Fairness overrated...!

So I turned on the telly the other day and was shocked when I saw 2 commercials (frequently repeated) ...both promoting fairness creams.... and BOTH ending with a marriage proposal .... (all of course after the girl becomes all 'fair and lovely' after using their products..and no they are not adverts for fair and lovely but another popular brand which I won't name)...

I am sure many of you have seen these advertisements and I hope are as concerned as I am about the message it is sending out in society....

Does it mean if you are not fair skinned, or have a few dark spots or some pigmentation on your face (very common with Indian skins) you are not worthy of marriage...? Or is marriage only for the fair and pretty ones...? Or is it that men in this society are essentially superficial and only marry women for their looks?.. Is that what it's all come down to... I don't know ... I know times are changing ... but this? It's rubbish non?....I am confused and a bit angry .. especially thinking about the kind of pressure this puts on the young girls out there and the consequences of that pressure on these girls who according to the advertisers are not fortunate enough to be born fair ... and hence not good enough.... why is white better than dark...? and who are these people who sit at their desks and come up with these ideas and actually think they are good....?! Mon dieu.... we live in India, we are indians and we are blessed with beautiful, dusky complexions... why can't we just learn to embrace it and start looking deeper.. beyond colour ..(would solve a lot of problems trust me...)

The West aspires to look like us - via tanning and we in the East like them - fair.... yes we know the grass is always greener on the other side... but just for this once - can't it be greener and stay green on our side.....?

A ranting Mulain x

Monday's Child Is Fair Of Face!

Mulain woke up early today and thought...Voila!...it's just another manic monday......which then got me thinking about that old 1838 English Nursery Rhyme called 'Monday's Child'. If you remember....Monday's Child was fair of face....means what exactly.....? I do not know.....Tuesday's Child was full of grace....and the poem continues tra la la la la....but seeing as today is Monday it seemed apt to ponder about the 'fair of face' observation...especially since it seems to be a real obsession with people here.....

Victorian fair and lovely look from the fat mu film portfolio 2005

Do you think in 1838 that it was important to look fair?....Well in England at that time it was definitely a pre-requisite for beauty - it was simple, if you 'ad a tan you worked in the fields, if you did n't you were 'igh society and stayed inside sewing and painting and enjoying afternoon tea, ladies of leisure.

Now it's 2009 and we can achieve a much sort-after 'field-tan' out of a bottle (St. Tropez still seems to be the hot favourite), by sitting on a sun-bed or soaking up the rays on the beach (pleeze use sun-cream!). The west wants to be bronzed (think Gordon Brown!) and the east wants to be pale! Go figure... but guess the saying ' the grass is greener on the other side' is apt here...

How fashions come and go my darlings.

In India and Asia .....'white still seems to be right' and fairness creams are marketed in a 'uge way and sold to the lovely, dusky, golden masses.....Bollywood heroes and heroines - King Khan, Saif, Priyanka all endorse these products. Ummm, the fat mu team I know have always been sceptical of advocating these lotions and potions, thinking that you should embrace your natural skin type whatever you are.....India has a vast array of skin colours - it's a complete Benetton Ad...a little bit of everything......From dusky, golden, terracotta, fair, honey-dipped, hazelnut, caramel, teak - it all exists within India's borders and it's beautiful.

Is it a colonial hang-over you think?

We at fat mu are of course pro-choice - buy what you want, but people ....just think about what you are buying and what you are buying into.....variety is the spice of life and we should celebrate all our wonderful colours from fair and lovely Isha Sharvani, to honey-combed Freida Pinto and dusky beauty Konkona Sen.

Our lovely Indian beauty from Slumdog Millioinaire - fat mu designed Hair & Make-up - photo by Celador / Ishika Mohan

And we say follow make-up brands who allow everyone in on the creative fun - whatever colour you are - Bobbi Brown, MAC are examples where everyone is welcome to be who you are....and be the best you can be....

So......back to our poem...we are not sure why Monday's Child is fair of face....could be sickness, fright, fatigue..post weekend 'angover perhaps? ...'oo knows? But Mulain's adds his favourite tip du jour.....there is always the good old rouge to warm the child up... and that goes for all of you too....my last name is not rouge for nothing you know....

Ciao for now....Mulain x