Amna Ilyas admits to struggles with trying to be fairer

"There was a time when I was also using fairness creams. I realised it's not okay," the 'Baaji' actor revealed

Model and actor Amna Ilyas has revealed that she struggled with attempting to be whiter by using fairness cremes when she entered the industry.

In a recent interview with BBC Urdu, the Baaji actor said makeup artists would use makeup two tones lighter than her natural shade when she posed for lawn campaigns. "The client would tell them to make me fairer. Then, they would Photoshop and airbrush the pictures," she said during the interview. “Sometimes, I’d see the final pictures and think, ‘That’s not me.’”

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/AMNA ILYAS

Ilyas continued, “In the drama serials I worked on, I would often overhear directors on set say my skin tone doesn’t ‘match’ with the other actors in the frame. I found that very strange; of course they don’t match, because there are different people, each with their own personalities and skin. How can they ‘match’?”

The actor admitted that her desire to be fairer started long before this, because of societal standards of beauty. "When I was growing up, my aunts and cousins would always make snide comments that, ‘Oh, she’s got a tan because she goes to school. You should use lemon juice and gram flour on your face for a “glow” and “beautiful” skin.’”

When I started modeling, I was criticised for my colour: Amna Ilyas

For this, Ilyas has a warning on these fair-looking expectations placed on women's beauty. “People don’t realise how sensitive this is and what kind of impact it can leave on someone’s mind.”

However, the actor was also not scared to admit to own her past. “There was a time when I was also using fairness creams. Then, I realised — that’s not okay. You should have healthy skin instead.”

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/AMNA ILYAS

She continued, “I did a fairness cream ad, and while I was doing that ad, I realised that this not me. After that, I decided I wouldn’t be a part of anything that made me uncomfortable or sell a lie.”

“There’s a standard of beauty that our society has set which it considers the only way to be beautiful — large, almond eyes, dark, waist-length hair, milky white skin,” she added.

The star also commented on the impact of the entertainment industry and the way women are portrayed. “The top five TV heroines are extremely fair-skinned — and those who weren’t [fair to begin with] have made themselves fairer to be a part of that race. I want that girls with my complexion, who are considered ‘too thin’ or ‘too dark’, shouldn't consider themselves ugly.”

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