Fair & Lovely

A few years ago I watched a tamashawalli get ready for a performance, and was fascinated to see that she used Fair & Lovely as her base. The link between beauty and fair skin is deep-rooted. The `brown bag' test was used by African-Americans to judge if a black person was light enough to join the elite black clubs/associations .i.e. they could not be darker than the brown paper lunch bag.

Here's a more recent twist to an old notion. After those aggravating commercials showing how successful women became after using their products, Fair & Lovely has turned its dark gaze on men with `Fair and Lovely Menz Active.' I wonder if the shallow beauty assessments are now extended to men too or if the metrosexual wave has emboldened Indian men to seek out a fairer face?

Click for the video.