Un(fair)
by Allen Thomas

Paris College of Art (PCA), Paris, France
Graduation year: 2022

portfolio special mention call 'BLURRING THE LINES 2022', 2022

‘Unfair” is a work in progress that looks at fair skin as a standard for beauty in India and its relation to power dynamics. As India was always ruled by fair skin leaders first by the Mughals for almost two centuries and then colonised by Britishers for two centuries which has influenced society to believe that fair skin is equivalent to power or superiority. Tv channel is dominated by white skin tones. If they were dark, they got fair. And then whitening supply followed. An industry was born that will influence generations to believe that ‘Dark is ugly’. Over and over again, we see advertisements in magazines, on Television screens, and on Social media claiming that having a dark skin will eventually end up in an unsuccessful life. Fair Skin has now become a long-established marker of a person’s social status. People in India believe that fair skin would give them an advantage over others in securing a job, success in interviews or finding a partner. Fairness also comes into play in matrimonial ads, whereas as a result, the individual has to suffer the consequences only because the skin is dark that he/she cannot become the potential partner. The Indian Movie industry is constantly making awareness to promote body positivity but so far, it is sailing under false colours. Models and actors are particularly preferred to be light skin, whereas the dark skin much more talented actors and models are pulled back just because of their shade of skin. Indians are as diverse as their skin tones. The project also focuses on the fact that beauty comes in every shade and promotes a message of being comfortable in your own skin.


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