Being dark skinned

I had been avoiding writing about this topic for long enough cause I have this fear you know. This topic is very personal to me and many people in the world. “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. This quote is something I feel is very fake because pragmatically speaking this case applies only to a few. Over the generations we humans have created certain codes of beauty, certain prejudices. It has become so engraved in our minds that we can’t just get away from it.

An ideal ‘beautiful‘ girl in today’s Indian society is still supposed to be fair,slim,fit for doing all the domestic chores. She must be an all in one package. This obsession with fairness has such a devastating effect on the country’s social life. For many of the people reading this article would be utter nonsense because you never know the pain unless you have suffered from it or you have seen the other side. I personally have seen it. Well I would like to share my personal story related to this topic. So, I am basically a 15 year old and I go to well reputed school. I am good in academics and mediocre in sports. I have been awarded by the Chief Minister of Gujarat twice until now. I have it all but one thing – fair skin. It is true that money doesn’t bring any class or change in thoughts. Its just a hoax. Despite going to such a school I have seen and rather faced discrimination based on my skin colour a number of times. I was lucky that my teachers were good but unfortunately my peers weren’t. In my lifetime I have received quite a few insults on my dusky skin tone. Although these have been directed as a joke, at times people don’t understand how it affects the other person. Once I was compared to a beggar in the economics textbook by my friend cause I am dark and so was the beggar. Yesterday I faced a comment ”Ahan you haven’t grown any fairer at all during the quarantine”. The laughs such comments get…. they hurt so much and coming from the mouths of those whom you think as of friends, its pretty bad….

I consider myself lucky that I have a good family so I don’t receive any kind of discrimination from them. Also my story is nothing of what others face. I have seen countless stories of people on platforms like quora being discriminated on the basis of their skin. Females especially face such kind of discrimination more than men. Countless marriages are broken all over the country because the girl is too ‘dark‘. Newspaper ads too are all demanding a fair girl.

What is this nonsense???Moreover we have skin lightening industry. India has a skin lightening industry of more than $400 million!!! Being dark skinned is not a disease its just some melanin. No one has the bloody right to tell my Indian brothers and sisters to apply such toxic chemicals on their skin in the name of beauty. Dark skin is exotic. Even scientifically its way better than being light skinned. A pigment called melanin makes a persons skin tone darker. This melanin is responsible for absorption of vitamin D and even protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Even the whole entertainment industry is full of such discrimination. In tropical hot place like India where most of the people have dark skins the whole fashion industry is full of fair skinned models. Dark skinned models are being ignored because apparently they aren’t beautiful enough.

I am ashamed of myself that I got upset and wasted my day thinking about such insults. I am ashamed of myself that I had this fear that about what would people think if I write this article. What would my friends think? I am expecting responses like “oh ahan I didn’t know you felt so hurt.” “It was just a joke” ” You don’t understand jokes.”.. Trust me I dont need this and I don’t give a shit. I am writing this not for myself but for those countless people who feel the same.

Let me tell all of those who have ever insulted me for being dark- I DONT GIVE A DAMN. I am lucky to have such color you know it is what it makes me me. We need not think what others will think. Its time to stand UP for yourself. No ones going to stand up for you. Its you who have to fight. You are beautiful as you are. Learn to accept yourself. You need to develop the self confidence because it is all that matters. You are more than the mirror shows you. Your qualities make you. Don’t feel lonely..cause you are not alone in this fight. Just take the plunge you wont know until you take it. Be the change.

JAI HIND!!!!!!