As a Punjabi, I would say colourism is massive amongst my family, with my grandma constantly bragging about her kids and grandkids are light-skin. Fairer skinned girls and guys are seen as more attractive and it’s a shame because I actually find darker South Indian girls more attractive
The Chinese are 'fair' skinned, so it's not relevant. Their aesthetic prefernce matches their own complexion. Indians by and large are not 'fair', so us fetishizing fair skin is idiotic and harmful.
@@anniemaraj8773 who cares what Indians think 🤣🤣🤣 first learn your own multiracial history cause unlike other Asians Indians are not homogenous in nature they are infact HYBRIDS 😂🤗
There are two reasons for blue skin colour - 1. It's about chakras & associated colours. Kali, Ram, Vishnu, Shiva, Krisna all are depicted in bluish/violet colour even Shiva who isn't originally black or dusky according to scriptures. The highest chakra aka "Sahastra/ Crown" Chkra's colour is associated with violet colour. That's why these deities also painted in violet colour as violet colour represent opening of Sahastra chakra. 2.During modern time painters realised it's not possible to show well defined shades of skin colour with black colour colour. So they started to use blue in place of black.
@@Abcd-vd8ebI read that the British despised black skin hue. And were angered and shocked at Indian portrayals of many black gods. It reminded them of Africans who they hated. Centuries ago they pressured Indians to paint their Gods' including Sri Krishna as blue over black.
As an African, who is black, this was very interesting to watch. In Africa, we do have a couple of people who are concerned with their skin tone, but most people don't even process skin colour. Like I became aware of my blackness when I watched this video, it's not something that's constantly on our minds. A good portion of Africans enjoy being the colour they are and embrace everyone, and I hope Indians can do the same. Also it was good to know that you guys partially descended from us! Amazing. We really are all family.
Lol colourism started because of Africans, when in ancient times Greeks, Arabs contacted india they praised India as heaven in terms of civilization, education, sciences, philosophies but only after they came in touch with sub Saharan Africans they got new perspective that black colour symbolises slave which was never case before. Why?? Cause most bafricans doesn't have civilization, history, architecture, science only slaves. Hence it's the fault of pblack man that black started getting associated with slavery. Next thing, not just Indians all humans descended from early migration out of Africa. In fact a European is genetically more close to Africa than an Indian. Next bAfricans are totally obsessed with not just white but anything not African. 90% of them import hair from India for wigs and they want badly to be notified as non blacks. Talk to any eastern african from Ethiopia, Somalia they say on face that they're not black and got nothing to do with them.
There are several (Sub Saharan) African countries where whitening skincare products/treatments are a business going into hundreds of millions of USD. Considering that those products can contain harmful ingredients, some countries (Ghana, Rwanda, Ivory Coast) put a ban on those. And even then, they're still being sold on the black market. Some others, like Nigeria, have declared skin bleaching a national health emergency, but I'm not sure about what actions the govt has taken afterwards. If your region is not into skin bleaching, then I hope it stays this way.
Mum from Punjab as well. Dad Afro Jamaican, I’m the only dark child, all my siblings are of a light hue as our mothers . First time I met my indian grandmother, I was a pre-teen coming from Europe . On a very hot and sunny afternoon, my sisters were playing in the backyard of my grandmother’s house. All of the sudden, we heard our grandmother scream. All frightened, we were wondering if there was maybe a snake in the yard, because she was urging my sisters to come back inside the house, promptly. Then she said this thing that made me forget about my Indian side and never go back to Punjab ever. She said to my sisters: the gods blessed you with a fair skin, if you are not careful, you might end up as dark as your brother. Don’t forget some black blood ( from your father’s side is what she meant), runs in your veins nonetheless. I then realised why we’ve never been introduced to my Punjabi maternal family since we were born and why we grew up in Europe where mum remained after my birth. 3 decades later, I’m still traumatised as I reminisce it. P.S: forgive my poor English, I’m a French native speaker from France.
Ayy je suis Français aussi, but ethnically Pakistani Punjabi. My skin is very light tan and so is most of my family in Pakistan (all white or light tan). But my cousins call Indians ugly cuz they’re generally darker than us (which is BS btw like I got an Indian Telugu friend in Ireland and she’s beautiful af, and a girl in my uni who is South Indian is like the prettiest girl there), and my grandma even bashed my cousin a lot during her childhood for playing outside, afraid that she’d darken up... Tho Colorism isn’t as big of an issue in Pakistan I feel compared to India (from what I’ve seen, every time I vacation there), but the people there do got an inferiority complex, and prefer to be told they “look Arab” rather than Desi 💀. I also got a Bengali barber who said in the middle of my beard trim that I had a tiny dark spot under my lips and that I need to take care of it or I’ll end up completely dark skin and “ugly” like him (obviously joking but like wtf 😭).
