There is this strange obsession Indians have with fair skin. I should know, I spent most of my growing up years thinking that I was ugly, and feeling somehow inferior to cousins and friends who were fairer. Even now the feeling hasn’t completely left me, I still take compliments with a pinch of salt, but atleast it no longer has anything to do with the colour of my skin.
I don’t know where I picked it up from, for we had no such discrimination in the family. I guess it was, as it still is, the larger perception in society that had fed my insecurities. Sadly this continues to be the case, now more than ever before, and taken to new heights by the aggressive advertising by rival cosmetic companies.
Cosmetic products, like any other consumer products, need to constantly redefine themselves, with better packaging and catchier by lines, even if the basic message remains the same. The most widely selling face product in India are ‘fairness’ creams, products that promise to make you fairer over a period of time. So while this ‘get fair skin’ theme has remained a constant over the years, the advertising for such products has had to come up with new and innovative ideas to emphasise its importance. The latest in this series, currently on air, is the Pond’s White beauty ads (here are links to episode 1 and episode 2).
Now this is not a simple ad. It’s a series of ads, that apparently has a name, the ‘novella’, and a definite storyline. It is episodic, with one episode released every fortnight. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a promo for a film, given its cast, (popular Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Neha Dhupia) and production value (its very slick, shot like a Karan Johar film) and Pond’s was just riding along. It took me a while to realize it was a short film showing on TV, in small capsules, specifically to advertise a product by Pond’s. Talk about big budget advertising!
The product is a fairness cream that claims it can transform your skin to a ‘pinkish white’ (or a ‘pale white, you choose’.) I am stumped by this claim. Though I must admit I admire the audacity. Can you imagine pinkish white Indians?!
What makes me write this post however, is neither of those two sentiments. It is instead a sense of alarm. The ads are really well done, and the stars are current favourites. Even a skeptic like me can see how well it will be received by the general public. (I would not be surprised if this series is a big hit, and leads to a number of such ‘novellas’ in future.) The implications of such a success are, to my mind, frightening.
Such reckless and irresponsible advertising is nothing new. But irresponsible advertising that is also effective and successful is certainly something to guard against. Question is, how?
3 comments:
Hey Jatni Jr.
my dark complexion was also a constant reference through out my childhood. However, my 10 year in Nigeria actually helped as being brown in black africa actually put thing in perspective for me at an early stage. But then, boys weren't much hounded by the 'goara' obsession.
The recent spurt on focus on this part of the indian psyche by the ad companies has filled me with a revulsion that I think there should be a way to file a PIL against such ad companies, for propagating melanin discrimination and causing psychological harm.
Apologies for the late response...
Much in agreement, Bart Singh. The problem is, there's so much that is wrong in India, and for that matter, the world, you'd end up filing a lot of PILs if you started reacting this way to everything that infuriates you. And then, every such effort takes a lot of follow up action to bear fruit. I don't mean to be discouraging... this is merely a statement of facts. Your thought is well appreciated, and certainly something needs to be done. I hope someone out there is listening and decides to act on it.
What is needed simultaneously is a way to educate and inform people about the impossibility and indeed the absurdity of such ideas. The success of these products only proves that there is a market for them in first place. Their proliferation is but a symptom...
Sigh. Try being the mom of a teenage daughter. The Pond's ad is enough to make you want to scream. Although, to give the devil its due, all they are doing is giving people what they want.
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