THE New Sunday Times should be commended for highlighting “Our obsession with fair skin” (March 6).
Apart from the health hazards that some skin-whitening formulas pose, the craze for fair skin has sociological and psychological implications.
It is a craze in Malaysia and other societies partly because their consumerism is driven by a perverted notion of individual value. The idea of skin whitening has become a popular commercial tagline for products.
Beauty, good looks, talent and ability are erroneously associated with having fair skin.
The preference for fair skin conditions relationships, influences marriages and shapes judgment about work performance.
Because of these perceptions, those who are dark-skinned, especially women, sometimes suffer from feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem. Their true value as human beings may never be recognised or rewarded.
The content of their character, to paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, is often subordinated to the colour of their skin.
It is significant that bias and prejudice linked to skin colour have persisted in many cultures and communities since time immemorial. Very few societies have sought to fight such attitudes.
White colonial rule in Asia and Africa convinced large segments of the colonised that the fair-skinned are superior and deserve to be put on a pedestal. Some of such attitudes remain to this day.
How does one overcome the burden associated with skin colour?
A moral belief states that human beings are descended from the same source, that God is our Creator and that we are one family.
This statement can repudiate colour prejudice.
While there are bound to be examples from different spiritual-moral philosophies, I shall provide a few instances from Islam to show how it opposes racist attitudes.
Prophet Muhammad once admonished his companion, Umar Ibn Khattab, for a racist remark he had made about a black slave.
It was that black slave, Bilal, whom the Prophet chose to make the call to prayer, thus, immortalising his name in history.
In his farewell address, the Prophet declared that the white man was not superior to the black man or vice versa.
God-consciousness reflected in good deeds, rather than colour consciousness, distinguishes one human being from another.
Our values should be harnessed to educate society on why our obsession with fair skin is wrong.
Knowledge from the social sciences, especially since World War 2, that shows skin colour is not a determinant of human behaviour or accomplishments should be widely disseminated.
An understanding of beauty that’s not shaped by consumer capitalism should be developed through the media and education system. At the same time, the media should not be allowed to promote the fair-skin syndrome. Advertisements that glorify skin colour should be banned.
Some advertisements in the Malaysian media would be banned in countries that value women and respect their dignity.
Once we prohibit advertisements promoting whitening formulas and curb the obsession with fair skin, we must ensure that there is strict enforcement of the law.
Violators should be punished. However, we must be aware that changes to entrenched attitudes cannot be brought about through prohibition and punishment.
The real answer lies in changing a culture through education, experience and example to respect human beings, regardless of the colour of their skin.
DR CHANDRA MUZAFFAR,
chairman, Board of Trustees, Yayasan 1Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor