I pray that if I have beautiful, caramel skinned daughters like him that they will never see this racist commercial!
Race Row Over Fashion Bible Elle's Cover Shoot After Bollywood Actress' Skin is 'Whitened'
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Elle's cover
True beauty: The actress pictured in a more natural light
Elle magazine has stumbled into a race row after allegedly whitening the skin of a Bollywood actress on its cover.
Readers reacted with fury after it was suggested that the fashion magazine might have digitally ‘bleached’ the complexion of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a former Miss World who has also starred in Bride & Prejudice and The Pink Panther 2.
The 37-year-old appears on the cover of this month’s Indian edition of the magazine. However, her skin appears to be several shades lighter than her normal colour.
Inside the magazine, she is again pictured in a series of shots, all showing her with pale skin.
It is not the first time that Elle has been attacked for appearing to lighten the skin of its non-white models. In September this year, black actress Gabourey Sidibe appeared on the cover of the U.S. magazine with a much paler complexion. On that occasion Elle claimed it had not altered the Precious star’s skin any more than that of the other models photographed alongside her.
Fans have been posting angry comments online about the latest cover, with one saying: ‘It’s annoying because it seems like lighter skin is always in fashion as if darker skin is something to be frowned upon.’
Skin lightening is a controversial issue in India and those with a lighter complexion are often perceived to be more successful and wealthy. Skin-lightening products aimed at young men and women now form a multi-million-pound industry.
Yesterday, spokesmen for Mrs Bachchan and Elle were unavailable for comment.
Your natural, God given skin color is beautiful. Advertisers make a lot of money by telling you lies.
That is sooooo wrong!!! it's sad how the media gets to preach what is beautiful and whats not, what skin tone you should have, what size you should be... you have the people that are bleaching their sking to become pale and those sitting out tanning, people need to start being happy with what they have.
ReplyDeleteIt is all business after all, the sell fair and lovely for those darker people, then again sell them tan!
ReplyDeleteIf it is for the sake of change only, then it's fine. but for some people it is a matter of social class or race.. Then they must stop making a big deal out of it.
I guess that the makers of these ads have never heard of Oprah Winfrey $$$ :p.
ReplyDeleteI second The Stig. When I first saw the cover of Elle Magz. I swear I didn't recognize Aishwarya Rai! :/
ReplyDeleteIn our society, they always want to be tanned, It's scary! Whether its summer or winter (spring doesn't exist in K-Town lol ;p) They always want to be Latinos in Puerto Banos lol ;p
r.alsharif ~ I couldn't have said it better myself. Obsessive bleaching and tanning of the skin is detrimental to your health. Of course I wish I had a natural tan but I'm happy with what God gave me. :)
ReplyDeleteStig ~ I don't think they will ever stop as long as they are making lots of $$$ from it. If this ad ran in the US there would be riots on the streets.
ReplyDeleteDr. Mo Mo ~ good point, heehee :D
ReplyDeleteAmbrosial ~ I would have never recognized her either. She really is one of the most beautiful women in the world.
ReplyDeleteWe have the same pressure to be tan year around in the US. I tried self tanners before in winter and it turned me orange. Lol.
Ambrosial, don't second my Opinion :P
ReplyDeleteNot the first time, I think it was a year ago there was the same hoopla about some magazine lightening beyonces skin tone.
ReplyDeleteNelly Furtado sang about it also :p
I also read an article where in some places in Africa women use bleaching cream to lighten their skin tones so they could be like the actresses of the US.
Chirp ~ the media will always promote tanning for fair people and whitening for tan people if we continue to buy their products. I love Nelly Furtado and will check out that song. Thank you :D
ReplyDelete