Natasha wrote about this before. But this time I think they have gone off limits with their new TV commercial:
4 is my lucky number; I’ve graduated after 4 years, I have 4 friends and I’ve found out what was wrong after the 4th interview. It was my skin! (insert a sad face of a suppodrfly dark-skinned girl with teary eyes here)
The girl in the commercial finds out that the reason she didn’t make in her last 3 interviews for a TV presenter is that she’s not “fair” and of course, therefore is not “lovely” enough to get the job. After using the magical cream, she gets the job and on top of that, a guy from work asks her out. How sweet…
I think the producing company of this product (Unilever PLC) should be sued for its shameless discriminative ads. A few years ago when I had the time to watch TV I never noticed the discriminative nature of Fair and Lovely’s TV commercials because I saw nothing in giving women the option to lighten the color of their skin if they wish to (although I have my personal opinion of those who are not satisfied with their color but that’s another story.)
Such ads are evidence of how sick some people can be. The commercial is a violation to a basic human right of being equal regardless of ethnicity, of skin color, religion or gender. Not only was the ad insulting to women, in the sense that a woman must have the look to get the job she wants or the boyfriend she dreams of but it was also insulting to millions of people whos skins are not “fair”.
In other words, what was worse than being a woman in Fair and Lovely’s manufacturers’ opinion is being a dark-skinned, brunette, yellow or black woman.
It is interesting how the west in general decides on what is good and who is pretty and lovely for us. It is even more interesting how confused we have become after we tried almost everything to look agreeable on their scale. We have changed our hair from black or brown to different shades of blonde and our bodies from dark to light. After that, we had to get a tan even if we were dark enough, we took sun baths so that we can brag about it. And now we need to lighten the color of our skins if we wanted to be liked and accepted in our own societies.
When I googled it, I’ve learned that Indian women have done something about it. I wonder if we-Arab women- will.
I’ve seen this around before and im guessing its marketed to brown-skinned people of the world.
There have always been black-white social paradigms where one is viewed above the other. Africa used to be called the dark continent for a reason.
Arabs, depending on where they live, are now brown and white. Especially with the creating of city life and new markets, people are not in the fields anymore getting tans like it used to be for an entire population.
So there is a bit of envy that the white skinned are more western looking, more european looking, therefore by default more successful and beautiful. I used to make fun of my friend Deeb (who’s on JP) when we were kids because he’s pale white but in the U.S. no one thinks he’s from the middle east…straight up American, which is a good thing when you want a job.
In Japan there are these elastic wraps like the kind NBA players put on their knees…but its for the face. It squeezes the faces to make Japanese women who have puffy faces to be pressurized while they sleep…so to appear “normal” when they wake up.
Well said Shaden!
It’s been bugging me ever since! and I recall one of my high school friends actually had some skin problems after using it, she started getting white patches in her face. I havent seen her for some time, but it wasnt a nice view. Especially she wasnt dark! I dont know what made her use it. The commercial seems to have gotten to her someway or another…
I wonder if these ads find receive any attention in other societies (other than the Arab society that is obsessed with whiteness)!
This product’s ads has been banned in India, due to feminists protests and PMs speaking up against it!
It’s an Indian product, right?
Now who would in the Arab world speaks up against this? Our lousey PMs?
Is this commercial STILL on?!?! I was in Amman last summer, and it seemed like MBC was playing it every 5 minutes! How can people stand for it????????????????????
Never seen such commercials here … all commercials are for tanning products :d … I want a tan!
Thanks for your post shaden,I saw the ad and it offended me as a brunette but of course mainly as a woman,that is such a shallow marketing idea,I doubt though that it has anything to do with wetern standards of beauty it is our arab mentality that fair skin is feminine and sexy,westerners however are hypnotized witha bedouin rab dark skin and hair exotic beauty,this comes from our sick minds not theirs.
I greatly appreciate your article. It had been my personal view too that these cosmetic and even other ads always market for fair skin…. Not just the product, how many ads have actors who are dark or brown skinned? I hardly see any. Even the kids acting in the ad will be chosen a fair skin one. It’s purely a White mentality who decides what’s beautiful and what’s not as you rightly said.
My 1.445 cents
Sorry. My earlier post did not link to my proper blog. I have changed it in this to the correct one. I have refered to your article in my blog. Please check.
Suchin
okay first of all the last time i checked the commercial for fair and lovely it looked to me as - that u need fair and lovely as a protection from skin that ahs been recked because of heat or the tan by the sun - i never actually thought it would affend ppl - and i understand that it offends u but the thing is that just cuz it’s an indian product it is very wrong to think that india is a cheapstake
-bada way- why do you put on foundation and stuff than???? why do u put on rouge and blush……etc. fair and lovely is a make-up too don’t take it as something as a drug that changes your appereance - if you do then u mite as well call asll makeup drugs to change ur appereance
sorry one more thing - u cannot sue ppl for advertising stuff like this - i think b4 u think of suing the person u should cum chk out the ads in canada - have u noticed its not illegal - it’s thier choice - i guess if it really offends u don’t buy the product !!! period!!! cuz hav u noticed it can also offend other ppl in a way - so don’t waste time on all this stuff - do wah u think is best forur self - other ppl can figure out their own problems
Dear readers,
The first thought that popped in my mind after seeing the commercial was how lame and unfortunate our society is!..we are bounded by our low self-esteem and our desperate crave for turning into a western community, a community that is full of racism and prejudice against Dark-skinned people.
This AD humiliates and degrades both dark skinned people and women in general, however, if we want to point out the flaws in these commercials we must underdstand that nowadays, all commercials are degrading women all over the world. Today’s Ads subjectify women and insult their intelligence !. We cannot relate to this product in criticism while ignoring the tanning products that also insinuate that white skin is not attractive !
I am fed up with the capitalism idologies and their brain washing, degrading, prejudice commercials that we are trying so hard to imitate!
Love,
Laura M.