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What Shaniera Akram gets wrong about the stigma surrounding dark skin

What Shaniera Akram gets wrong about the stigma surrounding dark skin

Light-skinned women looking to get tan can't say they were discriminated against the same way as women of colour.
Updated 19 Feb, 2020

Tall, short, dark, white, petite or plump - beauty standards have affected women and their self-esteem all over the world in an attempt to tell them they are not enough.

Amidst the chaos, Shaniera Akram exclaims enough is enough.

Earlier today, she took to Instagram to speak about her struggles as a white woman who went through exhaustive lengths to look tan because she was told it was beautiful.

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on

“When I was growing up, we rubbed harmful oil on our faces and bodies and lay out all day in the harsh UV sun and burn to a crisp, just so that in 3-4 days the red and extremely painful burn would die down and eventually we would have a brown tan! We would also spend hours lying in a solarium which is fake sunlight machine risking skin cancers, skin disease, spots and adding years to our faces causing wrinkles and irreversible damage," she wrote.

"And when the sun wasn’t available we would also rub toxic stains and dyes in to our skin everyday to give our skin a 3-5 shades darker sun kissed brown look."

To conclude, she wanted her post to be a message of positivity and encouragement, which it is, to all the brown girls who were told they were not beautiful enough by those around them.

“What I’m trying to say is don’t try and change who you are, be happy underneath your skin, your beauty is interpreted by you, you are beautiful no matter what your skin colour is! And just remember, to all the girls with brown skin who want white, you are the envy of half the women on this planet, women and girls all over the world that go to any extremes to have your colour skin, so that’s got to be something worth enjoying!” she added.

Read: This photo highlights how we apply different standards to desi women versus foreign women

While we appreciate the sentiment, lets not pretend that we're cut from the same cloth; light-skinned folks get to rock the 'tan' without the burden.

Unlike the darkened skin on white bodies that symbolise a sun-kissed, self-care day off spent sunbathing and sipping cocktails, a woman of colour is seen as inferior, even in her own society.

Regardless of how many creams she uses, how much skin she covers, she is still ‘exposed’ to not just the sun – but also the harsh words of those around her. There is nothing ‘exotic’ about that.

“We thought that if our skin was brown we looked healthier, prettier and more attractive to boys. We would go to any length to change the colour of white to brown because that what what was instilled in our minds, that brown was more beautiful," stated Shaneira.

Except this is the problem. When fair people are obsessed with getting a tan, it is a choice they made and it is done in an effort to seem beautiful and exotic. But when a brown girl is bleaching her skin to look a little lighter, it is done in an effort to avoid all the oppression that comes her way because of her skin tone.

A white girl is never excluded from public spaces, ridiculed, or shamed for the way she looks even when she is not tanning her body but a brown girl faces the burden of her colour, especially when she’s not doing anything about it.

While Shaniera doesn't agree with us, and we respect that, we also don’t agree with the idea that ‘reverse racism’ exists; assumptions and stereotypes about a dominant race are examples of racial prejudice, not racism.

Until a white girl is deemed unworthy of marriage because of her colour, until a white girl is deemed unfit in society because of the way she looks despite her accomplishments, and until a white girl is denied employment because she is not 'attractive enough', we don't agree that they have shared our struggle.

Like, has she ever been told 'chai nai piyo kyunke kaali hojaogi?' Has Shaneira been deprived of chai because of her skin? Imagine that, girl.