I hope you've found happiness with a family of your own that loves and accepts you for all the things you are. Your color is just packaging. That others would judge you or love you less because of it is stupidity on their part.
@ What hurts most is when such harmful stupidity comes from your own people, your dearest. As a result I have been disgusted at the idea of having a family of my own.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I nearly slapped my mother, aunts and grandmother for saying about my daughter 'she's not fair enough'. It wasn't even an hour after she was born. If it helps, many of us are moving away from, placing importance on skin color.
Bollywood is like religion, especially for North Indians. It has played a massive role in perpetuating anti blackness in India. Most North Indians are not fair skinned and are also victims to this evil film industry.
@@cuckoonut1208 yes that is true but its of no use for them as I see them Northies wearing long sock like gloves when riding scooters so their skin wont be even more dar ker. Tamils are darker simply because they are not scared of being out in the sun without gimmicks
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
As an African-American woman from Florida, this was absolutely relatable and shows that the disease of colorism spans across so many cultures. This was so well done and will enlighten many. Great work!
I agree. I'm Biracial and my Mom's side is White & Biracial. They are no fans of dark skinned people and complained when I dated & married dark skinned men (both of my husbands were dark skinned). My Mom prayed none of my kids would be dark like my Dad & my ex-husband. Out of 7, only 2 of my kids are dark.
I'm black American from North Carolina and I love the discussion of colorism globally as we need to discuss too heal it. This is profound information and presentation. I love people and culture, I intend for us to all love ourselves as we were made in God's image!
In Asia if you're tan it implies you work outside and are poor. In western countries if you're tan it inplies you're weathy enough to enjoy outdoor leisure. This a cultural issue.
Western where? In the US it implies you either go to the tanning both or spray tan.. dark skin just means you have dark skin.. dark skin changes in the sun as well. I’m darker and during the summer you can see the redder tones come through!
That's just the excuse. I'm living in Southeast Asia in a multicultural country. When I was young, I heard from my Chinese friend that fair skin covers many flaws. Even Japanese had that saying a fair skin covers 7 flaws. Never heard poor means dark, fair means rich until recently. You have small eyes, it's ok, your fair skin can distract it. Flat nose, no worries, your fair skin can distract it. Being a total b*tch, don't care, still get respected because of your fair skin. Of course, no Asians would admit this because it would showcase how insecure they are with their ethnic features. That's why they encourage their daughters to marry white guys to get rid of their features. Many of them have the audacity to call beautiful dark skin with sharper features and bigger eyes like Indians ugly, and think their flat face and small eyes look beautiful because of their fair skin. Just swap our brown skin with East Asians,you'll see there's them differently. Unless they have high cheekbones or sharp nose, they can't pull of dark skin.
So sad that people have been trained to not love their skin color. Personally I think dark-skinned humans are generally very attractive and wish they were more well represented in Bollywood
*As an African (Nigeria), the issue of colorism is something I'm kind of glad isn't really a big issue in my country. Sure, people praise fair skin, but we still love our dark skin, and people aren't really discriminated against it in movies or media or in terms of desirerability. Caz, I can't imagine adding colorism to issues like tribalism, religious bigotry, and other ills of our society*
Nigerian here also we don’t really discriminate in regards to colorism but colorism still has some subtle psychological effects that people use to determine how they treat someone
@proverbalizer The point I was trying to make is that unlike India where if you're dark-skinned, you may not get a movie role or get a particular job or even be desirable for marriage, that's not the case in Nigeria. Bleaching exists, sure but it's something that is still talked down upon
@@SamiOklo Yes probably it is not as bad as in India (though I have never been there), but Nollywood still seems to push the lighter skinned actresses to the forefront (just not as blatantly as Bollywood does). There was also a time around 10-20 years ago when the majority of Afrobeats music videos all had to have light skinned or foreign looking video vixens (Wizkid Baba Nla is one example I can easily think of... but there were so many it was crazy), but actually I am happy that trend has changed in recent years and now you can usually see a lot of beautiful brown and dark skinned African looking women in Afrobeats videos but seems you cannot get a job as a model for any soap, moisturizer or skin care product unless you are light skinned (in fact it is even better if you look like an Indian). Go to any store or pharmacy trying to buy soap and all you see is row after row of shelves filled with products claiming to make you lighter or brighter...with crazy names like "pure white gold" "white secret" "white and lovely" "caro white". "fair and white", but since some people don't like bleaching they now use euphemisms like "toning" and "glow gang" and "brightening" and even "organics" (the most crazing rebranding ever LOL), I have just enough melanin to enjoy the sun freely, so I was almost afraid to buy anything to use on my skin except pure raw shea butter, and pure raw black soap, or sometimes some American brands of normal soap I could recognize like "dove") it's the same on Instagram, every page I have ever seen of a Nigerian selling skin care products will be trying to sell products that claim to be solutions to make your skin lighter. but yes you are right, 99% of everyone in Nigeria is what we would call black, so you don't have as much outright discrimination again black people as you do in places like the U.S, India, Cuba etc. So yeah, in normal life, average jobs, school etc. darker skinned people can't just be pushed aside or excluded when they are still the majority
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Mahabharata hero arjuna (greatest archer) in indian itihasa(history) is described to have "as dark as leadder of pack of elephant" and praised for his beauty
@@TheEmissaryCo I love how you are making these anti-colonial videos and contributing to re-awakening the pride about indians., Like indians being proud about their own skin colour, values and culuture and moving away from colonial narratives of self-hatred, self-loathing and shame.
