The complexes, that privilege white over dark, have been prevalent all over the world for a very long time. And fairness creams have been benefiting from this mindset for years now. Recently, many Pakistani celebs were brutally bashed for endorsing fairness creams. Despite seeing the consequences, a TikTok star Zulqarnain Sikander did not shy away from doing the same.
Many Pakistani celebs landed in hot water for promoting beauty creams amidst all the colorism controversy.
Lately, actress Ayeza Khan in an ad gave the credit for her success to a beauty cream, and netizens lost it. Watching her do so, model turned actress Amna Ilyas took a dig at Khan and mocked her.
Being dark or dusky has always been a big NO in the subcontinent. In fact, it is common for girls in the Indo-Pak subcontinent to be told not to drink tea because it will make them darker. Can you imagine- even newborn babies are massaged with ‘ubtan’ in order to make them fairer. Because apparently, you cannot be pretty if not fair.
The disturbing storyline of the ad featuring Sikander
A typical storyline for fairness cream advertisements narrates the ordeal of a dark girl who is unable to succeed in school, at her job, or usually, in getting the attention of the boy she likes. A few applications of a fairness cream transform her. And suddenly, the world is at her feet.
Well, this recent ad featuring Sikander is about the same. The only difference is that his parents show him a picture of their potential daughter-in-law to him. Seeing her fair and flawless skin, he instantly says yes to marry her.
Then comes the wedding day, where he can be seen super excited, and happy. As he lifts the dupatta from her face, his happy face transforms into a shocked and literally faints.
It turns out, that the girl is not as fair as she was in the picture but is rather dark in reality. Not getting the approval from her husband, the girl uses a beauty cream. Just one smudge of cream on her cheek suddenly turns her entire face and shoulders fair and radiant.
Watch the video below
What on earth! These public figures have fans that place them on pedestals. They have a responsibility to reject advertisements that have toxic implications.
Furious netizens called out the TikToker for promoting such absurdity
It is high time that other fairness creams follow suit. The world has had quite enough of marketing campaigns lauding fair complexions. It has also suffered enough because of them. Not so long ago, Annie Khalid also slammed our society’s obsession with mocking dark skin color.
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