The Many Faces of Beauty
By Nabil Saleem
23 April 2016
If any individual ever surfed through Pakistani TV channels, it’s extremely likely they would stumble upon at least half a dozen commercials for fairness creams, and about half of these commercials would be targeted towards young men. Such ads usually contain one relatively darker skinned person who is unhappy with his/her complexion contrasted with a fairer skinned individual who is shown to be physically ‘attractive’ and therefore successful in a socio-economic context as a direct result of their more ‘desirable’ skin tone. On the other hand, the darker skinned character finds their complexion to be the obstacle standing between them and their success. A third character is often introduced who suggests a fairness cream to the darker skinned character, which in turn is presented as the ultimate solution to their life’s problems. The formerly darker skinned individual now appears content with their new found attractiveness and higher social status. This concludes the commercial. The fairness creams invariably serve as solution to the darker character’s woes. Ultimately, this is the core message the beauty industry likes to enforce in consumers.Most South Asians perceive a darker skin tone as a weakness, and this is readily reinforced by the societies they live in. There have been numerous cases reported where a woman with a darker complexion could go to a parlor for something as simple as waxing and are routinely offered skin whitening facials alongside other treatments. The bias against dark skin is obvious.
Whilst traditionally the ‘light skin’ beauty ideal was typically applied exclusively to women, now increasingly over the last two decades men have become a part of this perception of beauty. With this recent trend there is now a surge of salon services exclusive to males and a huge rise in the male fashion industry. The biggest growth is seen in the new various products. “The Body Shop, Gillette, L’Oreal, and many other companies have expanded product ranges including beauty products for anti-aging, anti-acne and most importantly skin whitening. Companies like Unilever, Luscious Cosmetics, and Sunsilk Men have been advertising fairness creams, exfoliating scrubs, and nourishing hair gels that have become part of the daily regimen for many men,’’ These companies have taken advantage of this new development in men taking better care of their looks.
While the industry is rapidly growing and in the process, transforming the concept of beauty for men, there are a multitude of repercussions this change has come with. “Self- confidence” and “self-deprecation” are co-related in a person’s feeling of self-worth. This leads men to consider cosmetic surgery and forces them to have a specific type of body. The idea of self-esteem has become ever more of a concern for younger men than in the previous decades. The idea of “self-confidence” after the shift of male beauty has had effects on a global level. In fact based on the statistics provided by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there has been a “dramatic increases seen in both surgical and nonsurgical options over the past 5 years and a 43 percent increase overall” for men.
Similarly, research also gives an in-depth analysis of body dimorphic disorder among men. It highlights different research and goes on to elaborate upon the several causes of BDD (body dimorphic disorder.) It highlights media influence as one of the factors contributing to an increasing rate of BDD, which is no longer limited to women but extends to men as well. It also sheds light on the consequences of this disorder, which includes health issues, peer pressure and bullying (via verbal torment.) There has been a rapid increase in the amount of men who have been diagnosed with to body dimorphic disorder. Bullying being another common factor highlighted, which can leave the person desperate in an attempt to fix their flaws.
Skin tone is just one of the many forms of insecurities people suffer from globally, including Pakistan. While skin tone does serve as a significant form of insecurity, especially in this region, there are other factors people feel insecure about. To answer the question, if the advertisements for fairness creams have an effect on students, it does. Though what is unexpected is how diverse those effects can be. While some only feel insecure about their skin tone, a significant portion of the population mentions other factors they feel are the reason for their insecurities.
