Time for promoting fairness creams for money has long passed: Amna Ilyas

For decades, many have had to break through the shackles of colourism to enter Pakistan's fashion and entertainment industry, but the recent global outrage in the form of the #BlackLivesMatter movement sparked a debate surrounding colourism in our own backyards.

Several spoke up against the networks that set unrealistic precedents and beauty standards for artists and people alike. Many even demanded a ban on products that glorify white skin by shaming and disregarding all other skin tones.

Following this, the powers that be on both the content and advertising spectrum appear to have taken notes. As a result, change, albeit at a slow pace, has been observed. The latest instance in this regard is a prominent fairness brand changing its name to promote inclusivity.

But although artists like Sania Saeed deemed the move revolutionary while actor Nadia Jamil called it an “important step” in countering post-colonial complexes, actor and model Amna Ilyas is not having any of it.

Ilyas, who worked her way up the fashion and entertainment ladder carrying nothing but her proud and brown skin with relentless talent, took to Twitter on Tuesday with an advice. "My fellow colleagues in the industry, time for promoting fairness creams for the sake of money and greed has long passed," she wrote.

"Our influence as public figures is meant to make others feel beautiful, not less beautiful. Shame on evryone, who still subscribes to this way of thinking!"

The actor had previously taken to Instagram to share a beautiful portrait of herself along with the caption, "My dark skin won’t be the reason I fall. No matter the shackles of colonisation or the micro-aggressions, I’ll set my goals and achieve them all."

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