A Bollywood actress has spoken out against her peers for promoting skin-lightening creams.
Kalki Koechlin took part in a Reddit AMA session for International Women’s Day, and during the online discussion she attacked this area of India’s beauty market.
‘I don’t think there is anything wrong with being fair,’ Koecklin said. ‘But when an entire nation basis its idea of beauty on being fair it’s sad, because there are such beautiful people who are dusky, or of a different skin tone.’
Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor are just some of the Bollywood stars who have promoted these skin-lightening creams which work by reducing a person’s melanin levels.
Koechlin continued. ‘I endorse an anti-ageing cream because I do feel I have to take better care of my skin with age, but I am clear that fairness is not something I promote with them. In fact, I would love to endorse a cream which makes me darker, I am always trying to get a tan!”
In the UK, it is illegal to sell skin-lightening creams containing hydroquinone, but they commonly sold throughout India and sub-Saharan Africa.
There is currently a global social media campaign to challenge the beauty myth that fairer skin is better.
The #unfairandlovely campaign was inspired by the Unfair & Lovely project by Pax Jones, a 21-year-old black student at the University of Texas in Austin, who created a photo series featuring stunning images of her South Asian classmates, sisters Mirusha and Yanusha Yogarajah.
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