Comments

A shah Feb 19, 2020 05:56pm
Nice looking
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M. Saeed Feb 19, 2020 06:21pm
Neighbors lawn grass is always greener.
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Zain Abidin Feb 19, 2020 06:38pm
Come on now Pakistani people. Give Shaneira bhabhi a break. All she tried to do was give a cheer to the down trodden, low self esteem, poor folks, some hope by giving an honest opinion. I have lived most of my life in US, very similar culture to Australia, and I can totally understand Shaneira Bhabhi's perspective. Thank you.
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WASIM Feb 19, 2020 07:15pm
"A white girl is never excluded from public spaces, ridiculed, or shamed for the way she looks even when she is not tanning her body but a brown girl faces the burden of her colour, especially when she’s not doing anything about it." ... REALLY??? True if you are in Pakistan. Though white girl experience in Australia will be similar, if not exactly the same.
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BrownFlower Feb 19, 2020 07:42pm
I was a nobody before reading this page. Now I can lift 500 pounds.
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tuk Feb 19, 2020 07:52pm
She is right. Be who you are and fight discrimination and stereotyping!
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2 Feb 19, 2020 08:31pm
Very intriguing article. I hope Shaniera reads this article
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Amir Malik Feb 19, 2020 08:40pm
Shaniera is right! I live in the Norway and here white people do everything to get a browner/darker color as it symbolizes wealth just like white color does in Pakistan. In Pakistan it is the wealthy people that don’t need to work in the sun and so look less dark that symbolizes wealth and beauty and has been the case for generations. In Norway it is also the wealthy people that have the time and money to travel to warmer places and get a tan thus symbolizing wealth and beauty. So, in essence we all try to look apart from regular people. We should all like the way we are and not use harmful procedures to change our looks.
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Saieda Fatima Feb 19, 2020 09:04pm
@A shah Suggestion for Wasim Akram Keep her Stay away from Captain 92.
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Harris Feb 19, 2020 09:34pm
Lots of best wishes for you Shaneria. And Wasim bhai of course.
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Shuaib Feb 19, 2020 09:49pm
Now thats called 'Baal ki khaal Utarna'
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riz1 Feb 19, 2020 09:57pm
Goodness, Shanaira was just trying to make a good point of "judging people on merit" and as a white women gave the standard narrative of struggling to look tan. But why make it into this pointless harangue about someone sincerely trying to make a difference? Enough.
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Faraz Feb 19, 2020 10:00pm
@A shah seriously ? That’s what you got from this article. W
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Talha Feb 19, 2020 10:09pm
Until a white girl is deemed unworthy of marriage because of her colour, until a white girl is deemed unfit in society because of the way she looks despite her accomplishments, and until a white girl is denied employment because she is not 'attractive enough', we don't agree that they have shared our struggle. These challenges that you are implying are faced by brown women are also faced by brown men so Dawn you are wrong. Shaneira makes sense and has a good intention but you can continue this debate if you feel like to prove her wrong.
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Usman Feb 19, 2020 10:11pm
I don’t understand why we want to have an opinion about everything and criticize everything. You have a person who is try to assimilate in our culture and society, who is trying to make some positive impact, then why not appreciate them and encourage them instead of finding minute things to criticize them for. The problem is not with skin color but culture, societal norms , and in people’s minds I for one would like to thanks her for her efforts and comments.
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Mariam Feb 19, 2020 10:47pm
how tone deaf is she!!
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Rami Feb 19, 2020 10:48pm
The insecurity about light skin is created by entenocentic advertising agancies,since ,education rate is low in Pakistan,they did not get the memo ,the AD's in western countrities ,USA uses diversity , thus,Loreal ,have models from Africa ,South Asia ,Latin countries !
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Harambe1 Feb 19, 2020 11:00pm
@riz1 :Poor Shaniera, I weep for your privilege!
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Harambe1 Feb 19, 2020 11:06pm
Next election, Wasim Akram should rum for Pak PM!
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Ahsan Gul Feb 19, 2020 11:20pm
@A shah could you not write some intelligent words!
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minhaj Feb 19, 2020 11:25pm
I think you are missing the point when you say the following: "While we appreciate the sentiment, lets not pretend that we're cut from the same cloth; light-skinned folks get to rock the 'tan' without the burden." You think being tan is a burden. Shaniera does not. On the contrary, Shaniera is telling you lengths that she and her girl friends went to for a tan. This would not have been the case if their skin wasn't fair. Can you imagine how much they would have envied a woman with natural tan skin? Who is cut from the better cloth then? Neither!! It is all simply a perspective rooted in false insecurity.
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Rafique Soomar Feb 19, 2020 11:30pm
I agree , to me what color or height all women’s have their own attractions same thing goes with the men . It depends upon personality inside & out. We all are from the same soul.
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Sarah Feb 20, 2020 12:06am
As someone living in the West I understand shaneiras opinion but it's a false comparison with what pakistani women face on a daily basis which is discrimination for being born female and brown. I find the comments mainly by men about this article very interesting they are mainly praising her looks or agreeing with her basically denying what most women in pakistan face daily something which most men don't.
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lamotriginr Feb 20, 2020 12:16am
Well the thing is marriage is about selecting a prospective mate according to what one likes. Just like a mans financial aspects are seen as a way to marriage a womans beauty has been seen as a way to better genetics. How many fathers are willing to marry off their daughters to a guy with not so healthy bank balance. If dark skin is not appealing to some one , well then find some one who likes it. You cant expect the society to swallow your vision of beauty
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Shahid Feb 20, 2020 01:12am
