Why is Life so Unfair?

I hope that a lot of people will actually take time out to read this because this comes straight from the heart. As long as I remember, there has always been at least one conflict in my life: Skin tone. I’ve always asked myself, Does your skin colour really matter? Sadly, it does.

Every individual has something that makes them unique, some have different body size and shape, and some have different colours of hair and eyes. The fact that we come in so many shades is one of the many things that makes us so beautiful!

But have you ever imagined an individual born with a “different” shade would end up being discriminated by his peers? Why does having some extra melanin makes your life so miserable?

It is agonising to constantly have friends taunt you, call you “Charcoal”, denying their own humanness. Such discrimination in India is beyond the denial of courtesy. Indians obsession with fair skin is well known. Some say it is the colonial hangover, but I don’t agree. The Britishers had ruled over us for almost a century and that does not warrant admiration of any sorts.

The truth is, the vast majority of media is dominated by white character. However they fail to realise that the majority of audience isn’t. Many celebrities play a huge role in how skin tone is portrayed in the media. Film stars promote skin-whitening creams that promise to improve one’s prospects. People of colour are extremely underrepresented in the media, be it on television or literature. Moreover these issues are always under reported unlike issues with sexual orientation, rape and mental illness.

People do preach that beauty is found in all colours but it is never practiced. They often fail to realise that there is so much more that matters than the tan. Everyone of every colour is beautiful and beauty shouldn’t be settled to skin colour. I’ve learnt to love myself no matter what colour I am. Don’t be afraid to show yourself because you are no less than anyone on this planet. Love rules all.

“I look to the day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

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