@@TheEmissaryCo Not to mention Lord Krishna's name literally means dark. Lord Rama was dark too. Draupadi, the heroine of Mahabharata and wife of the Pandavas (including Arjuna) was also called Krishna due to he color. With dark skin and golden blonde hair, she was one of the most beautiful women of her time.
i'm half punjabi half himachali and the colourism is SO strong in my family. my mom is dark skinned and practically my entire childhood was her being glad that i got the light skin genes so i wouldn't be bullied about it in school. the kids in her school were absolutely brutal to her. every time i got a tan from being in the sun (like, i'm light skinned, but i'm still brown. i tan so easy) she would freak out and start doing weird homemade concoctions to get rid of my tan. it sucked being on the receiving end of the internalized colourism from my own mom. she was trying to protect me but all it did was reinforce these ideas that light skin = good and dark skin = bad. to this day she'll say stuff like "you're so pretty but you're too tan these days". i went swimming in an outdoor pool a few times over the summer and i still have the tan and she can't wait for me to lose the tan and transform into a white girl come winter. everywhere i go it's just colourism.
"Colourism?" IGNORANCE and bad education. ❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮 You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen. When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.) If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL. It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade. Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality. Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance. Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes! White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂 "Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
Absolutely no negativity allowed! OK This is one more arab / colonial cancer that has infiltrated into our minds in the last thousand+ years. But is it not true that even now we can NEVER imagine or depict our beloved Krishna, our awesome Kaali, our valorous Rama, our all pervading Vishnu, as any other shade than a shining, blazing, very dark. Compare it to Jesus, who must have been, could have been, only a non-Caucasian dark or at least brown. He has been fully transformed into a pale, white-skinned, anaemic looking person with European features. No exceptions to this unreal depiction. So we Indians have more reason to be optimistic that this little aberration will fade out soon enough.
After a long time, RUclips has finally recommended such an amazing video! The depth of the topic was incredible. Keep it up - I’m definitely binge-watching your channel! ;)
While waiting at a crosswalk in London, a man who appeared to be Indian said, "I like your color". It was a surprising and unusual compliment! I come from the north central USA and compared girls who tanned easily, I always felt too pale. I said thank you, but now I wish I would have said, "I like your color too!" Next time I'll be ready 😊
That would be a sweet way to reply in the future! I definitely sympathise, when I was a kid my classmates would tease me by saying I needed to “drink more blood”(like a vampire) because I was so pale. I get severe burn on partly cloudy days so I always wear long sleeves and huge hats in the summer. All skin tones are beautiful, even if ours offer less protection 😂
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Hinduism still has a bleak future, it is too expensive for the average person, nobody has time to read so many scriptures and do so many rituals. Cross is far more efficient and will conquer India soon.
You were correct in pointing to Bollywood, but there's a lot of bias against Dark Skin in Southern Film Industries as well because a lot of South Indians, today, themselves prefer light skin and have an inferiority complex of their own skin colour. But as you said rightly that things are changing for the good, given that the Western world itself is moving away from its pro-white bias to a pro black narrative. Of course this means that India will change as well given the mental colonisation that most Indians have that always looks to the West for inspiration.
Your viewpoint is so accurate. As an African American. It seems we are slowly challenging and calling out all the Colonial viewpoints that hurt the beautiful fabric of all groups on Earth.
