Friday, November 2, 2012

Colour-coded classism in Indian ads


The Indian obsession with skin tone always baffles me. The country is home to a variety of skin bleaching products (even for intimate areas) and Bollywood stars are inevitably fair.

Even when advertisers are trying to do something good, they use fairer complexion as a symbol of success. These ads for an eye hospital that does free work for the "poor" shows the recipients with patched clothes, dark skin and wavy hair, while the benefactors are pale, well-dressed and straight-haired.

Any Indian readers care to comment on this?


Via Ads of the World

1 comment:

  1. I am an Indian and I hate to admit it but we can't get over the fair sex being extra fair. It's idiotic that even after arriving in the 21st century and ample progress, fair skin is favoured and considered beautiful.

    What's also pitiful is that the concept and even the offering of the hospital in the above ads are actually thoughtful but marred with the general prejudice Indians have.

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