Nothing fair about the beauty business
Teresa Barat

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?"

ISN'T it ironic that for a long time India took the high moral ground and refused to play any sport with apartheid-ridden South Africa? Isn’t it ironic that a reputed company rejected Lara Dutta for its advertisements because she was too dark? This was before her Miss Universe win, of course.

Isn’t it ironic that in a country where skin tones span the spectrum from ebony to ivory, almost every matrimonial advertisement seeks ‘homely, fair brides’? What happens to the homely, dark maidens trembling on the shelf of the marriage mart?

Kalee kalooti is an oft-heard comment about women who happen to have dark skin. They get humiliated and mortified over the colour of their skin, a fact over which they have no control.

There are attractive people who go through life feeling inferior to their fairer sisters. And all because of charming grandmothers and aunts who do not hesitate to make unflattering comparisons. For too many people in India prettiness lies in the colour of the skin.

And the perpetrators are everywhere and, surprisingly, of every hue. Those with dark skin are vulnerable to verbal attacks from anyone - even family members. The fair-dark divide is as arbitrary and unfair as the rich-poor or the homely-beautiful. And as hopeless. It is painful when a little child comes home crying because somebody has called her kalee (dark). It is distressing when a friend’s domestic help from a poor tribal area in Bastar (Madhya Pradesh) spends the bulk of her money on fairness creams.

It is a scam that is being ruthlessly facilitated by manufacturers of fairness creams and their partners in crime — advertising agencies. The current crop of advertisements for fairness creams is highly objectionable.

The campaign strategy is simple: One dark skinned aspirant for a beauty contest. Have a bratty child taunt, "No chance. They’ll take one look at your face and throw you out." Miraculous application of said fairness cream and proud, now fair contestant comes back dangling a medal.

One wishes one could laugh it off. But these advertisements are no laughing matter. They service an industry worth about Rs 140 crore and the bulk of those sales are in the South, a region where people are generally darker, and no amount of fairness cream will change their complexions.

Who is responsible for this state of affairs? Societal values? Or advertising campaigns? It is a chicken and egg phenomenon, with advertising moguls disowning their part in the game, claiming that they only reflect prevailing attitudes in India. This is possibly true, but what about ethics in advertising? Is it acceptable to make advertisements that openly denigrate a majority of Indian people — the dark skinned populace? The advertisements are blatant in their strategy. Mock any one who is not the ‘right’ colour and shoot down their self-image.

The manufacturers push their product in India, a country that is riddled with colour prejudice. And even the new international entrants in India - all big names in the cosmetic industry - are entering the fairness cream market with great gusto. Ethics apart, peddling dreams makes good business sense, it appears. And who cares if little children and tribal lasses end up with wounded psyches in the process?

The fairness cream industry reflects not merely a harmless preference for fair skin, but a deeper, more internalised racism. It is a biased attitude against dark skin that manifests in many ways. Black students studying in our universities talk of people sniggering at them and calling them names. This is in stark contrast to the obsequious handling of white travellers to our land.

When will this country awaken to some self-pride and come up with a slogan half as punchy and sassy as ‘Black is Beautiful’? Unfortunately, that day seems distant — we are too busy aspiring for Fair and Lovely and Snow White. (WFS)

Rejuvenating your body
Gulshan Virk

THE resurgence of interest in good health and radiant looks is very heartening. It depends on a multitude of factors, including heredity, environment, your mental and spiritual attitude to life. But it also depends on one’s awareness of natural resources and one’s ability to make the best use of them.

Most of us are too tense. The human body was not made to cope with the stresses and strains of this age. This has resulted in a number of illnesses that are psychogenic or psychomatic. They originate in the psyche or mind. They are mostly triggered by our reaction to stress, like ulcers and colitis, which are nervous disturbances that were rare a generation ago. Heart disease is more prevalent even in the relatively young. Minor ills such as headache, nervous fatigue nervous indigestion, irritability and sleeplessness are only too common and nothing consumes energy more then giving vent to emotions. Most of us dream of getting away to a spa. Spas offers mind, body and spirit soothing, benefits. The health spas plan for each individual programme which revitalises the system, adds or reduces weight, tones up muscles and helps counter act stress and tension. The idea of bringing the body to its optimum level of health the natural way is appealing and challenging. It is the ultimate of self-motivation.

One of the oldest self improvement concepts, yoga is still the best body discipline. It consists of breathing exercises, postures and movements.

But it goes deeper than that for yoga is also a mind process, a way to self-awareness and self-realisation. Its postures and principles are also health giving in that they release tension and stimulate the circulatory, endocrine and nervous system. Yoga can improve the shape, grace and beauty of a body. Right breathing is the prime principle of yoga.

Prana denotes breath in yoga. Yogis believe that if you can control and use breath properly, its energy can positively influence body and mind. The yogic postures known as asanas are calculated to have an effect on various functions and organs of the body. Asanas are performed in conjunction with deep rhythmic breathing and complete concentration, forgetting all problems and all distraction. Control of consciousness is the ultimate aim and only if the mind gives undivided attention to what the body is doing will maximum influence be exerted on every nerve cell, and muscle. Yoga is a fusion of mental physical and spiritual experience.

This is the Chinese equivalent of yoga. It is a form of moving mediation. It is a combination of yoga prana and the western life force. The mind is the focal point, air the catalyst and the body the medium. It encourages relaxation and mental peace. The exercise pattern consists of series of slow dance like steps and gestures of the entire body. There are no separate postures as such the end of one movement becomes the beginning of the next. The weight of the body shifts continuously from one foot to another and the movement are performed in circles, arcs and spirals. The body has to move as a unit.

It is another form of exercise which can be easily followed. It offers relaxation of mind and tones up the body. Walking daily for 30-45 minutes helps to keep one in good shape.

Beautifying your body should be about relaxing, cherishing and making your self feel special there is no doubt that the greatest beautifiers in the world are happiness and health. A joyful smile and abundant energy are far more attractive, whatever the owners physique, than a most perfectly made up, flawless frame with a miserable face on a droopy body. Happiness is composite emotion the French describe it as being "comfortable in your skin". It has to do with. If you love yourself unconditionally you will like your face and body no matter what. Self-esteem is vital to your relationship with your body. Look after your body, respect it, enjoy it, listen to its needs — from food and drink to exercise or sleep and it will reward you by working well.