FACT

FACT – Fight Against Colorism Today is a new program that is being developed by the Foundation to address the intense discrimination faced by people in India  based on their skin color. It is a fact that people with darker skin are given fewer opportunities for leadership and extracurricular activities in schools, colleges and workplaces. They are also subject to negative comments, teasing and bullying from a very young age, causing them to have low self esteem, self doubt and lack of confidence. They are endlessly exposed to advertisements promising them fairer skin for better success in life, making them feel that they are not good enough and that the only way to improve prospects is by lightening their skin by whatever means available, some of which are unhealthy and downright dangerous.

In her work over the past several years interviewing adolescents and young adults about the issues that they struggle with, it became very clear to Dr. Royappa that the root problem of many of their stresses was discrimination based on skin color. Job prospects, career advancements and marriage partners were all closely linked to skin color. Light skinned women were routinely selected for leadership roles, performance roles such as song, dance and theater, MC roles at events, photographed at functions, and featured in school catalogs and promotional materials. All matrimonial sites start with “Looking for a fair..” when the majority of the population is medium brown or darker in skin color. Women from Tamil Nadu are rarely featured in Tamil movies, the movie industry often gets light skinned women from other states. These women are unattainable role models for young Tamil women and are objects of desire for young Tamil men. 

Light skinned women are often picked for job interviews and selected for positions when higher qualified darker skinned applicants are present. Similarly, marriage negotiations often end with the groom’s family asking for higher dowry because of the girl’s dark skin color. Needless to say, these instances of persistent discrimination from a young age have a profound effect on the psyche of these women, dogging them for the rest of their lives. They are made to feel unloved, ugly, unworthy, incompetent and sometimes even of low moral character. A popular meme that was supposed to be tongue in cheek had the opposite effect by spreading the message “light skinned girls don’t lie”. This is a terrifying state of events where dark skin is not just associated with decreased beauty but also with incompetence and poor moral character.

We are committed to changing the environment in educational institutions and workplaces through campaigns promoting awareness, displaying men and women of dark skin as glamorous and desirable, showcasing them in leadership positions and highlighting their professional success. We plan to work with teachers in schools, faculty at institutes of higher education, hiring managers and corporate leaders. The goal is to increase awareness of the significant harm that conscious or unconscious bias against dark skinned people has on their quality of life, and teach them how to eradicate such biases and transform the negative culture around skin color in India.