Color, Color, Which Color Do You Want?
Colorism: our subtle foe
Do you remember the game “Color, Color, Which Color Do You Want?” from school? It is a traditional, informal game played in India as a fun activity for children to learn colors. Today, however, primary colors have made the way for skin color. And spoiler alert: Almost everyone wants the fair skin color.
Okay, one more question: Do you know what is the largest organ of the human body?
It is the skin. It has several key functions like being a protective barrier against microbes, pollutants, and the sun’s radiation, while also regulating body temperature, transmitting sensory information, and synthesizing Vitamin D.
It is worth pondering why an organ as vital and impressive as this has been, knowingly or unknowingly, reduced down to a tool for discriminating and judging one another. The human body is often referred to as the “temple” we live in. Yet we condemn this very temple quite aggressively, shamelessly and cruelly. Both ours as well as others.
How many times has your own skin color been a topic of discussion?
How many times have you felt you ought to have a “lighter” skin tone?
How many times have you hoped you would be as fair as XYZ person?
How many times have you seen a person with your “dark” or “brown” skin tone playing the lead role (especially female) in highest grossing Bollywood films?
How many times have you adjusted the filters on a picture of yourself, so it looks at least a little fair-skinned, before posting it on social media?
If you have done at least one or some or all of the above, that’s what is like being an Indian, you are not alone. It is 2025, we have iPhone17 launched, we have God only knows how many digital platforms introducing newer AI models selling like hot cakes, YET when it comes to centuries old colonial baggage of “fair-skinned is better” we are still in the ancient era. Heck, some online research shows not even Ancient India discriminated based on dark or brown skin color.1 As you may or may not know, colorism, a prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, has primarily been an outcome of British colonization in India.2
I remember once one of our elderly family friends commented on my skin color. He remarked with a clear disgust on his face how dark I had been looking since I returned from my vacation. I had been to Barcelona to visit my relatives, and I forgot to slather some sunscreen on, hence the tan. This also reminds me that my now 30 year old nephew had faced racism as a little boy in Spain due to his skin color. And years later, his aunt, i.e. me, also faced colorism due to her visibly tanned skin, in her own country from her own people. What good is it to blame white people for being racist with Indians abroad when we do the exact same thing here?
“Indians have great love for fair skin. No one directly wants to talk about it but the love is so apparent that many actions reflect it. [...] according to Hindu mythology Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, incarnation of Lord Vishnu were dark in complexion. Old temples have idols showing them dark, though most of the new temples have idols showing even Ram and Krishna with fair complexion. This obsession with fair skin by the common man that outreaches and perceives even gods as fair skinned is alarming.”
“even average well educated urban Indian females have skin color in mind while undergoing day-to-day functions”3
Such research reminds me that colorism is a subtle foe. It is the elephant in the room among the so-called educated class of urban India. I too have been guilty of it. In my case I have poorly judged myself for the color of my skin. The social, economic, cultural, and perhaps even political effects of this mindset are far-reaching.
I feel powerless, but not hopeless. Small steps add up. Accepting and embracing the color of my skin, the texture of my skin and how it looks or feels seems to be more helpful than continuing to blame colonizers or the current citizens of my country.
If charity begins at home, and my body is my temple/home; then it begins and ends with me. It is enraging to accept how eons of brainwashing has left me, much like everyone else, with an instinctually negative perception of dark or brown skin. It is frustrating. But, at the same time, I can slowly move towards change no matter how small. I remove the filters I would use so that my skin looked better in a selfie. Sometimes I still use it, I have to be honest. But more often than not I try to portray an authentically imperfect human, both online and offline. I need not be perfect, it is an unhealthy illusion, however, I am aware and strive to be truthful.
The next time you think the color of your skin is “not fair” enough or it is not “good” enough remind yourself you’re reacting from centuries of colonial brainwashing. It is not entirely your fault, but, it is in your power to celebrate the several functions your skin carries out daily for you to remain healthy, happy and safe. Our skin thinks we are good enough to be kept safe, it is about damn time we think so too.
Much love from this beautiful “un-fair” human to you beautiful humans! : )
Excellent 👌👍
So beautifully expressed !! Lovely !!😊😍❤️