India Facebook users urged to 'appear whiter'

[Nahraf]

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The dark skinned people need more lighting when taking photos in order to get all facial features. Some people look very fair in photos and but have dark skin in person. Now some people can probably can use Photoshop to look fairer. Online dating, marriage and social website photos may not represent the real skin color of people. You can also do nip and tuck with Photoshop.

The whole white/dark skin color goes back to Aryan invaders the from Ukraine that found dark skinned Dasyus or Dasas already settled in South Asia. In the Hindu caste system, most fair skinned people are on the top while dark skinned people are in bottom.

BBC News - India Facebook users urged to 'appear whiter'

India Facebook users urged to 'appear whiter'
By Mark Dummett BBC News, Delhi
Indian woman receiving skin lightening treatment Having lighter skin is considered an asset in parts of India
14 July 2010 Last updated at 12:01 ET

Facebook users in India are being urged to make themselves appear whiter online, as part of a marketing campaign by a skincare company.

Vaseline has launched software to promote its new skin-whitening cream, which promises to reduce five types of dark face spots.

Facebook users are asked to download a programme or app, which will then similarly adjust their photographs.

Having lighter skin is considered an asset in parts of India.

Pankaj Parihar of Omnicom, the advertising firm behind the campaign, told the AFP news agency the response to its "Vaseline Men" cream "has been pretty phenomenal".
'Thoroughly attractive'

The Vaseline Men Facebook page has more than 500 fans, who also receive grooming tips such as this:

"Don't shave for a day or two and let the stubble grow in rakishly. Combine this with sunglasses to look utterly mysterious, rakish and thoroughly attractive."

But not all users approve. Ember Rayne Hulett from Virginia in the US writes that "Black is Beautiful. You don't need a cream to be cool".

As with the Indian economy as a whole, the skin-whitening industry is growing like never before, and is now worth billions of dollars.

Most products, such as Fair and Lovely are aimed at women, but men are being targeted as well by lotions like Fair and Handsome.

Ravi Raj Narula, the owner of a cosmetics shop in central Delhi, said his customers include men from the villages surrounding the Indian capital.

"Earlier it was only the ladies who were interested, but now many young boys and men also want to have a fairer complexion," he said.

"Maybe it is because of the impact of the Indian film industry because traditionally the heroes and heroines have been shown as white-skinned people.

"Or maybe it is a legacy we inherited from the Britishers when they left India?"

[Je suis de retour]

Well its upto Indians the way they want to look on FB. If someone has problem with it could go to courts but if someone writes an article over it to highlight it than the person is more of "RACIST" than a columnist.

[gaurish]

This is the height of Racism

[SpArK]

Do they have application for darkening?? .. i need a tanned look!

[Patriot]

...the ****?

[SpArK]

Its just an application/software/add-on like hundreds of other ones.

Honestly who gives a sh$%????

[amoverlord]

what can be said.......this article points towards the GO WHITE craze in India......
may be partly its the legacy of the GORA saabs..who ruled us for 200 odd years.....

[amit27]

The dark skinned people need more lighting when taking photos in order to get all facial features. Some people look very fair in photos and but have dark skin in person. Now some people can probably can use Photoshop to look fairer. Online dating, marriage and social website photos may not represent the real skin color of people. You can also do nip and tuck with Photoshop.

The whole white/dark skin color goes back to Aryan invaders the from Ukraine that found dark skinned Dasyus or Dasas already settled in South Asia. In the Hindu caste system, most fair skinned people are on the top while dark skinned people are in bottom.

BBC News - India Facebook users urged to 'appear whiter'

India Facebook users urged to 'appear whiter'
By Mark Dummett BBC News, Delhi
Indian woman receiving skin lightening treatment Having lighter skin is considered an asset in parts of India
14 July 2010 Last updated at 12:01 ET

Facebook users in India are being urged to make themselves appear whiter online, as part of a marketing campaign by a skincare company.

Vaseline has launched software to promote its new skin-whitening cream, which promises to reduce five types of dark face spots.

Facebook users are asked to download a programme or app, which will then similarly adjust their photographs.

Having lighter skin is considered an asset in parts of India.

Pankaj Parihar of Omnicom, the advertising firm behind the campaign, told the AFP news agency the response to its "Vaseline Men" cream "has been pretty phenomenal".
'Thoroughly attractive'

The Vaseline Men Facebook page has more than 500 fans, who also receive grooming tips such as this:

"Don't shave for a day or two and let the stubble grow in rakishly. Combine this with sunglasses to look utterly mysterious, rakish and thoroughly attractive."

But not all users approve. Ember Rayne Hulett from Virginia in the US writes that "Black is Beautiful. You don't need a cream to be cool".

As with the Indian economy as a whole, the skin-whitening industry is growing like never before, and is now worth billions of dollars.

Most products, such as Fair and Lovely are aimed at women, but men are being targeted as well by lotions like Fair and Handsome.

Ravi Raj Narula, the owner of a cosmetics shop in central Delhi, said his customers include men from the villages surrounding the Indian capital.

"Earlier it was only the ladies who were interested, but now many young boys and men also want to have a fairer complexion," he said.

"Maybe it is because of the impact of the Indian film industry because traditionally the heroes and heroines have been shown as white-skinned people.

"Or maybe it is a legacy we inherited from the Britishers when they left India?"

Nope your 100% wrong the Hindu caste system is not about Fair skin being on top and dark people being below.

There was never an Aryan invasion that theory has been proved wrong, the word Aryan is derived from the Sanskrit word 'arya' meaning noble. Hitler while he was imprisoned read the hindu holy book the 'bhagwat gita' and then drew his own twisted conclusions that Aryans were light skinned warrior race and the darkies were the inferior sub humans.

[Gozer]

I read a few articles on the whole Fair and Handsome Advanced Whitening Cream issue in which there was a whole concept of people in India wanting to be lighter because they have been ruled by lighter skinned people like the British/Aryans/Turks/Iranians blah blah blah. In Europe a lot of people who are "too white" try and get a tan to get a little darker. Indians try to get a lighter. I just feel the preferred skin color is somewhere in the middle. Not too pale like some Europeans and not too dark like most Indians. I mean, even amongst black people, the light skinned black women are considered more attractive. Myself, and most of the people I have asked, they don't like women that are too white, nor do they like women who are too dark. Just, like a lot of men don’t like women who are too fat or too thin. A nice body with a few curves is liked by most men. So I guess that is why Indians want to get a little lighter and Europeans want to get a little tanned.

[arslan_treen]

what a load of ............ u know what

[FreekiN]

Baaah, I have to get a tan just to be in a picture

[banned]

About time the Indian couples will run to UK for artificial insemination by sperm bank!

[prototype]

well that is actually right,India is actually obsessed by white skin,but is that a crime

those who r making a big hoopla for it,i can only say to them,f*** u racist

[Oscar]

legacy of the raj.. both indians and pakistanis are psychologically enslaved to the "gori chamri'

[Durran3]

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Inferiority complex ..../sigh

unfortunately its prevalent in south Asia in general not just in India.. Look at all the bullshit Fair and lovely advertisements like seriously how is it remotely possible that a stupid cream is going to change the genetic pigment color of your skin... Have Confidence in yourself... its that simple