Colourism is an often disregarded but very real problem faced by many people across the world. It could be as mild as a snarky remark on how they have tanned over the summer, to severe discrimination against them merely for their completion. Colourism is deeply rooted in India and has been prevalent since the British rule and beyond, where the colour of one’s skin deter- mined their social status.
Even in the 21st century, one’s colour can deter- mine various social and cultural benefits they may receive, having serious implications on employment opportunities and marriage decisions.
According to the India Inclusion Audit 2022, 9.7% of people feel excluded because of colour.
Out of these responses, 23.6% of the individuals were men, 74.5% were women and 1.8% identified as others. These responses came from individuals belonging to 14 different states out of which Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had the maximum number of respondents (36%, 25.4% and 12.7% respectively) who felt sidelined or excluded on the basis of colour among other variables.
This exclusion starts with young children being taught that the lighter the colour of their skin, the more attractive they are. As they grow, this bias toward fairer skin gets reinforced. The prevalence of colourism in the Indian society is evident in movies, where no matter how dark-skinned other characters are, the female lead is always the fairest. This creates a notion that fairness is beautiful.
We also see advertisements of fairness creams like Glow & Lovely (formerly known as Fair & Lovely) that show young women preparing for job interviews by using their cream to become a few shades lighter. These ads not only prey on the insecurities of people, but may also lead one to believe that they must be fair and attractive to land the job of their dreams.
When asked if they were physically put out of space or physically treated badly because of their colour, 47.2% of the respondents said yes, while 52.7% said no. But it is important to note that out of the 55 individuals who cited colour as a cause for feeling excluded, 94.5% of the people observed other causes such as religion, caste, economic class and mental illness alongside colour. Only 5.4% of the respondents felt that colour was the singular cause of their exclusion. It is also interesting to note that the people who fell into the latter category belonged either to Karnataka or Kerala. The results of the audit only go to show that we continue to live in a society where those with lighter complexion are granted social privileges.
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