Colourism: #unfairandlovely proves it remains a universal slight on humanity

Vashna Jagarnath , Rhodes University

Over the past few weeks the #unfairandlovely campaign started by black photographer Pax Jones and sisters Mirusha and Yanusha Yogarajah , from the University of Texas , has taken off on social media. It has set Twitter , Instagram and Facebook abuzz.

The first women to be featured in the campaign were of Indian origin. But dark skinned women from across the world quickly took to social media to affirm their beauty against the dominant mantra that fair is lovely. According to Jones the campaign emerged organically out of a series of photographs that she took with a view to combating the "under-representation of dark skinned people of colour in the media".

Discrimination against people based on the tone of their skin, a phenomenon called "colourism ", is evident across the globe. It happens everywhere from Thailand to Sri Lanka , India , Pakistan , South Africa , England and the United States . In places like Angola and Haiti it has taken on an intensely political form. There lighter skinned people have privileged access to some forms of political and material power.

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