True i am indian (19F) and i startedusing phone since i was 14 and mostly watced American content the dark skin representation there made me like it and now I have no colour bais@@Zimaala
No excep5 in Malayalam we few decayed back actresses don’t even put makeup.bollywood also dev anand, amitabh, sharukh khan , mithun are actually dark compared to very fair other hero’s. In south rajnikant , Vijay are dark while there are fair ones who are not so popular
“Your channel truly deserves so many more subscribers and views! The amount of effort you put into the research and video editing is extraordinary. Every video is so well-made, and it’s clear how much passion and dedication you put into your content. Keep up the amazing work!” Also like this line “ Story about a people who used to worship black gods but ended up worshipping white men” 👌👌
nah. He needs to go back to college, study some real science, and clean up his thinking before producing more long Selfie-documentaries that continue discussions that would have died long ago, except for religion's battle with science's Objective Reality. ❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮 You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen. When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.) If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL. It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade. Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality. Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance. Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes! White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂 "Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
I've spent significant time in India over many decades and i have a memory that goes to your point: I'm a native Californian and a sun "worshiper" (have the skin cancer to prove it). When I returned to India with a nice, dark tan, my friends (more than one) said, "oh Brian, what have you done? You look dirty!". That was the first time I really understood the "shame" you are talking about -- but I agree that the attitude is changing among the young. There is still a lot of division among castes, people from the south and north, etc., but it is improving slowly. So, young people like you talking about these issues directly is very important -- thank you! Brian
Quality writing, in an Old World sense. Sort of like picking up Austin Texas's newspaper South Asian Times to laugh at the overuse of Passive Voice grammar from the 1800s. ❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮 You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen. When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.) If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL. It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade. Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality. Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance. Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes! White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂 "Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
You are so eloquent man! This level of wordplay and narrative delivery is impossible to get from the people indegenous to the land, cause the current ethos ensures to kill all possiblities of creative fruition. People here just don't know anything about cultures of the world or thier own, its refreshing to see someone can blend and represent on global stage
Great video. I’m from the US so this gave me a better perspective on the depth of Indian history and the interaction with various foreign influences. I am African-American and our community is beginning to shed old colorist notions of beauty (sort of). It is troubling to learn how pervasive it is in various cultures (South Asian, African, Latine) to associate positive images with light skin and negative connotations with dark skin. It is perhaps the most enduring holdover from colonialism. A people is never free unless they embrace themselves as they are.
@brian - it's also pervasive among North East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) and South East Asians (TH, VN, PH, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc). In SE Asia, many celebs/ models are light skinned and/ or hapas/ hafu (half mixed with European). Light skinned people are considered as more beautiful and/ or higher social status (not peasants or working outdoors). Lots of skin lightening products too. It's a sad remnant of colonialism. For those countries which weren't colonized, light skin is a status symbol.
I am a black woman and I understand what you're saying. Colorism for black people mostly begins and ends with beauty standards, (which is still bad) but we don't actually practice colorism like rewarding light skin people for being light, and punishing or denying dark skin people for being dark. It was white people who did that, not us.
You have earned a subscriber I actually detest RUclips videos regarding Indian historiography, which were generally sourced through materials collected through colonial lenses. But this is the most well informed, comprehensive but relateble content presentation i have encountered . 👍👍More power to you
Sita is quoted making a telling statement in the ramayana when tribal women in the forest ask her who among Ram and Laxman is her man. “The savarna is my husband, the gaur is my devar.” Sita uses the term Savarna to signify dark skin. Savarna of course translates from Sanskrit to “with color”, and refers to high caste indian groups.
@@JohnNobody_The original Valmiki version, there is another mention of this when Supernakha comes to Ram and Lakshman. The original is free online as well, and is very different from later retellings.
Also There are 3 krishna in Mahabharat All are called most beautiful and Attractive... Kanha ji , Arjun and Draupadi... Three of them had Dark skin but were described as very beautiful with poetry written about them...
Every shade of Indian is beautiful. I am a non-Indian and I find that Indian people in all shades are beautiful. You have beautiful features, body proportion and hair. You adorn yourselves with the beautiful textiles, jewelry and henna of your culture. I find it unimaginable that any of you would find your shades undesirable. I think the very dark Indians look the most interesting, to be honest. 🌸🙏🏽🌸
I once posted a picture of a black Indian on Reddit and asked whether it would be a close representation of Krishna. The way people bent over backwards to explain that black doesn't really mean black and that he was Aryan so white, flying in the face of everything known about Krishna and Visnu. There's more to racism and it all comes down to the age of lies we live in.
Krishna was called krishna cause he had a dark complexion..similarly draupadi was called krishna too ..she had a darker complexion as well..people are so dumb. The name krishna signifies darker complexion
Stupendous! A man after my own heart❤.. I have family stories exactly like yours. We have a spectrum of skin tones among siblings and cousins. Have struggled to make sense of the overt racism in Indian pop culture for years. Your video puts it all in a clear context. Thank you so very much!!
This reminded me of my visit to Guruvayur temple (temple dedicated to Krishna located in kerala). Where the walls of the building housing the idol of Krishna is filled with murals of him from different part of his life. And in all of the pictures he is depicted in a dark bluish-black colour. Which was a surprise to me as in most modern represent he is depicted fairer skin colour. I did a bit of digging about it and realized that the transition of colour to a fairer one is a relative modern phenomena due to the change in culture. But, now as mentioned in the video the culture is shifting again take for example Krishnakumar Balasubramanian. He is the actor who played the role of Krishna in the biggest Indian film to date called Kalki 2898 AD. His skin colour is relatively darker compared to other represent in popular media. Hope this is a start of a new trend.
