Gone are the days when Fair and Lovely was your only option in transforming your skin to the chalk-white mask of a geisha. You have more options to choose from nowadays.[break]
With so many options to alter the color of your body´s largest organ, it appears cosmetic companies have picked up on the gold mine that lies in changing dark brown to
light brown.
This age-old idea of lighter being more beautiful is being taken to new heights through the powerful means of advertising. Various commercials flaunt Bollywood studs flexing muscles and whipping their hair to reveal fairer complexions while dejected darker women find soul mates and success in jobs after using these products. Although the commercials paint a slightly skewed picture of reality, there are those who believe that the hue of your complexion does affect your career options.
Muna Duwal, 21, a beauty advisor for Lakme in Nepal, believes for certain occupations (like modeling) your skin color is of great importance. Duwal says commercials have a lot to do with the increase in the sales of whitening products. "People come and ask for products by brand name after seeing them on TV," she says adding, "people are willing to spend a lot of money on expensive brand name products even if those products aren´t the most effective." Regardless of the cost, it appears customers are willing to pay a high price for fair skin.
People buy products regardless of the outcome; in fact, most people don´t believe whitening products fulfill their claims. Mira Shrestha, 26, who works in retail, said that she used whitening products but stopped because they were ineffective. "At first they appeared to work," she stated, "but then when it got hot, my skin got worse so, I stopped using it." As for whether being fairer means being more beautiful Shrestha says, "Beauty is in everything. It´s not just in the face but in how a person speaks and behaves."
Another individual who believes that there is more to beauty than just the color of your skin is Mukesh Agrawal, 45, who sells kurthas and saris. He says that he has heard many girls complain about how certain colors don´t suit them due to their darker complexion and has noticed girls with lighter skin tones feel confident in purchasing unconventional colors. He mentioned that his wife (who happens to be slightly darker) used whitening products years ago but gave it up when she saw no difference and has no desire to try any of the new
products.
Even though people claim that most of these products don´t work, why are the masses still clamoring to shops eager to see if the next product will lighten their coloring? Kesar Bhujel, 23, a student at Jana Maitri, has wanted to be lighter as long as he can remember. Although Bhujel is already of a lighter tone, he shrugs his shoulder and can´t explain why "being lighter is obviously more attractive". Bhujel says all of his friends use fairness creams and claims "everyone wants to be beautiful so having options [of products] is good". Bhujel admits that he feels more attracted to girls with lighter skin tones and that he is disgusted by skin that is too dark. With opinions like that, it is no surprise that men and women feel pressure to use products to become whiter.
Perhaps this offers an explanation as to why people as young as 18 are purchasing and using fairness creams in order to feel more beautiful and accepted by society. There are those like Bhujel who believe that being darker will never become desirable. His friend, Badri Parsad Neupane, 21, on the other hand finds himself drawn more to women of darker tones. When asked why, Neupane claims, "you don´t know what the lighter girls are using, darker girls are more natural" and therefore more beautiful.
With Kathmandu becoming more Western in terms of behavior, clothes, hair and style, it is probable that people will continue to believe that being Western and whiter is better and beautiful. With the exception of people like Neupane who claims he would "happily take an African bride", it appears the rest of Nepal will have more products to choose from to lighten up. In the meantime, tanning salons are sprinkled everywhere in Western countries where doors open and girls exit a couple of shades darker than when they first entered. We´ll have to wait and see if Nepal ever gets to the point where girls yearn for a more "tanned" look and guys are thrilled to have a darker beauty on their arms.