Use Indian Models to Advertise in India
The Issue
For nearly 200 years, the British just didn't colonize India's land, but also the hearts and minds of her citizens, the greater, more vile remnants of which, we suffer through even today. Three generations grew up in a society where we were made to believe that WHITE was superior.
This ideology is deeply buried in our heads and is prevalent and amplified today because of mass media and advertising. The onus of culture shaping largely lays in the hands of our advertisers and media. We demand Conscious Advertising, when you advertise to us, keep us on your billboards and in your look-books, it's as simple.
Brands and advertisers need to understand the impressionable teenager/young-adult they are affecting and influencing while advertising. Understand the power they have and use it consciously and wisely.
As Black Lives Matter gain momentum worldwide, we are forced to self-reflect and address some of our own issues. So here is some house cleaning. Indians have long faced the ugly brunt of colorism, especially by fellow Indians. This needs to STOP
- Darker kids face prejudice from the day they are born
- Making fun of those darker even though we are all same shades of brown
- Caucasian models are hired to do commercials for our fashion and beauty products
- And women out of all groups are the most impacted by these unrealistic standards of beauty.
In our homes
We are made to eat and try D-I-Y regimes with the objective to lighten our skin. Men are told to find and marry women with just one criteria - white skin color. Pregnant women are told to drink milk so the baby is fair. And if the baby is born darker, prejudice and racial discrimination starts from day 0 in our own homes.
In mass media
We are advertised skincare products by brands like Ponds that turn us “ultra white HD.” Celebrities endorse skin lightening products agreeing for their original skin color to be graphically modified. Up and coming “Made in India” brands like Myntra and Nykaa hire Russian models over Indian models. What these brands are capitalizing is not by selling differentiated products for Indian skin and bodies but on our single obsession with white skin. The obsession that was rooted in our brains when the British invaded our country that we are still reinforcing in our heads and the heads of our children and future generations.
Why? Why is white beautiful? Why is white superior? Why is being white a life goal?
It’s time for CHANGE! We as Indians choose to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery that we have been bearing in our minds. We choose to change the status quo and put our skin and bodies with pride on the map of the world.
Our petition starts at home with a plan of action to our brands and ad agencies to STOP reinforcing white supremacy.
- STOP graphically modifying our celebrities’ original skin color
- STOP representing white people and start representing us - your paying consumers
- STOP endorsing colorism(and racism) in your brand messaging and advertising
The Issue
For nearly 200 years, the British just didn't colonize India's land, but also the hearts and minds of her citizens, the greater, more vile remnants of which, we suffer through even today. Three generations grew up in a society where we were made to believe that WHITE was superior.
This ideology is deeply buried in our heads and is prevalent and amplified today because of mass media and advertising. The onus of culture shaping largely lays in the hands of our advertisers and media. We demand Conscious Advertising, when you advertise to us, keep us on your billboards and in your look-books, it's as simple.
Brands and advertisers need to understand the impressionable teenager/young-adult they are affecting and influencing while advertising. Understand the power they have and use it consciously and wisely.
As Black Lives Matter gain momentum worldwide, we are forced to self-reflect and address some of our own issues. So here is some house cleaning. Indians have long faced the ugly brunt of colorism, especially by fellow Indians. This needs to STOP
- Darker kids face prejudice from the day they are born
- Making fun of those darker even though we are all same shades of brown
- Caucasian models are hired to do commercials for our fashion and beauty products
- And women out of all groups are the most impacted by these unrealistic standards of beauty.
In our homes
We are made to eat and try D-I-Y regimes with the objective to lighten our skin. Men are told to find and marry women with just one criteria - white skin color. Pregnant women are told to drink milk so the baby is fair. And if the baby is born darker, prejudice and racial discrimination starts from day 0 in our own homes.
In mass media
We are advertised skincare products by brands like Ponds that turn us “ultra white HD.” Celebrities endorse skin lightening products agreeing for their original skin color to be graphically modified. Up and coming “Made in India” brands like Myntra and Nykaa hire Russian models over Indian models. What these brands are capitalizing is not by selling differentiated products for Indian skin and bodies but on our single obsession with white skin. The obsession that was rooted in our brains when the British invaded our country that we are still reinforcing in our heads and the heads of our children and future generations.
Why? Why is white beautiful? Why is white superior? Why is being white a life goal?
It’s time for CHANGE! We as Indians choose to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery that we have been bearing in our minds. We choose to change the status quo and put our skin and bodies with pride on the map of the world.
Our petition starts at home with a plan of action to our brands and ad agencies to STOP reinforcing white supremacy.
- STOP graphically modifying our celebrities’ original skin color
- STOP representing white people and start representing us - your paying consumers
- STOP endorsing colorism(and racism) in your brand messaging and advertising
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Petition created on 8 June 2020