Written by: Jubin Maharjan - 22026, Grade XII
Posted on: 22 December, 2021
Our country Nepal likes to portray itself like a place where everyone is accepted far from any sort of discrimination. When we look at other counties where there is discrimination on the basic of color, sex, etc. we get amazed. We act like just by removing the caste discrimination, and giving women education, we have solved all the discrimination in the country. We only feel so, because we have come to accept the discrimination that’s happening in the country.
Today I would like to talk about the discrimination on the basis of skin color/ fairness that happens in our country. Colorism is widely overlooked in our country. Colorism is any discrimination done against an individual on the basis of their dark skin tone. We can see the huge effects of colorism in countries like Nepal, India, Philippines, etc. In our country we feel like having a lighter skin tone makes you look better and having a darker skin tone makes you look ugly. An individual becomes a victim of colorism from their birth. When a child is born the parents want their kids to be light skin toned rather than dark. When the child grows up with a darker skin tone they are teased or bullied by calling them different names. Even during the time of marriage people look for a light skin toned bride or groom rather than a dark skin toned. This problem has been going on in our country for a long time but we all overlook it because we have come to accept it. We all want a lighter skin tone because that is what we have been taught from childhood. Even in the advertisements we can see colorism. The advertisements of beauty products have a huge impact on the growing colorism. The advertisement shows that having a lighter
skin tone will make you look more beautiful; will help you get a job or even get a marriage proposal. All these negative messages are implanted in our brains by the advertisements to sell their beauty products. We as a society need to address this problem of colorism as it can have a huge impact on the mental health of an individual. We all can remove this discrimination from society by not overlooking its effect on a person.
