How Skin Tone Bias Impacts From Early Childhood: Indian Women POV

Colonialism and its imposition of the superiority of lighter skin tones have played a significant role in normalising fair skin as the defining standard of beauty and acceptance. And all of this begins at home—the moment a child is born, relatives start comparing siblings’ skin colour because, the truth is, colourism runs deeper than superficial. 

As lighter skin tones are interpreted as beautiful, dark-skinned women are excluded from the category of beauty. The preference shown to lighter-skinned women is not restricted to cinema or arranged marriages but is evident in all forms of representation.

Impact Of Colourism In Adulthood

Growing up in a South Indian household, my first encounter with colourism was when a woman in my neighbourhood asked me to apply fresh cold milk mixed with a dash of turmeric on my face and drink saffron-laced milk every night to attain a lighter skin tone. And believe me when I tell you that this was uncalled for —or maybe she did so because it's unconventional for a brown girl to be born to a fair-skinned mother. I’ve also been programmed to wear colours that compliment my complexion. But as I grew up, I realised how irrelevant all this was. Like, f*ck you, aunty next door —brown is the new sexy! 

I spoke to my friends — Avantika*, Prasiddhi, Sanjana*, and Sarah— about their experiences with body shaming and the effect it had on them. From biting comebacks to nosy aunties to continuing struggles with their complexion, their stories are varied, even as they share striking similarities: 

Prasiddhi, a 3rd-year medical student in Mangalore says, “I have been experiencing colorism since my childhood. The earliest memory I have is of my mother trying out home remedies to lighten my skin, by making face packs out of almost everything in the kitchen—turmeric, tomato, honey, papaya, and whatnot. Since childhood, whenever I went to my grandparents' place, the first thing they would do as soon as I entered was analyse my physical changes—‘Oh, this time you’ve become darker or gained a little more.’ But since I was so immune to it, none of these comments affected my self-confidence, and I was okay with the way I was. 

But never did I believe I was pretty. Thanks to our society's beauty standards. I still remember an aunt of mine telling my mother it would be difficult to find an alliance for me because of my complexion. It was such a huge remark for a kid of twelve. Does society never think about the impact it would have on the child? 

When I entered my teenage years, my friends always remarked about my colour and looks, and this broke me. I turned from the girl who thought ‘I wasn't pretty enough’ to ‘No, I'm ugly!’ 

I have always heard this from people: ‘Oh, your face has such nice features, you would look so pretty if you were a bit fairer.’ I would be lying if I said I didn't think the same way. Every time I edited my pictures, I did feel they looked much better when I made my face fairer. 

And, shoutout to my university friends who never made me feel bad about my skin tone and always called me pretty—that boosted my confidence! 

Despite knowing fairness is the standard set by society and that every colour is beautiful, we still find the fairer ones prettier, and that's how deeply rooted colourism is. I'm trying my best to feel good about my skin and make others feel the same. Let's be kind and make this a better place to live in.” 

Prasiddhi had accepted herself since her childhood. She grew up believing that looks don't matter and that what truly matters is intellect and talent. 

A state-level basketball player and my best friend, Avantika*, shares, “I played a lot of sports and would routinely be tanned during game season, and that would be pointed out, which genuinely makes you conscious. Being in your awkward teen stages makes it 100 times worse! I’m not sure at what point we stopped seeing people as human beings and started seeing them as the colour of their skin, but I hope for a future where this bias is extinct.” 

She also added, “Accepting yourself is the single greatest thing a person can do, and it took me moving to a whole new country for university and being alone to do it! You realize your number one supporter is yourself, and as long as you have that, you will make it anywhere.” 

One of my best friends and a medical student, Sarah, shares, “I haven't faced any discrimination or advantage over my skin colour outside. But there is no doubt that a fairer skin complexion is advantageous due to the beauty standards in our country. I have experienced slightly uncomfortable conversations about my complexion with certain family members and relatives. As a baby, I was fair, but now I have a brown skin tone. People talk about that, and it makes me feel uncomfortable. I get annoyed and try my best to ignore them. There's no point in talking about my skin tone since I cannot change it.” 

When I asked her to take us through her journey of accepting her complexion and herself, she said, “Thanks to social media, I've seen many faces with different skin tones who look beautiful regardless of their appearance. If they can feel beautiful in their natural skin, then why can't I? And that's what made me confident in my skin.” 

Sanjana*, an MSU student, recounts how elders tell you not to stay too long under the sun because your skin will turn dark; people belittle you for your skin tone when you’re young and condition you to hate your skin; and the same people have the same skin tone or darker, so it’s ironic. She also tells me how she doesn't need to hate herself the way others hate themselves! 

Muskaan*, a law student, tells me, “I have a fair complexion and never really faced any cruelty nor any special treatment for my skin tone. Occasionally, I’ve had some friends compare their skin with me, saying they wish they had a lighter tone like me, or sometimes I’ve heard my parents be relieved that their children are fair. But these are quite rare. So, I never struggled with issues or stereotypes related to complexion. I am quite fortunate in that respect. All the power to my girlies who are on their journey of acceptance!” 

With the hope of being able to love others fully someday, let’s start by learning to love ourselves first. 

*Name was changed upon request for confidentiality.

Saachi Shetty is pursuing medicine in Karnataka, India. She is also a freelance writer and performative poet. Personal views expressed by the author are their own.col