A Tribute to Hasan Minhaj

As you may have heard, ‘Patriot Act by Hasan Minhaj’ has been canceled by Netflix. In the two years that it lasted, Hasan explored the modern cultural and political landscape through a comedic lens - it educated, entertained and inspired us to speak up against injustices. 

If you’re a true STAN like me, you probably still aren’t over this. The day he tweeted about its cancellation, I was in shock, I spent the whole day mourning and cried for hours. If you think  I’m being dramatic, ok maybe a little but the show meant so much to me. Hasan was a true inspiration - he was POC who spoke up fearlessly against governments and MNCs worldwide to educate us and he did so brilliantly with his perfectly-timed jokes and “woke millennial” attitude. One of the main reasons that I was excited to come to NYU was that I could attend a live taping of his show. Since I can’t do that anymore - here’s an episode of Patriot Act that  I’ve written on a topic I feel strongly about - racism in South Asia. In memory of Patriot Act,  here it goes: (it’s better if you have Hasan’s voice in your head) 

THE DARK SIDE OF ‘FAIR & LOVELY’ 

HASAN 

[WELCOME AUDIENCE] 

Tonight, I want to talk about fairness product companies. Now I know that this is a sensitive topic, so to all the white supremacists out there, this one’s for you. 

Now if you’ve ever bought fairness products in India, you’ve probably bought them from one of these brands - Fair & Lovely, Lakmé, or Ponds. Today I want to focus on the company ‘Fair  & Lovely’. First off, the name is the perfect tagline for modern-day racism. Short and sweet,  straight to the point. Honestly, I have no idea how this brand still exists. I mean Kendall Jenner does one ad in which she doesn’t speak and the world loses it, while this twenty-five-million dollar brand still exists. That’s the same amount that Trump asked for to build a border wall like minus two zeros. That makes sense since both are pushing to promote racism.  

To set the context for what I mean, let’s watch this video. 

[SHOW ‘FAIR & LOVELY’ 2019 AD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION]

Yeah, I’m just going to move on. The Indian cosmetic industry is one of the most flourishing industries. Currently, the industry is valued at 4.6 Billion dollars and is expected to further grow up to 20 Billion dollars in India by 2025. That’s insane. The beauty segment in India has really gained momentum since the early 1990s. I mean take it from this 1990 Fair & Lovely  Ad. 

[SHOW ‘FAIR & LOVELY’ 1990 AD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION]

Now, you must be wondering who bought this product. Well, the reason that a lot of people did is that it was the only cream that was soft on the skin unlike the bleaching creams of the time. It is the world’s first fairness cream known for not using harmful ingredients or bleach. According to The Economic Times, “it’s marketed by Unilever in 40 countries in  Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with India being the largest single market.” 

Along with its promise of achieving idealistic standards of beauty, it had credibility from the start. What makes it popular is its affordability and mass appeal. Its marketing strategy is clear  - it competes based on strong branding, small SKU’s, and easy availability of the product. They aren’t just selling a product, they are selling an idea.  

The product initially marketed dreams and desires, but then switched to being the key that'll get you the man of your dreams. The advertising method they most commonly use is showing the whitening effect on a woman’s face gradually in six stages. The glow and the happiness on the woman’s face increase as the shades become lighter. They have made ‘fairness’  attainable, making it a necessity rather than a luxury. 

They’ve evolved in terms of their marketing strategy - they’ve gone from the dream man track to women empowerment and the cream being a confidence aid to land the perfect job. But the idea behind them is the same: that white means better, white means happier, white means successful. 

Obviously, there have been activists and organizations that have called them out such as  ‘Women of Worth’. 

The brand argued that “it was doing good by fulfilling a social need and that 90% of Indian  women use whiteners because it’s aspirational.” According to Fair & Lovely, fair skin is like education, regarded as a social and economic step up. Arun Adhikari, executive director for personal products at HLL, states that the company has not done anything wrong, “We are not glorifying the negative but showing how the product can lead to a transformation, with romance and a husband as the pay-off”. First off, this is not empowerment; it’s a mirage. The way to truly empower a woman is to make her financially independent and better educated.  If she were truly empowered, she would have refused to buy such a product in the first place. 

The truth is all of this isn’t completely the brand’s fault. They are giving people what they want and profiting off their insecurities. Now, when I was a kid, I remember my mom panicking when my sister got sunburnt. She like totally lost it. She was like “Kaali ho gayi hai!”  (“You’ve become black!”) and she was running around the kitchen making some mixture of milk, haldi (turmeric) and putting it on my sister’s face. I can guarantee you that this has happened in every Indian household at some point. 

You can’t entirely blame our parents or grandparents for this belief either. According to a  research paper, “well before the British colonial days, to the advent of the caste system, the  priestly Brahmin class was associated with whiteness or purity whereas the inferior Dalits  ("Untouchables") with blackness or filth.” The notion of "fair is beautiful" is hence deeply rooted in Indian culture. 

But why? Why are Indians trying to define their identity based on colonists who diluted it in the first place? What they’ve advertised is true. If you’re whiter, you’re prettier, more likely to get a husband, more powerful, more idealistic.  

But being Indian is who I am. It’s who you are. Own your identity, don’t redefine it. 

This is a societal problem we have to solve, the changes in the brands will follow. They are simply giving us what we want. It’s time to change what we want. You have the power to accept yourself. Don’t look for that in fairness products. This is deeper than one culture. It redefines racism everywhere. You might just make it easier for an ABCD somewhere, like me. 

So, all I have to say is: Capitalism sucks! Take your power back. 

Be truly independent. Be brown, be desi. 

That’s our episode, see you next week! 

[CREDITS SCREEN]