Tuesday, April 7, 2015

F - Fair

Image courtesy: Google


Fair, smart and good looking bride required for Hindu boy, 28 working as an advocate in a well established firm. For further details, contact...

Anjali rolled her eyes at the matrimonial ad that her parents had marked in the news paper. What was it with Indian men and their obsession with skin like Snow-white's? She had never understood the logic. Sure, she hailed from a well to do and educated middle class family; but when it came down to her complexion, they had tried all they could to mask her face in so much powder and make up in an effort to hide the dark skin beneath. The end result ended up in her looking garish, turning her otherwise healthy skin a sickly grey pallor. 

When she was in her teens, she had spent all her pocket money buying creams that promised fair skin in a matter of weeks. Other than her pocket growing a huge hole, it did nothing to her chocolate brown skin. It remained the same, reluctant to lighten. Anjali had hated going to weddings and other social gatherings where the so called well-wishers would pull her aside and give her tips for home made remedies that they swore would work if she stuck to it religiously. Others were not so discreet. She could feel the sly sniggers and dirty looks that the other girls gave her when she left their crowd. 

As she grew up, she realized that having a dark skin tone was not the end of the world. She was blessed with glowing skin that was free of blemishes. She learnt that with the right colored clothes and make up to suit her tone, she looked attractive. Her life changed on a Sunday afternoon when she went to get her hair done. The hair dresser praised her thick black locks. He recommended her to a makeup artist who did magic with a few strokes of his brushes, and she could hardly recognize herself as she looked in the mirror, when he finished. 

Slowly but gradually, she regained her confidence in herself. However, at almost thirty years of age, she was her parents living nightmare. An unmarried daughter at a certain age with a certain complexion was deeply frowned upon in the society. Love had deluded her. She had fallen in and out of love, but had never found the one she wanted enough to spend her rest of life with. 

Dismissing the newspaper ad, she took out her pen and began to write her own matrimonial ad in the notepad lying beside it.

Groom wanted for a well educated, independent girl. Said girl is neither fair nor demure. Neither does she believe in cliches. She is looking for someone who can accept her for who she is and not who she could be. P.S. The dark skin is here to stay. 


Linking this post to the A to Z Challenge

40 comments:

  1. Loved the ad in the end. I think we Indians have a crazy obsession with fair skin. I've had my heart-breaks over my wheat-ish skin tone and I've now begun to accept it. It's more important to be comfortable in your own skin. Beautifully narrated.

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    1. Thank you, Prasanna! Indians are biased towards fair skin. Though I have no idea why :D

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  2. Oh yes! Now THIS is a matrimonial ad I would like to see more often in the papers! Very very well said, Athira!

    *Shailaja/Alternate Angles/A-Z*

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    1. Thanks Shailaja. I hope times change and we can see such an ad soon enough!

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  3. Hats off to Anjali! Just loved her advt. Lovely story Aathira!
    It's high time we Indians woke up to the fact that we are NOT white skinned ;)
    and SO WHAT?

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    1. Thank you, Sundari! If only more people asked that question.

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  4. A very relevant post. Any Indian can relate to this. It is sad that education sometimes makes no difference. This obsession with fairness is really unfair!

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    1. Thanks so much, Vidya! It is an unfair world.

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  5. What an apt piece for the times! I too love the ad at the end! Life can be un'fair' at times! Well written, Aathira!

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  6. 'P.S. The dark skin is here to stay.' Kudos! Well done!!

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  7. Loved the ad, loved your thought. I think that dark IS beautiful!

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  8. Loved that ad. It's high time, we actually advertise what we really are, rather than dusting them with so called cliches.

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    1. Thank you, Sheethal! What a profound way to put it :)

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  9. You've highlighted an important issue here, about skin lightening and societal perception -which is talked about pretty much everywhere from Africa, Asia, to the Americas. Everyone wants to be fair skinned, and the fair skinned want to tan to become darker! People should love themselves for who they are!

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    1. Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts!

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  10. Most often than not the men seeking fair women are themselves not fair. Loved the ad in the end. :)

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  11. loved the ending. Bold and beautiful :)

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  12. Loved your post totally Aathira.. Wherever I go, all I hear is how fair the skin is, which leads to how beautiful the girl and how tall is the height is, ultimately the best combo..!! Nobody is interested in the qualifications or the smartness.
    Sick mentality and Sick people..

    You're a sweetheart.. :)

    Cheers

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    1. Thanks so much, Darling! I can't stand such shallow people too.

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  13. Again, this could be me too :)

    Sadly, Indian obsession with fair skin will never change. We just need to find the men who will love us for what we are.

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    1. All of us dark skinned girls have been there at some point or the other. So glad that there are men out there who thinks that dark is beautiful too :)

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  14. the ending was awesome... really, i keep coming back to read your narrations.. thumbs up for this one too... it is so courageous and brave of her to wake up from self pity and take decisions of her own...

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  15. Excellent one Aathira. I totally empathise with Anjali.

    -Preethi Venugopala

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    1. Thank you, Preethi! We have all been there.

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  16. Wow. The ending was just awesome !!

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  17. Loved her attitude :) So many people are stuck in situation like this. Only if they all think like her instead of brooding over their luck, their life will be such a bliss :)

    God is a Gamer

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    1. Thank you Love! We do need more women like her :)

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  18. Indians are prejudiced about a lot of different things, including skin color. I loved the ending.
    (http://www.mysteriouskaddu.com/2015/04/a-to-z-of-blogging-f-friends.html)

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  19. sad reality of present times :/

    Loved reading this Aathira :)

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  20. That piece which she wrote for herself speaks volumes about her personality. She should never back down and be the proud woman that she is.

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  21. Attagirl! :D I think all of us are headed her way.

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