Fair = Lovely?! I don’t think SO!

Another ad that gets on my nerves is the Fair & Lovely skin cream commercial. Apparently this cream will make you “fairer”. Of course you need to be blind not to see the (white) foundation used or the extra brightness in the “after” shots. I don’t mind that really. They could do whatever they want to show that their product is effective.

What I hate is how they are doing it.

This is the story line.
A teenage girl is always holding a make-shift microphone (a hair brush or a rolled up magazine) and pretending to be a presenter. As she grows up, her mother removes the hair brush from her hand and gives her a tube of Fair & Lovely. The end concludes that because she has a fairer skin, she becomes a famous presenter.

The message of the commercial (just in case you were blinded with the light and didn’t get it!!): Women need to be fair to be successful!

To be honest this commercial reflects the old mentality of our culture. A woman is pretty just because she has a light skin (even if she is the devil incarnated) and her chances of going places, therefore, are higher.

I’m not the fairest of them all. Actually I have the darkest skin among my siblings and I use sunscreen 30 spf as a part of my daily beauty routine but I’m still proud of my caramel color (well maybe its not caramel and more toffee, and sweetness would be the only common attribute!!). It insults me to think that some people promote fair skin, and ignore talent and IQ.

Mind you, mom thinks I’d be more successful if I give up my nun-like attire. It is almost a year since I started sporting the look, and I’m getting bored with it, but it is unique and I get my share of looks (no, they are not the what-in-god’s name-is-she-wearing variety!!).

But for the love of god, we are in the 21st century and commercials should be educating people and correcting their old fashioned thinking not supporting it.

There are 2 positive things I could say about the commercial, just to be fair (fair as in just not pale):

• It has a catchy tune…something about realizing your dream with your own hands, blah blah, which is still stuck in my head!!
• Because of its prejudiced concept, it caught my attention. Ads come and go in front of my eyes without getting registered. If you ask me what’s my favorite commercial, I’ll most probably mention one that I saw when I was a kid and the model is no longer alive!

Any way, the commercial is a failure. Any woman in her right mind should only think of Oprah and realize that you could be black, ugly, and fat but as long as you have the talent (and Oprah has plenty of that!) you can be the most influential woman in America (and very rich in the bargain!)