CASTEISM & COLORISM & ANTI-BLACKNESS
WRITTEN BY RAVEENA LELE
In South Asia, skin color has been fetishized for ages. The notion that having fairer skin is inherently “better” has persisted through South Asian culture, and can be traced back to European influences brought about by colonizers. For generations, both women and men in South Asian countries have been enticed to purchase skin bleaching products, and because of heavy advertisement and the social construct of colorism that has been so deeply internalized, South Asian people see it as near essential to buy these products.
In pop culture, largely seen in Bollywood (a Hindi movie industry watched by people across Asia,) almost all actors and actresses have extremely fair skin, light eyes, and light hair. Popular actresses like Kajol, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra have all admitted to using skin lightening products in order to better fit their desired image that Bollywood promotes. Not only have they used these products themselves, they are seen plastered on giant ads all over big cities in India promoting these skin bleaching products. Because these Bollywood superstars are idols for most of the population in South Asian countries, these advertisements have a heavy influence on the consumers of these products. As long as TV shows and movies continue selling the idea that beauty is only in light skin, people will continue to believe it.
In India, Hinduism (which is a majority religion in India) divides its followers into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Brahims are at the top of the hierarchy and are said to have originated from Brahma’s head. Then come the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. Thirdly, the Vaishyas, or the traders, were created from Brahma’s thighs. At the bottom of the pyramid were the Dalits, often referred to as the “untouchables”, who came from Brahma's feet and did all the menial jobs. Although this caste system originated from ancient India, it was heavily shaped by the British colonial rule as a way to assert dominance over Indians and create division. The effect that this system has left on the social dynamics of people in India, much like with colorism, can be credited to Eurocentric ideals. Although the caste system is very outdated and has been outlawed in India, it still has heavy influence on people living outside of cities. Even in cities, families consider caste when arranging their children in marriage.
However, there have been efforts to combat the effects of the caste system. Inspired by the Black Panther movement taking place to fight racism in America, the Dalit Panther movement was founded to fight caste discrimination in India. The Black Panther Party acknowledged and supported the Dalit Panthers through the Black Panther newspaper, and supported a prominent figure of the Dalits, Raja Dhale, as he released a controversial article called "Kala Swatantrya Din" (Black Independence Day) in the Dalit’s publication. The Dalit Panther movement led to a Renaissance in Maharashtra (a region in India) culture and art.
How does this have to do with the Black Lives Matter movement? Well, it’s important to acknowledge the stereotypes and prejudices we see in our own communities and take steps to combat them. Colorism has not only caused cruelty among South Asians in their own communities, but it has caused them to look down upon anybody with dark skin, including black people. As people of color, South Asians typically don’t realize that they, too, can be perpetuating racist and colorist standards and contributing to the color hierarchy. We have to hold ourselves accountable for our own social flaws, work together to fight colorism, and spread love for all skin colors. Despite what generations of people have told us, we have a responsibility to change the “ideal” visions of men and women and encourage ourselves to be proud of our skin color and not conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.
We have to understand that we are victims of the same European influences that have caused so much interacism in our communities. So, when it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter, understand that this battle we are fighting, while it does not directly affect our community, it certainly impacts us indirectly. We are fighting centuries of a white superiority complex -- the same complex that divided us by caste and convinced us that our color was not beautiful -- which is prevalent in desi culture today and will continue to be prevalent if we do not put effort into confronting it. We cannot afford to stand idly by and stay quiet simply because we are not black or white. We play a bigger role in this movement than many people think!
Within our own communities, we allow color to divide ourselves. But in the face of violence against people of color, we need to stand together.
In South Asia, skin color has been fetishized for ages. The notion that having fairer skin is inherently “better” has persisted through South Asian culture, and can be traced back to European influences brought about by colonizers. For generations, both women and men in South Asian countries have been enticed to purchase skin bleaching products, and because of heavy advertisement and the social construct of colorism that has been so deeply internalized, South Asian people see it as near essential to buy these products.
In pop culture, largely seen in Bollywood (a Hindi movie industry watched by people across Asia,) almost all actors and actresses have extremely fair skin, light eyes, and light hair. Popular actresses like Kajol, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra have all admitted to using skin lightening products in order to better fit their desired image that Bollywood promotes. Not only have they used these products themselves, they are seen plastered on giant ads all over big cities in India promoting these skin bleaching products. Because these Bollywood superstars are idols for most of the population in South Asian countries, these advertisements have a heavy influence on the consumers of these products. As long as TV shows and movies continue selling the idea that beauty is only in light skin, people will continue to believe it.
In India, Hinduism (which is a majority religion in India) divides its followers into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Brahims are at the top of the hierarchy and are said to have originated from Brahma’s head. Then come the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. Thirdly, the Vaishyas, or the traders, were created from Brahma’s thighs. At the bottom of the pyramid were the Dalits, often referred to as the “untouchables”, who came from Brahma's feet and did all the menial jobs. Although this caste system originated from ancient India, it was heavily shaped by the British colonial rule as a way to assert dominance over Indians and create division. The effect that this system has left on the social dynamics of people in India, much like with colorism, can be credited to Eurocentric ideals. Although the caste system is very outdated and has been outlawed in India, it still has heavy influence on people living outside of cities. Even in cities, families consider caste when arranging their children in marriage.
However, there have been efforts to combat the effects of the caste system. Inspired by the Black Panther movement taking place to fight racism in America, the Dalit Panther movement was founded to fight caste discrimination in India. The Black Panther Party acknowledged and supported the Dalit Panthers through the Black Panther newspaper, and supported a prominent figure of the Dalits, Raja Dhale, as he released a controversial article called "Kala Swatantrya Din" (Black Independence Day) in the Dalit’s publication. The Dalit Panther movement led to a Renaissance in Maharashtra (a region in India) culture and art.
How does this have to do with the Black Lives Matter movement? Well, it’s important to acknowledge the stereotypes and prejudices we see in our own communities and take steps to combat them. Colorism has not only caused cruelty among South Asians in their own communities, but it has caused them to look down upon anybody with dark skin, including black people. As people of color, South Asians typically don’t realize that they, too, can be perpetuating racist and colorist standards and contributing to the color hierarchy. We have to hold ourselves accountable for our own social flaws, work together to fight colorism, and spread love for all skin colors. Despite what generations of people have told us, we have a responsibility to change the “ideal” visions of men and women and encourage ourselves to be proud of our skin color and not conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.
We have to understand that we are victims of the same European influences that have caused so much interacism in our communities. So, when it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter, understand that this battle we are fighting, while it does not directly affect our community, it certainly impacts us indirectly. We are fighting centuries of a white superiority complex -- the same complex that divided us by caste and convinced us that our color was not beautiful -- which is prevalent in desi culture today and will continue to be prevalent if we do not put effort into confronting it. We cannot afford to stand idly by and stay quiet simply because we are not black or white. We play a bigger role in this movement than many people think!
Within our own communities, we allow color to divide ourselves. But in the face of violence against people of color, we need to stand together.