Yes, the perfect color, and mind you I am not talking about mix and match for some dress or the interiors of any house. I am talking about what the so-called “perfect color “means in a typical South Asian household.
Indeed, they talk about the tone of your skin like the different shades in an Asian paint’s manual.
At a time when the whole world is against the discrimination of people based on their color, let's look at how badly this stigma persists in our society.
I do not live in any western country and have no idea how bad racial slurs are over there but I do know how bad it is in the sub-continent being a victim myself.
The people here are so ruthless they don’t hesitate to pass such racial slurs even against babies who are just a few hours old. Not once thinking about how ignorant and foolish they are presenting themselves to be. What seems much worse is how casual these talks are. And how innocent the one making these remarks think they are. Lest trying to fathom the intensity of hurt or destruction of confidence these words do to someone’s mind.
If we ever were to criminalize anyone calling people kaalaa(black) most of our so-called elders of the family would be behind bars. It’s a common living room discussion in our part of the world. You just have to glance through the matrimonial ad’s column in the local newspapers to understand the extent of obsession with fair color. Like every man out there wants a snow-white for his wife. It has turned into a huge market with so much demand for fairer girls’, parents with daughters are on an endless spree of finding products that might make their daughters fairer. A giant cosmetic industry thrives on these girls. What’s painful is that no one feels it’s wrong. No one argues that how can the color of your skin determine the person you are. How can anyone reject a girl for marriage just saying she is not fair enough.
Indeed, Allah has said “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. one of the Muttaqun (pious) Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Noble Quran: 49:13)
In the sight of Allah, we all are the same. In discriminating among ourselves aren’t we questioning his creation? Every creation no matter how big or small has a purpose, has a reason, for the way they are. Even the final sermon of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) emphasized unity for all.
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also, a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white – except by piety and good action.“
(Khuṭbatu l-Wadāʿ), also known as Muhammad’s PBUH Final Sermon.
Why accepting that brown and black are beautiful is so difficult for us? Did the years of British rule have such an impact on us that we cannot appreciate anything other than white as beautiful? Is it not time to end the colonial hangover yet?
And now when the whole world is routing for this change in mindset why don’t we start our own revolution against color discrimination, don’t our girls deserve this? Aren’t they already overburdened by a gender-biased society?
Let’s make change happen and not make living room discussions on someone’s color and physique. Let’s throw away those fairness creams, foundations you carry around and take pride in the color you truly are.
It's only then, can we at least create a stigma around it and not make it look normal. We need to make our daughters comfortable in who they are, hammering in them the thought that they are created by Allah as a wonderful creation and they need not please anyone except him alone.
This has become a huge vicious cycle and its been going on for generations and it will go on for further generations. The need of the hour is to first acknowledge the fact that this form of discrimination is totally unacceptable. This needs to stop so that nobody tries to color shame our children’s children.
#Brownisbeautiful, #ColorDoesn’tDefineme #NotFair #LoveYourself #StopColorShaming
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