Dumbest

©  2006  Rose George

I have seen some sights, but this was the oddest and saddest. A beautiful woman sitting opposite me in the Ladies Carriage, doing her make-up. Fair enough. But then she got out talcum powder and rubbed loads into her face. She had dark skin and she wanted it to look lighter.  It is daft. I used to argue with someone about the obsession with light skin here. It seems to me a nasty form of self-hatred. I find any urchin on the street more beautiful than the supposed icons like Aishwarya Rai (pouty-faced) and Karisma Kapoor (sour-faced), but the urchins would never be considered beautiful because their skin is dark. Dark skin bad. The someone told me that it is not about wanting to be Western and not wanting to be Indian. And that makes sense, as India is clearly proud of being India. The someone said that it dates back to people working in the fields being darker so sedentary elites were lighter. The Elizabeth I line of beauty. Whatever the reason, the Fair and Lovely soaps and ads for whitening face creams are ubiquitous and hideous. Indians are a beautiful and handsome people (except for the fat greasy ones). They should realise it.