Facebook Compels Indians to be…Whiter?

Facebook has seemingly taken over the world. Millions upon millions of individuals and companies have accounts nowadays, with some serving as a primary means of marketing. Vaseline seems to know this better than anyone, as they have recently unveiled a new tool aimed at lightening the skin of its Indian users.

fairness cream for men e1280617611603 Facebook Compels Indians to be...Whiter? picture

Targeting Facebook users located in India, the brand, owned by Unilever and known primarily for it’s petroleum jelly, has unleashed to the world a program designed for use with Facebook that takes your photos and presumably lightens your skin color. Why are they doing this?

Well, marketing of course. The product in question is “Vaseline Men” cream, a cream that lightens the skin with the promise of reducing the severity of five types of face spots. The Facebook group for the product currently has over 500 fans, and offers grooming tips that are slightly…odd: “Don’t shave for a day or two and let the stubble grow in rakishly.” They’re clearly using the the more modern definition of rakish, which means “streamlined,” as opposed to the original meaning, “dissolute,” which was often applied to womanizers. Am I the only one confused by this?

Having lighter skin is an asset sought after by many Indians and encompasses a billion dollar industry. Indian entertainment puts emphasis on lighter skin, and thus many consistently seek out methods through which to lighten their own. Despite all of this, many consider this to be slightly racist, encouraging proud Indian men to abandon their heritage.

Either way it’s just another step toward Facebook becoming sentient and destroying us all.

(Link)

Facebook Compels Indians to be...Whiter? picture

Lycurgus

Facebook Compels Indians to be...Whiter? picture

@BradMcHargue

Denver film critic. Contributor to @ScreenInvasion and @DreadCentral. Owner @MileHighCinema. Co-programmer of @telluridehorror. Bearded. Your best friend.
This needs to air in America just so we can see the uproar. Guinness: Ahead of the curve. http://t.co/IcgyYhBQcX - 40 mins ago
Facebook Compels Indians to be...Whiter? picture

Lycurgus

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thomas606
thomas606

Unfortunately this is not just an Indian problem resulting in low self esteem and poor judgment; it is an African, African-American, Latino, Asian, Arab, European problem that is being told that fair skin IS beauty, rather than one facet of it.

Tammy
Tammy

This has always been a huge issue in India; it stemmed from the hindu caste system that spread throughout India. There had always been the expectation that people with fairer skin were of higher castes, even though this was not always the case. Nowadays, if you look at all the major Indian stars, most have lighter skin.

clad
clad like.author.displayName 1 Like

The article author did not understand the situation. Vaseline is compels Indians to be whiter, NOT Facebook. The Vaseline brand is using Facebook to target their customers.

Earnestly
Earnestly

Some people are not happy under their own skin. I believe that they should be free do whatever they want to themselves. If those men are happier as they are now then as they were before, then who is anyone to tell them 'no.'

Patrick
Patrick

"Either way it’s just another step toward Facebook becoming sentient and destroying us all." Come on i heard some stupid shit in my life but you guys say that and have a Facebook link right under it. No offense but clearly it's quite an oxymoron.

pic343
pic343

do you not know what an oxymoron is? it's ironic. this is something we learn in 4th grade, i believe.

Twisted_Colour
Twisted_Colour

Wow, Patrick. Where'd you get that sense of humour?

bonniebell
bonniebell

do u feel the same about whiter people wanting to get a tan? is that abandoning their heritage?

thomas606
thomas606

@bonniebell At least tanning is a natural process. You have to look at the insecurity of the situation where all the supposed beautiful/popular people are portrayed as being fair. The fact is skin color is an response stimulated by the environment.

Bianv
Bianv

Well, here in Brazil people have creams and lotions to make skin darker, so this kind of lotion is not something so uncommon after all. And if this lotion for make skin look whiter is racist, probably the one to make skin darker would be racist too. For me is better for people to stay the way they are, to accept and like how they are.