sachreet & sumandeep
As a darker skinned Indian girl, Sachreet often grew up thinking that she would be seen as ‘prettier’ if she had a lighter skin-tone. Being born and raised in India up-to the age of 4, she was subjected to a lot of societal beliefs which taught her that the colour of one’s skin had a direct correlation with how beautiful they were – a type of prejudice she later learned was “colourism.”
Her mother Sumandeep also had a similar up-bringing where she was encouraged by her own mother (Sachreet’s Nani) to apply home mixtures made with turmeric and yogurt to help with her complexion. Growing up in a society that valued beauty standards from India’s colonialism stage, it was taught to her at an early age that lighter skin meant she would have a better chance at getting married to a more handsome, successful, and educated man. The preconceived notion that ‘lighter skin is more beautiful’ was stressed more for women than men within their community. For men, it hardly made a difference if they were on the darker end of the spectrum – much like Sachreet’s dad – but dark-skinned women would regularly be judged and have a hard time finding a job, or being successful in their endeavours. Lighter skin had a direct impact on where you were expected to end up in life, so much so that it went far beyond just the concept of “beauty.” Due to the stronghold colourism placed on a woman’s worth, Sumandeep carried that weight with her well into her adult life.
As Sachreet grew older, she learned to love the deep undertones of her brown skin and stopped shielding her body from the sun in efforts not to get tan. Her mom reassured her that no matter what shade, she found her to be exceptionally beautiful, but her worries on how society would perceive and shape her daughter’s success due to skin colour rationalized her to think in a certain way. That conversation brought them together to unlearn certain biases they both held within the generations they were brought up in and grow closer together. Today, they both appreciate their skin for the colour it is and Sumandeep has been able to let go of the weight she had carried for so long.
