Priyanka Chopra reveals she regretted endorsing a fairness cream brand

The debate about how fairness cream advertisements encouraging racism has been doing rounds over the last few years. More and more people are now seen speaking against this idea, including people from the film industry like Abhay Deol and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 

Now, Priyanka Chopra has called out against these ads. She hasn’t directly condemned them, but confessed how she too was once a part of one such skin-lightening (an alternative term for ‘fairness cream’) advertisement and regretted it later. 

While talking to Vogue magazine, she said, “I used it (when I was very young). When I was an actor, around my early 20s, I did a commercial for a skin-lightening cream. I was playing that girl with insecurities. And when I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh shit. What did I do?’” 

Chopra is referring to the Ponds commercial she did in 2008.

She also confessed that she had issues with her skin colour as a teenager. "Before 15, I had a lot of self-esteem issues. I was very conscious about the colour of my skin," she added.

The actress explains how post the experience she embraced her skin colour and began to accept herself for who she is. “I started talking about being proud of the way I looked. I actually like my skin tone,” she said. 

Today, Chopra represents all those Americans who don't fit the typical blond-haired or blue eyed description by taking on mainstream parts in American films and her TV show, Quantico. Speaking about this, she said, "Kids from all over—not just Indians—come talk to me. I met this Dominican girl the other day who said, ‘Everyone tells me that I look like you.’ She gave me a hug, and said, ‘You gave me the strength to stand up onstage and give a presentation in school on where I came from." 

Actress and filmmaker Nandita Das has been vehemently vocal about her dislike towards fairness cream ads and has run campaigns against them. 

Earlier this year, Abhay Deol created a storm after he targeted big names like Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan, Shahid Kapoor, John Abraham and Sonam Kapoor on Facebook for endorsing fairness creams.