Abhay Deol. (AFP/Getty Images)

@Siliconeer #Siliconeer #India #AbhayDeol #FairandLovely #ShahRukhKhan @iamSRK #DeepikaPadukone @DeepikaPadukone @MichelleObama #MichelleObama #MelaniaTrump – Actor Abhay Deol has spoken out against top stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone endorsing fairness creams. Are our top stars being “racist” by backing a distorted mindset that fair is superior? Are they appealing to a baser instinct that differentiates humans based on the color of their skin? Is this distasteful post truth advertising? Not quite, writes Siddharth Srivastava.

Actor Abhay Deol has spoken out against top stars such as Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone endorsing fairness creams. I do not know whether Deol has refused such offers in the past like Kangana Ranaut. Even if he has, it would have been much easier to say no, as I am sure his price would be pittance compared to Khan’s, Padukone’s or Ranaut’s. As a matter of fact, there is always a grey area about the intentions of fading or failing celebrities espousing a social cause to turnaround bit of the disappearing spotlight. If Gautam Gambhir feels so strongly about our jawans and sacrifices of the Army, he should join them in Kashmir, rather than don IPL colors.

Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during a ceremony honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year in the East Room of the White House January 6, 2017 in Washington, D.C. These were the last public remarks by the first lady during her husband Barack Obama’s presidency. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The big question is: Are our top stars being “racist” by backing a distorted mindset that fair is superior? Are they appealing to a baser instinct that differentiates humans based on the color of their skin? Is this distasteful post truth advertising? I do not think so. If it were, the catch line should have been “bleached and lovely.” And if fair girls were such an asset, northern states such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, the supposed home to “white” Indians would not report the worst sex ratios in the whole world. The professed “dark” states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, are at the top, in terms of number of girls born per thousand boys.

Indeed, fairness products are just a minuscule part of a global multi-billion industry dedicated to looking better, mostly for women, increasingly for men. There is sound business proposition at work here, which is nobody is born perfect; hence there are corrective options for everybody, tall or short, fat or slim, fair or dark, including the very tricky cosmetic surgery. A darker person can aspire to be a little fairer, just as a pale white-skinned man/woman may want to look toasted.

On the other hand, if an individual is comfortable with the way he or she looks, so be it. Marketers will continue to find niche areas to push their products, piggybacking on a Khan or Padukone, to deliver real or imagined results. In all fairness, they are at best being opportunists rather than racist. The beauty and fashion business fetish for size zero gaunt and emaciated models can do much more harm to the way a young girl may view herself. It is true that in the Indian matrimonial context, being fair is definitely an attribute.

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump waves before reading to children from the book “Party Animals” during the 139th Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 17, in Washington, D.C. The White House said 21,000 people were expected to attend the annual tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn that was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

But, not more or less than height, degree from an IIT or IIM, salary, background. Indeed, to see skin color as a definitive and sole benchmark for selecting or rejecting a bride or groom, is incorrect. It is belittling our intelligence and ability to select a partner. There are too many factors, more than just the skin deep, that determine wedlock. So, who would you choose as a life partner? A fair girl who is obese or a dark girl who is slim? A six feet plumber or a much shorter man who is a management graduate. On the other hand we also know that love can transcend color, religion, caste and economic status.

Further, it is never a good idea to deride pure looks. Stunners deserve a place in the world as much as anybody else. Stand alone beauty can definitely open some doors. For instance, it can land Melania a billionaire Trump. On the other hand there is Michele Obama as well. Black, beautiful, graceful, eloquent and a role model for millions of girls around the world.