Time to confront color bias!

I had been emotionally wrecked from the time I arrived in India from the UK. There are many incidents regarding colour bias that I have faced here. Some relatives told me the reason that I am darker is drinking tea or standing in the sun too long. They even suggested home-made concoctions that would make my skin fair. Afterall, they were worried about my marriage and career prospects. Forget relatives, even airport officials have looked at me and my mother( who is fair) and asked if I am her real daughter laughing afterwards. Fortunately, my friends have never said anything demeaning about the colour of my skin.!

Once, I was conducting a photo shoot at a wedding in a small town in India. The priest came up to me and said that I must be from the southern part of India because of my dark skin. When I told him where I was from, he sarcastically remarked that he originally thought I would be (boot) polish from Poland.

I would be lying if I said these incidents have not affected me. Each comment came as a blow to my self-confidence at that time. It is shallow to judge anyone on the basis of their looks or skin colour. When I grew older, I questioned and confronted this attitude. Now I spread awareness and promote the importance of self-worth and respect towards others.

Apart from matching the correct foundation shade to my skin, I would never use a shade card nor would I want to change my skin colour. The shade card puts pressure on many to become something that might be impossible. Business gimmick for sure!

Judging someone based on skin colour should stop and seeing beyond should start. People who are victims of this must speak about it, confront it and raise their voices to spread awareness.

Debashree,

Photographer