A Twisted Fairy-tale

A TWISTED FAIRY-TALE.

MONICA MAJUMDAR-CHOUDHARY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OFFICER, OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY (ALUMNI).

The twisted fairy-tale behind how light skinned girls are ‘trending’: Perceptions of skin lightening products among British Bangladeshi women.

As a British Bangladeshi, I became aware of the common use of skin-lightening products by women in this community, when I was about 14. Skin colour was explained to me through the story of the ‘Three Gingerbread Women’. The first gingerbread woman was too pale because the baker had taken her out of the oven early and the other was left in the oven for too long which meant she was too dark. Third time round, the gingerbread woman was perfect, a light brown colour and everyone that came to the bakery had a desire for this piece. At the time this story had little importance, however as I grew older I realised much like the gingerbread women, family and friends were given labels. I would hear disparaging remarks about my aunt’s complexion and the pressures for her to look ‘whiter’ and use skin lightening products. I began to wonder how it is that on the one hand, skin lightening represents ‘positivity, happiness and acceptance’, and on the other hand girls’ resistance against, and at the same time acceptance of skin lightening.

From listening to the voices of a small group of British Bangladeshi women I have delved

into the world of the skin lightening and its marketing; I have learnt there are broad societal issues connected to being ‘lighter’ such as marriage prospects, acceptance in the community and more generally, creating a better version of yourself.

As identified through my research, some British Bangladeshi women encompass an entire lifestyle instilled with racial meaning. The act of skin lightening becomes a measure of improving self-esteem as advertisements advocate a socio-fantasy of a new identity and acceptance from the community that the women desire through very subtle depiction of images and words. Within advertisements, marketers have focused on delivering a message which signifies both the distinction and collusion of traditional Bangladeshi beliefs and values, and reinforcing the desire for light skin as a mark of status, privileges, beauty and asset; in the mass media the words dark and beauty do not go together.

Due to the phantasmagoric nature of skin lightening products, it makes sense that women have often made fantasy of being ‘lighter’ as the focal point of their skin care regime and as inevitable parts of life. Offering the possibility of escaping the ‘darkness’, beauty becomes universal, it illustrates sameness rather than embracing

differences. As the commentary from the participants indicated the image of dark skin focuses on a problem that needs to be fixed: ‘’Being lighter is like the way to go about being appreciated, I need it and its solution to my life’s biggest problem. It’s access to validation, to belong, to be accepted, loved, respected. Lighter skinned girls are desirable for marriage - a wealthy and handsome man come by and take you away. It’s a ‘twisted fairy tale’. That everyone should come towards the ‘light’, it’s not meant to be funny, but that’s how it sounds like I guess when you think out loud. Society is practically telling us that we need to convert into this

skin tone to be considered beautiful’’ From the media to society, my participants perceived men, women and culture to be consciously or subconsciously telling ‘dark women’ that they are ‘undesirable’. Women are treated as objects, and can only be successful in life if they have ‘fair’ skin. As the participants view it, for men being dark can be easily compensated for by education and jobs. Whereas for women, having a successful career or educational background means little if you are of dark complexion. The gender difference seems to be predominantly obvious when it comes to complexion. Being white is always ‘in

style’ and is described to represent beauty and femininity. As the women advocate within the Bangladeshi culture, there are internalized white supremacist ideals of beauty and their place in society is dictated by those moral assumptions.

Often the women of this study associated other people’s complexion with a specific behavioural or social placement. For instance, one participant referred to how her sister-in-law is an ‘outcast and undesirable’ because is she ‘dark’.

Though the admonitions appear cruel it revolves to understanding that the standard of living abides to a ‘colour-struck’ world. To an extent it seemed to be a take on euphemism, by discretely disclosing what is a ‘racial judgement’ however describing ‘light skin’ as a biological essential and a way of life. It is worth noting how there is a perceived colour affiliated to perceived status. As the perceptions of beauty become fixed, it formulates a way of being and how this social value translates to family and friends.

relations means transformation comes at the loss of ethnic identity. The messages create a demand and giving consumers the opportunity to improve their way of being.

Sadly, after listening to these women’s views I have learnt the pressures of advertising and that the power of beauty stereotypes can affect women to the extent that they will poison their bodies with harmful chemicals. However, I hope women are able turn these products away, not follow the way society has condemned them to be and happily embrace their beautiful natural skin tones.

We ought to be able to ignore people’s physical characteristics and society’s stereotypes of ethnic groups and races. We are beautiful.

What is clear from the research findings is that women believe beauty is based on a ‘western’ standard. Seeing the same type of images often enough makes them seem natural and the visual depiction of women within the media normalises ‘whiteness’.

The women draw on homogenized western idea of beauty, a fantasy that can never be fully fulfilled, but which is racially informed. The skin colour of Asian faces is different to ‘western skin’, yet the globalization of beauty standards informed by colonial power.