The actress wrote a lengthy post on Instagram calling this the beginning of a change in mindsets.
Our Correspondent
Consumer products giant Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced yesterday that it would be deleting the words 'fairness', 'whitening' and 'lightening' from its skincare products and replacing the word Fair in its popular Fair & Lovely brand of cosmetics with Glow.
Actress Richa Chadha, who had taken a firm stand against such so-called fairness products, expressed happiness at the decision. She put out a lengthy post on Instagram along with a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed 'Not Fair But Lovely'.
Chadha began by congratulating HUL for its long-overdue step and said that while the move may be seen as mere tokenism, change takes time and the equation of fair with beautiful stems from deep-rooted casteism and colonialism.
She ended by saying, "I hope slowly and steadily mindsets change... we must continuously and without any influence of the West define our own idea of beauty. Beauty must be inclusive! Bravo."
After the murder of a black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in full view of the public in the American city of Minneapolis and a worldwide storm about racism, several consumer products companies have come under increasing pressure from activists and citizens to stop propagating racist ideals and brands. HUL is only the latest to decide to drop the use of the word 'fair' from its brand. Johnson & Johnson has completely discontinued its fairness products line.