WOW, what a insightful video..Being of African decent i see so many parallels concerning Africa. Love the ancient Egyptian statue in the background ( Heru ?? ) Your level of honesty & understanding of history provides such great context, is spot on..Strange many years ago I took on a middle spiritual name of Bhakti( Devotion ) but your video provided me with a whole new level of information about devotion & Blackness.. In many countries in Africa the color Indigo has powerful spiritual significance as in India..Thank You, for this insightful video. A new Fan of your channel
@@musham6295 there are many Indians who have married black skinned Africans I think that should be enough but it is the Indian media who doesn't talk much about them.
I have travelled in central and western India and this one community called 'Patidars' in western MP associate dark skinned boys with more physical and mental strength than the lighter skinned boys. It was like a new discovery for me.
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
This is fetishization in colourism. It is also something the British bought with as it did in Africa - when associating colour with sexual prowess and virility in both females and males. It also justified brutal sexual assaults and rapes by the colonizers and enslavers.
Proud, unapologetic and aspiring perfectly described how new generation of Indians are today also fantastic documentry going in full depth and well presented facts you are really amazing man believe me you will also witness the same rise as India is now going to witness. Excited for more such video with love and regards. 👍❤
As a black person, the first time I saw an Indian, I was only five, my father went to study for a Scholarship at Purdue University and there were people from all over the world, but the only ones not dressed like westerners were the Indian Women? They were all dark brown like me except for a few, who looked plainly white, and kinda ill suited for all the colorful ethnic clothes that Indian women wore. I didn't even take note the dark skin, because I was black, I just thought that Indian women were the most beautiful women I had ever seen. It wasn't until much later that I learned darkskin Indian women were not the preffered women in India, even though by every metric they were physically the most striking add to that the dark skin made the bright clothing and jewelery stand out. Great show: I always thought anti-blackness in India was purely an English colonizer invention.
This is an eye-opener. Younger generations are getting the grasp of all humans being the same. If people think carefully about their physical structure they will notice that we consume food through the mouth and the waste have an exit like everyone else. There is nobody superior in that.
One added element is that acting in films wasn't considered particularly appealing or reputable, so many actors and stars came from mixed race, or non-Indian backgrounds (Helen, Sulochana etc) This only further reinforced the "west eurasian" look at more appealing to Indians.
There are many Indians who have nothing to do with this land like ,there are like so many yemenis in Gujarat and Hyderabad ,Armenians in Bengal ,some chinese too,let's not forget the Jews ,Parsis,Arabs, and so many more ,are you gonna forget them? And ohh the siddhi people 😢@@TheEmissaryCo
This is the Best vídeo I 've ever saw about colorism! Thank you. I understood the similarities between Índia and Brazil . I'm brasilian só I can tell you, we had the same problems here: colonialism, invasions, slavery... but things are changing , for better ❤❤❤❤
This is a fantastc video. I grew up in a majority Punjabi area as a white guy and I've absorbed so many myths and misconceptions about the Indian race. Thanks for setting the record straight
@@nolanpeters5462 Race is a pure construct in society. There used to be two human traces, Neanderthal and Homo sapiens, that co existing for some centuries. Since, there is only one human race on Earth, which is Homo sapiens sapiens. Phenotypes aren’t stupidity categorised into races, those lies built up to justify colonialism, and still almost everyone believes them. By the way, an indian race as such doesn’t exist, as it is mix of many different physiological traits . They are people I personally know, who look Caucasian but have an African grand parent with the darkest skin you’ve ever seen. Does that make them multiracial even though they look blond with features associated with a “Caucasian face “ ?
@@AA-ui2wk Well that's a little toooooo one love commie for me. Ethnicities and cultures are unique and different and that is a good thing. Race is a thing, we just dont need to be assholes about it
Most enlightening. I am of mixed Indian and European ethnicity, and although my Indian ancestors are Tamil, this is not evident in the appearance of most members of my family. Having said that, there are close relatives who thankfully show more evidence of our great Tamil ancestry. South Indian culture is after all the oldest and purest Indian culture
I'm Mexican American and great video you made about colorism in India sadly not just in India also the fair skin admiration could happen in Mexico and Latin American countries I remember when watching the Mexican telenovela or Colombian telenovela etc. they depict the light skin or fair skin to be cast as protagonist and the brown skinned to be cast as antagonist or villain or as extra or background actor.
Excellent video! Glad to see it being discussed openly. I studied Asian literature and art in university and was always confused about the visual and written depictions of Indian gods such as Krishna and Kali. No one at school ever spoke about it in detail. Your video added much needed context, especially regarding Muslim and Turkic influences on Indian culture. Thank you!
It's really hard being a dark-skinned Indian. I can't stand looking into the mirror because I'm absolutely disgusted by and ashamed what I see. Not to mention how I'm treated by others. It's nice to know that if I were born a few thousand years earlier, I would be the beauty standard.
