Being dark skinned is not a crime.
RAWALPINDI: Being dark skinned is not a crime. Dwelling in a country where women face lots of problems, discrimination based on skin colour is a major one too. Since I was a child I was told that I was dark making it sound like an insult. People around me would always tell me to wash my face more often which made me feel uncomfortable. Now that I have become an adult and understood racism, it is extremely disappointing to see young girls being treated the same way. There are many women advising other girls to apply products that whiten the skin. For instance, bleaching creams are often recommended to lighten the skin. Moreover, it is a trend that has been followed for many decades and seems as if it will stick with us in the coming years too.
It is funny enough that girls and boys are not allowed to socialise at all or even if they do, such sort of interaction is considered as a sin for the majority of people. However when it comes to colour of skin, there are women telling girls that men don’t admire or want to marry dark-skinned girls. All that matters is a perfect figure and white skin so it is good to apply all the whitening creams available. Additionally, well-educated actresses and models working in ads highlight the baseless significance of white bright skin. Such ads must be censored. I think it is extremely important to create awareness among women that this is merely a fraud to sell products. We are all beautiful in our own ways.
Nisma Saeed
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2020.
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