She is right and wrong at the same time. Beauty standards are always there, and it is your choice to pursue them. Dark people want to get a slightly light skin and very pale people want to get a little dark skin. Generally, middle is considered beautiful for many attributes if it is height, skin tone, facial features, body type etc. Lets not be so politically correct about everything, this world is like this. We have models, we have beautiful actors and actresses and people feel attracted to certain features more than the other. Some people are more attractive than the other, deal with it :)
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Zulfiqar Feb 20, 2020 01:25am
@Mariam she’s not! You on the other hand are.
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HashBrown® Feb 20, 2020 02:18am
"But when a brown girl is bleaching her skin to look a little lighter, it is done in an effort to avoid all the oppression that comes her way because of her skin tone." Wow, MASSIVE assumption you're making there. How can you lump together ALL brown girls who bleach their skin? That kind of generalisation is every bit as offensive as the notion that brown skin is somehow inferior. Nobody can deny that Pakistan has a deep rooted complexion complex, and combined with pervasive misogyny this affects darker skinned women the most. But it only exacerbates the issue when you simply assume that all darker women are battling against a sense of inferiority. As soon as you make a generalisation about a group of people based on their skin tone, you become a part of the problem rather than a part of the solution.
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Akil Akhtar Feb 20, 2020 04:05am
I live in Australia and untanned white skin is not very pretty especially with freckles......
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Sarah Feb 20, 2020 04:55am
@Shahid the thing is I have NEVER witnessed one single white women here in the West being discriminated by her OWN men for being white and not tanned, struggling to get married etc. My own aunt who is 65 yrs old has never been married and it's due to being brown skinned my aunt is a great person she would have loved to be married kids etc. When ever I visit pakistan I notice more and more women who remain unwed late 20s and 30s due to being brown in a country where the vast majority of people are brown.
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Harambe1 Feb 20, 2020 05:23am
When was the last time people told you you were not good enough (in the looks department) for a job requiring public presence? Had anyone derided you for being "inferior" and not deserving of decency service?
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Harambe1 Feb 20, 2020 05:25am
@Zain Abidin: Aha! BHABHI!
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Harambe1 Feb 20, 2020 05:35am
@Shuaib: Brilliant!
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Harambe1 Feb 20, 2020 05:44am
@Rafique Soomar: Everybody needs love! Shunting the not-so-attractive --is ONE cause of violence.
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Reader Feb 20, 2020 06:38am
Always admired Akram, now I must add Shaneira too!!
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Hina Kamal Feb 20, 2020 07:45am
I wonder why the author subjects only "marriage" as the key issue for being white or brown in our society. Being a Pakistani woman I do not like to come that low in my status in the world. Marriage is a beautiful blessing but it is not the ultimate and only goal. Your life does not start nor end with marriage. Honestly this article is just for the sake of argument. And mind you the color applies to men too.
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Sara Feb 20, 2020 09:18am
Pakistanies and Indians are obsessed with white skin.
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Syed Irfan Ali Feb 20, 2020 09:41am
Both Images and Shaneira have weightage in what they're saying. We can give Shaneira a benefit of doubt as she might not be that well-versed with our deep-down culture and customs.
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A. Ahmad Feb 20, 2020 10:01am
Being dark skinned is not just tough for the brown girls ,it's tough on the guys as well . Being a dark skinned guy myself , I have been humiliated and ridiculed my whole life based on my skin color. People make insensitive jokes about my skin color that are sometimes too hard to take !! They think it's funny to joke about someone's skin color . Well , NEWS FLASH PEOPLE !!! IT IS NOT FUNNY TO MAKE FUN OF SOMEONE BECAUSE OF THEIR SKIN COLOR !!!! It's never funny !! The Pakistani people , especially need to realize this
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Baig Feb 20, 2020 10:46am
"Until a white girl is deemed unworthy of marriage because of her colour" Except that Brown girls are getting married in Pakistan all the time.And obviously they are not fair.I agree with Shaneira it is EXACTLY the same case.Problem is girls over here in Pak want to put the burden of even looking fairer on the society.Why not admit that the most obsessed about looking fair in Pakistan are the women themselves.Society always has and always will have a beauty standard.As for accomplishments unfortunately they don't have anything to do with beauty.Pakistani feminists are so confused it makes me laugh.They want to look pretty which invariably for them even means looking fairer but they hate to admit it so they do still try to look fairer but put the blame squarely on the "evil men" and then they say its not the same as white girls getting a tan when it is exactly that but rather insist that they are doing it only because "we are so very oppressed"!!
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Chris Roberts Feb 20, 2020 11:21am
This article does make some very valid points. However, to say that a white girl is never shamed or ridiculed for the way she looks or that she is never denied employment because she is 'not attractive enough' is completely false. Is this article referring specifically to Pakistan (and by extension the rest of the Sub-continent)? Plenty of 'white girls' are made fun of and are given a complex, and are also sometimes not hired because they don't live up to the commercially oriented standard of beauty, and are seen as too fat, too thin, too ugly, etc. Human nature is such that no matter what colour we are or aren't, there is somehow room for discrimination.
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Pakistani Feb 20, 2020 03:47pm
It just proves that no one is ever happy with what they have got.
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Jigar Feb 20, 2020 07:35pm
Shaniera's message is a body positive one no matter what colour we are.
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Harambe1 Feb 21, 2020 07:06am
@Sara : Do you understand why and how Asians became enamoured of light skin? Try to understand who put high value on "whiteness" in spite of its climatic disadvantages. Some people put a commercial value on "whiteness" and it took hold and now imagine the absence of media and fashion magazines! Why blame Asians?
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