Sorry to hear that bro. These days a lot can be solved by getting jacked! Look at Ankit Baiyanpuria 😃 Either way there is nothing wrong with your skin color! It’s Krishna ☺️
@@TheEmissaryCo Yeah, I'm working on it. Nice to see the perception changing at least a bit, with actors like Sethil Ramamurthy and Dhanush getting roles in Bollywood and Hollywood movies
Hey i am 19 year old indian girl and i have no colour bais beacuse i exposed myself to western content where beauty standards are nowadays being tanned it helped me change my perception 180 degress trust me its changing!
28:46 , You should see this animated movie "arjuna the warrior prince" . Apart from it being great movie in many aspects and considered milestone in indian animation, it features heroes of mahabharata (arjuna and krishna) in their actual skin tones.
I am Indian from Hyderabad city i have R2a Haplogroup i got The Iran_N=60% AASI ancestry=30% Steppe ancestry=10% I am Wheatish skin person i look like Vijay Deverakonda and Rana Daggubati mixed😊
25:20 he actually succeeded today. If you think about it, all of the Indian success today is due to American outsourcing. And literally everyone on the internet speaks English and writes English and despises Indian languages like Hindi and Sanskrit.
Speak for yourself. There are people who live in the White English speaking world that take pride in talking and writing their language and being in touch with Sanskrit.
I'm a black African and I found this so interesting. Us non-white people are gripped by colourism and it's fascinating to learn about how each one developed within our parts of the world.
Growing up with zee world,i really believed being dark-skin was a rare thing for Indians.I remember watching Krishna and thinking WOW,i've never seen an Indian this dark.As I grew up,i realized how false that is and made me understand how important representation is.Thank you for this video.I really liked it
Thanks for touching on the part of history between the ancient times and British colonialism with quotes. The reason it's skipped over often is because talking clearly about it is seen as a Hindu nationalist idea. This is the most concise video I have seen which touched every important bit without making it too long. 👏👏👏
What a wonderful video. Well explained. It also made me sad to think how from a society that didn't care much about skin colour, we have become one that is obsessed with it. Hopefully things are changing as you mentioned at the end of the video and we will accept ourselves as who we are without any sense of shame.
India historically was not a color conscious society. Colonialists attempted to divide the castes by color but failed because they observed that all colors are present in all castes. Both the hero and the villain of the Hindu epic "Ramayana" are dark skinned.
Really loved your work, If you keep making videos consistently and of this level I can assure you that you will be viewed by the masses and lots & lots of people would be impacted by the great work you do.
Very well put together. This description is probably the closest that anyone has ever gotten to the truth. I wish for all Indians to see this and understand that you can take pride in being Indian no matter the colour of your skin. It is very important to learn from history so that we may build a better future. Kudos to The Emissary, keep it up. 👍
Hey Great work brother. Quality and Information is put together very well. Good luck with you channel! Really glad you pointed out that Indians themselves loved Dark skin, but due to foreign migrations we learnt there ignoreness. Also great work on pointing out its wasn't just the British this Colorism came in from the Arabs and Turks etc its often forgotten.
Highly informative and inspirational. Thank you for this brilliant vid. I subscribed and I'm looking forward to more of your insight and teaching via vids like this.
Just discovered your channel, enjoyed the production quality and your candor. Love Indian people and cultural diversity, though as a dark-skinned person, I have found this to often be an unrequited affection. Since my childhood in the late 1950s to the present day, whether conscious or not, presumption of character, intelligence, and skill is strongly influenced by skin color and features, not just in India and the Indian diaspora, but throughout every culture touched by colonial influencers who believe in race, color, and gendered hierarchy as intrinsic human qualities.
Okay I've just watched the video, because the topic seemed interesting, but it was really nice to see such a well researched and written video essay. Great job!
Very interesting, thank you so much for sharing ! It’s even more interesting to witness how Indians are more open about this issue in their culture compared to other Asians. We all know how insanely obsessed Chinese and Koreans are w maintaining a fair skin tone. But they will never publicly acknowledge it. This just shows how ready Indians are to tackle this issue and move forward, unlike the rest of the subcontinent. I’m watching you from France, again thank you a lot for your great work !
Amazing research. Thank you for making this video. I am not Indian; I am black, and I am always interested in gaining insight into the past, especially as a lens to understand what is happening around me today. I was particularly interested in your take on Christianity being foisted on Indian people as I also believe the same happened in so many other cultures around the world. India’s culture seems to be so rich and connected to its past probably more so than most cultures which feel white-washed with “modernism” to obfuscate a lot of truths. I am by no means a historian, but I remain curious about the roots of Christianity and videos like this provide small confirmations that my machinations may not be so far removed, not because I want anything to change but mostly to reinforce the personal rationalizations that make me unique. Thanks again and well done.
