British Bengali Identity: The White Elite and the Brown Other
In
this post, Sharifa Khanam discuss the role skin colour plays amongst British
Bengalis, how it is more than skin deep, tainted by its history and
contemporary ideologies in relation to identity politics. Due to her heavy
interest in Sociology she often questions the social narrative of individual
agency that has shaped the importance of light skin in the everyday, and how
this influences one’s understanding of their position in the Bengali community.
Whether
in the East or West, skin colour is an unavoidable topic that pretty much every
South Asian person has a share in. Our obsession with ‘fair’ complexions stems
from the indoctrination that fairness can generate and guarantee economic and
social privileges, an idea which is created and further reinforced by the
family, the collective community, marketization, as well as the media. Whilst
the desire for a fair complexion is to a degree an individual choice, and one
has the right to choose this option, contextualising where and how this
phenomenon emerged, how it took shape and the impact it has overall in the way
we navigate our society must be examined. This blog touches upon the existence
of the white elite and the brown ‘other’ within the Bengali community, and what
may have led to the emergence of these two groups, which impacts the everyday
lives of young British Bengalis today.
Whilst
the binary distinction of black and white is part of how the older generation
of Bengalis view and talk about skin colour, within the younger generation of
British Bengalis (30 years old and under) this distinction has shifted to that
of white and brown – what I conceive as the white elite and brown other. The
white elite, the minority that is promised to have it all enjoy a high social
status in the community, the best potential suitors out there, the favoured
ones in the family, the true beauty of the Bengali community. The brown other
is the exact opposite of the white elite; the outcast, those that will and will
always be lacking, no matter their economic and social might. Till this day
these binary groups exist, so the foundational belief of what white and brown
skin colour means for the individual still endures, but how they pursue the
skin colour they idolise has evolved. In the past, the mechanisms by which
light skin was pursued may have been limited to make up and creams, but this
has now expanded to tablets, ampoules, instant whitening masks, injections etc.
Now
due to this indoctrination many are conditioned to perceive fairness as the
desired skin colour and being brown as inferior. It’s as though one is
threatened with exile from the community even though the colour brown is more
common amongst the Bengali community. This marvelling, hailed, stress-inducing
topic is the epitome of the compelling life journey crafted by our colonial
British legacy and further perfected by our predecessors. However, in a
visually orientated society, marketization and the media have taken the torch
from our predecessors and taken skin colour to new heights.
Consider
the following images:
Young
Bengalis residing in western countries often tend to idolise this fair with an
Arabian glow tone, since even actors are criticised in the media for looking
too pale/pasty (here ‘pasty’ means looking unhealthy). Therefore, a light tan
on top of a fair skin becomes sought after.
This next
picture is of Kajol, one of the few Bengali actresses in the Bollywood
industry, who was also hailed by some as the Queen of Bollywood at one time.
Whilst she is loved by many, her Asian skin tone was always a subject of
discussion within the older Bengali generations. Often they would reinforce the
idea, at times subtly, other times frankly, that if you look like Kajol on the left perhaps you ought to do something
about it until you become just right to be part of the white elite. Thus
avoiding stigmatisation of being the brown other.
Subsequently,
the next three images demonstrate the role of the media and marketization in
conditioning young Bengali girls to look like a particular ideal. The Bollywood
industry has predominantly bypassed actresses that represent the majority of
Asian women in physical appearance, and put forth only actresses that either
already look Caucasian, or a westernised version of Asian women, or have been
lightened to look Caucasian.
The impact
of this is far more detrimental than one can often imagine. Firstly, we have
young Bengali girls questioning and confused as to why now more than ever there
are very few actresses that look like them. Secondly, more and more young girls
are seeking out skin bleaching dermatologists and have been successful in
becoming the (literally) white elite. The irony of this is that whilst Asian
cinema, i.e. popular culture, acquires Caucasian-looking actresses, western
media tends to favour and employ actresses/models that look Asian (as often
described by the youths).
In order
to grasp the politics of skin colour and identity in the British Bengali
community, understandings of its colonial legacy and independence from Pakistan
are crucial, as much of the tension created around their presumed identity
stems from this history. Particularly since those considered ‘fair’ often state
that they are categorised as either being Pakistani or Indian. The lack of
investigation of this area and its relation to the politics of beauty and skin
colour has thrown, many of the youth into confusion as to why this community is
so readily consuming these ‘aggressively marketed’ (The Times India, 2009) whitewashed
images. All this further perpetuates the superiority of the white elite in the
Asian community, and the casting out of the brown other.
Similarly,
on the far right you have the Bengali community who have come up with multiple
shades of colour to compensate for the brown other in the Bengali community,
like light brown, slightly brown, and tanned. Likewise, before and after the
Korean artist Psy, there’s the Kpop (Korean pop) industry, which appears to
have its arms nicely wrapped around the globe. I find more and more British
Bengali females idolising these Kpop idols, who look brown at times off screen
but on screen look whiter (see image below). Just like in the Bengali
community, whiteness by Kpop is glorified as it is associated with innocence
and purity. Being brown can be associated with being provocative and often
sexualised. It is one thing living in England and constantly being bombarded by
white beauties and ideal femininity according to Western standards, but when
the East starts adopting a very Western standardisation of beauty, it appears
as though there is no escaping.
The
current situation young Bengalis in the West find themselves in is that whilst
their family residing in the East are at ease in opting for lightening creams
and openly discussing them, here in England the condition is rather perplexing.
Very few will openly express favouring skin lighteners, and others will resent
it. Then there are those who feel obliged to express dislike towards this
practice, whilst potentially, secretly using them. With endless lightening
products available and the concept of tanning gaining popularity; the white
elite can become tanned and the brown other can be white- creating an
impression that both can dip in and out of each other’s identity. It would be
interesting to examine how the younger generation will deal with being a darker
shade of pale in relation to the politics of skin, hair, and eye colour.
I would like to end this post by asking why has the white elite both within the Bengali community and more broadly has not lost any credibility over time. Just like money is paper, white is just another shade of colour after all, and yet as a Bengali woman, I still see the youth willingly and vehemently defend the value of whiteness, which leads me to believe that skin whitening as a practice and its pursuit will only continue to evolve and grow stronger.
References:
Best 10 list (2016) Top 10 Bollywood
actresses that went from dusk to fair. Available from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nkSacV8uw
Claire.
K-pop Amino (2015) Whitewashing.
Available from: http://aminoapps.com/page/k-pop/9288905/whitewashing
iDiva
(2013) Bollywood actresses with peaches
‘n’ cream complexion. Available from: http://www.idiva.com/photogallery-style-beauty/bollywood-actresses-with-peaches-n-cream-complexion/24464 (Accessed at: 2/7/16).
Skintrium
(2015) Skin Lightening Soap: So Much More Than a Cleansing Bar. Available from: http://blog.skintrium.com/skin-lightening-soap-so-much-more-than-a-cleansing-bar/
The times
of India (2009) The Indian obsession with
‘fair’ skin. Available from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/beauty/The-Indian-obsession-with-fair-skin/articleshow/4950626.cms
