Right step, now pull out product

Hindustan Unilever’s announcement that it will be dropping the word ‘Fair’ from the name of its ‘Fair and Lovely’ cream is a welcome step, albeit a cosmetic and long-overdue one. Had it pulled out the product from the market, as has Johnson & Johnson, its decision would have been more meaningful. The company has said it will stop using words like ‘fairness’ ‘whitening’ and ‘lightening’ to peddle its line of skin whitening products. Other brands including Procter & Gamble and Garnier have followed its lead. The decision of the cosmetic giants has come in response to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests, which have triggered debates and discussions relating to institutionalised racism. In India, debates have centred on the continuing grip of colourism and racist prejudices in our society. Fearing that public backlash would hit their sales, the cosmetic giants seem to have chosen an image makeover: they decided to distance themselves from overtly peddling white skin as an ideal to aspire for.

India’s obsession with fairness, especially when it comes to women, is not new. The perception that fair is lovely and beautiful goes back centuries. Dark-skinned women have always been the target of prejudice. This has bred insecurity among dark-skinned women as in India, skin colour determines not only whether one is perceived as beautiful or not but also one’s life chances, professional success and value in the ‘marriage market.’ Products like ‘Fair and Lovely’ and scores of other skin whitening creams, gels and lotions that followed, including many that targeted men, fuelled such insecurities. It is telling that all these skin whitening products did brisk business; so deeply ingrained is India’s obsession over fairness. The perception that fair is beautiful has deepened in recent years with women and men now turning to skin lightening surgeries.

Cosmetic giants spend billions of rupees to perpetuate the myth that fair is beautiful and that dark is ugly and undesirable. In the process, they have caused immeasurable damage to people’s self-esteem and success, even their health. Will they continue with their promotion of colourism in our society? They can be expected to do so. But they will use words that disguise their privileging of fair skins by promoting ‘glowing’ or ‘radiant’ skin tones. By dropping ‘Fair’ from the name of its skin whitening cream, Hindustan Unilever has taken a step in the right direction. It should take this to its logical conclusion by pulling out the product from the market. It should campaign in favour of more inclusive and healthy notions of beauty.