Wow, this video was so educating and eye-opening. Well done. As a Somali, unfortunately our society is not immune to colorism. We really put light skin females and males on a pedestal. Colorism in Somalia has increased in the past 30 years due to increased Arab and Turkish influence in war-torn Somalia. Before the somali civil war, we used to praise dark skin and bleaching was rare. But now that Arabs and Turks have infiltrated out culture, we are now so colorist against our natural dark skin :(
I will never forget the man I saw that was so "black" that he was blue. I was a teen in the late '60s in a university town that was beginning to welcome people from around the world. He almost glowed. It was like he was blue around the edges. Of course I did not stare or study him as that certainly would have been rude. I was and still am entranced... maybe he was a god?
I'm sri lankan and although i come from a very mixed race background, I'm glad i have russet brown skin due to my strong Dravidian maravar warrior lineage on my dad's side. I can pull off a variety of colours, dressing sense wise. I wouldn't be able to do that and look fabulous if i were to be pale!
Thank you so much!! When i said nowadays small creators are doimg masterpieces i meant it! I hope you continue this now whenever i have to explain someone something about indian skin tones i will recommended them your video hopefully people's perspective change after whatching your video atleast slightly. I also think that like in china they have a century of humiliation we should also have something like that in our syllabus so to educate our masses.
Thank you for your research. I love that people all over the world are taking on new attitudes towards diversity. We are learning to love ourselves again. Bit by bit you are helping to heal the world.
10000% Indians are redefining what beauty is! Even my skin ranges from wheat to very dark. Each shade is beautiful! It took me years to see that in myself! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
Same thing still happens in Bangladesh. I'm the least favorite one in my own family just because I'm black and my younger brother is white. Every time I go to family gatherings people ask me what don't I use skin whitening creams or they suggest me to do so. I don't get it I don't want to be white I'm fine put the color of my skin and I wouldn't want it to be any other way. But I do feel sad for all the dark-skinned people in my country who had such difficulty is growing up. I feel their pain.
This is an informative and interesting summary of migration and geopolitics. My comment is however about your editing process. Although it is the trend to edit and eliminate pauses in speech, it is much easier to listen to when you are speaking at a natural pace that includes pauses. Personally, I need those pauses to give me time to absorb and digest what has been said. Without those natural pauses it is as if I am speed reading. I can do that, but it is questionable how much I actually take in and could repeat even five minutes later.
A Wonderful video and a wonderful channel! I'm from Turkey and I'm interested in Indian culture. This channel is really in depth! Waiting for more of your contents! 🎉❤
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As a Punjabi, I would say colourism is massive amongst my family, with my grandma constantly bragging about her kids and grandkids are light-skin. Fairer skinned girls and guys are seen as more attractive and it’s a shame because I actually find darker South Indian girls more attractive
colorism seems to be a pan-Indian thing so wouldn't say it's limited punjabis! But def can see where you're saying
Give your fair skin sister to me if she likes we can marry
@@musham6295you can't just give a human to someone as a prize bruh😂
@@TheEmissaryCoYes but it's chronic among Punjabis.
As An African American I find this story unique and similar to my culture experience.
Colorism isn’t just an Indian thing. Chinese, and Korean believe that white skin is more desirable and dark skin is an indicator of peasantry.
Yah it’s a common thing!
@@TheEmissaryCo no east Asians are atleast homogenous, Indians are not!
The Chinese are 'fair' skinned, so it's not relevant. Their aesthetic prefernce matches their own complexion. Indians by and large are not 'fair', so us fetishizing fair skin is idiotic and harmful.
😂 who cears what Asians think
@@anniemaraj8773 who cares what Indians think 🤣🤣🤣 first learn your own multiracial history cause unlike other Asians Indians are not homogenous in nature they are infact HYBRIDS 😂🤗
It’s like Kali Maa is said to have deeply black skin, but in modern times she is often depicted with blue skin
Very common phenomenon!
There are two reasons for blue skin colour -
1. It's about chakras & associated colours. Kali, Ram, Vishnu, Shiva, Krisna all are depicted in bluish/violet colour even Shiva who isn't originally black or dusky according to scriptures. The highest chakra aka "Sahastra/ Crown" Chkra's colour is associated with violet colour. That's why these deities also painted in violet colour as violet colour represent opening of Sahastra chakra.
2.During modern time painters realised it's not possible to show well defined shades of skin colour with black colour colour. So they started to use blue in place of black.
@@Abcd-vd8ebI read that the British despised black skin hue. And were angered and shocked at Indian portrayals of many black gods. It reminded them of Africans who they hated.
Centuries ago they pressured Indians to paint their Gods' including Sri Krishna as blue over black.
@@rosalynbeatty8310No it's false information.The violet/blue colour painting happened because of Chakras.
