Last year, many Indians demanded a ban on fairness creams endorsed by celebrities alleging that they promoted an unhealthy standard of beauty. Many also pointed out that they give rise to shadeism and colourism in society that then has far-reaching consequences. Remember when a Bengal school used a dark-complexioned person’s picture to teach ‘U for ugly’, leading to the suspension of those teachers?
Now, a Twitter user expressed her displeasure at an advertisement of a product that claims to ‘brighten’ women’s ‘patchy’ inner thighs and pits. Check it out:
i don't have the energy to write about how ridiculous this product is but tbh it's the placement of it that's sending me pic.twitter.com/YaF1BET5h4
— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) June 30, 2021
Many people responded to the claim of the ad, and also alleged that the product was founded by men.
4 Entrepreneurs from IIT Delhi founded this Startup.
— நியோ (@NeoDravidian) June 30, 2021
Move over Mansplaining, this is pure ‘Manure’! Man trying to ‘cure’ something that just has to be left alone 🤦♀️
— Malathi Srinivasan (@smalathi) June 30, 2021
So it's a bunch of iit dudebros trying to make women feel insecure about randomass things while objectifying women and making money off women?
Just another Wednesday I guess. https://t.co/m6puqcfT62
— Ragamalika (@rgmlk) June 30, 2021
Others shed light on how the difference in colour in those areas is actually normal and that brands try to make money out of people’s insecurities.
So many brands selling genitalia brightening creams now. It’s baffling how instead of creating awareness that having more melanin around that area is NORMAL, they’re trying to monetise it by selling wtv. A lot of women are conscious of how it looks and fall prey to such products.
— aparna (@grabatit) June 30, 2021
People are insecure abt their private part, men, women alike… Because of lack of education regarding the same… And these people are trying to make money of their insecurities..
— fabsheikh🏹#FreePalestine (@kainatjs) July 1, 2021
It's unbelievable how companies find the most obscure things to make women feel insecure and then sell products to "fix" it.
Burn the whole system down. https://t.co/Z62iG9kRHm— Sufyan🌹 (@PsyOpValkyrie) June 30, 2021
Some people also talked about how this propagates the superiority of one skin colour over another.
I’ll never understand why are Indians so obsessed with skin brightness/fairness/whitening! Aren’t these the color of the people they fought for freedom against??
— Sal (@Salman_Surti) June 30, 2021
On a serious note; it’s ok to have dark patches on a brown skin. Dark is not ugly. Dark is a shade. A beautiful shade. Please let’s not do this. Otherwise I will start a ‘dark pits’ twitter… https://t.co/lEuOr2G5Lw
— poonam (@poonamkachandd) June 30, 2021
What the actual fuck. Can these start ups not create products for problems which do not exist? The next thing you know, they will be creating a product to brighten your poop. Also, feel so horrible for the model. https://t.co/C2qLi6mi73
— Compulsive Locker (@khushh) June 30, 2021
What even…I mean, how are such ads even being allowed!! https://t.co/b5SB86Mq0o
— Nimish Dubey (@nimishdubey) July 1, 2021
What are your thoughts on this debate? Tell us.
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