who express that what should be seen as desirable and accepting can be seen through
the use of selfies under the tag #unfairandlovely.
Various South-Asian celebrities, on the other hand, endorse
such skin lightening products and promote the primary social standards of
desirable ‘fair and lovely’ skin. This blog will undertake these social norms
of fair skin being desirable and beautiful, and present the consequences and
negative connotations that follow them. Along with these norms, new forms of
social acceptance and values will be expressed through the #unfairandlovely
Instagram community, proving it to be a much better example of what South-Asian
females should follow and believe in.