@@Abcd-vd8eb nope . Read the ancient texts . Vishnu was described as having skin like dark cloud in a blue sky ... THAT'S NOT sky blue 🫣
As an African, who is black, this was very interesting to watch. In Africa, we do have a couple of people who are concerned with their skin tone, but most people don't even process skin colour. Like I became aware of my blackness when I watched this video, it's not something that's constantly on our minds. A good portion of Africans enjoy being the colour they are and embrace everyone, and I hope Indians can do the same. Also it was good to know that you guys partially descended from us! Amazing. We really are all family.
Great message!
Lol colourism started because of Africans, when in ancient times Greeks, Arabs contacted india they praised India as heaven in terms of civilization, education, sciences, philosophies but only after they came in touch with sub Saharan Africans they got new perspective that black colour symbolises slave which was never case before.
Why?? Cause most bafricans doesn't have civilization, history, architecture, science only slaves.
Hence it's the fault of pblack man that black started getting associated with slavery.
Next thing, not just Indians all humans descended from early migration out of Africa. In fact a European is genetically more close to Africa than an Indian.
Next bAfricans are totally obsessed with not just white but anything not African.
90% of them import hair from India for wigs and they want badly to be notified as non blacks.
Talk to any eastern african from Ethiopia, Somalia they say on face that they're not black and got nothing to do with them.
❤
There are several (Sub Saharan) African countries where whitening skincare products/treatments are a business going into hundreds of millions of USD. Considering that those products can contain harmful ingredients, some countries (Ghana, Rwanda, Ivory Coast) put a ban on those. And even then, they're still being sold on the black market. Some others, like Nigeria, have declared skin bleaching a national health emergency, but I'm not sure about what actions the govt has taken afterwards.
If your region is not into skin bleaching, then I hope it stays this way.
We've heard of numerous west African women especially in Nigeria who bleach.
Mum from Punjab as well. Dad Afro Jamaican, I’m the only dark child, all my siblings are of a light hue as our mothers .
First time I met my indian grandmother, I was a pre-teen coming from Europe .
On a very hot and sunny afternoon, my sisters were playing in the backyard of my grandmother’s house. All of the sudden, we heard our grandmother scream. All frightened, we were wondering if there was maybe a snake in the yard, because she was urging my sisters to come back inside the house, promptly. Then she said this thing that made me forget about my Indian side and never go back to Punjab ever. She said to my sisters: the gods blessed you with a fair skin, if you are not careful, you might end up as dark as your brother. Don’t forget some black blood ( from your father’s side is what she meant), runs in your veins nonetheless.
I then realised why we’ve never been introduced to my Punjabi maternal family since we were born and why we grew up in Europe where mum remained after my birth.
3 decades later, I’m still traumatised as I reminisce it.
P.S: forgive my poor English, I’m a French native speaker from France.
Ayy je suis Français aussi, but ethnically Pakistani Punjabi. My skin is very light tan and so is most of my family in Pakistan (all white or light tan). But my cousins call Indians ugly cuz they’re generally darker than us (which is BS btw like I got an Indian Telugu friend in Ireland and she’s beautiful af, and a girl in my uni who is South Indian is like the prettiest girl there), and my grandma even bashed my cousin a lot during her childhood for playing outside, afraid that she’d darken up...
Tho Colorism isn’t as big of an issue in Pakistan I feel compared to India (from what I’ve seen, every time I vacation there), but the people there do got an inferiority complex, and prefer to be told they “look Arab” rather than Desi 💀. I also got a Bengali barber who said in the middle of my beard trim that I had a tiny dark spot under my lips and that I need to take care of it or I’ll end up completely dark skin and “ugly” like him (obviously joking but like wtf 😭).
@@DukeOfSummerset How sad. Many Egyptians also prefer light skin.
I hope you've found happiness with a family of your own that loves and accepts you for all the things you are. Your color is just packaging. That others would judge you or love you less because of it is stupidity on their part.
@
What hurts most is when such harmful stupidity comes from your own people, your dearest.
As a result I have been disgusted at the idea of having a family of my own.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I nearly slapped my mother, aunts and grandmother for saying about my daughter 'she's not fair enough'. It wasn't even an hour after she was born.
If it helps, many of us are moving away from, placing importance on skin color.
Bollywood is like religion, especially for North Indians. It has played a massive role in perpetuating anti blackness in India. Most North Indians are not fair skinned and are also victims to this evil film industry.
But they are not as black as Tamils either.
@@cuckoonut1208 yes that is true but its of no use for them as I see them Northies wearing long sock like gloves when riding scooters so their skin wont be even more dar ker. Tamils are darker simply because they are not scared of being out in the sun without gimmicks
@@cuckoonut1208 Most north indians are medium brown only. Tamils are dark brown.
@@cuckoonut1208 Not all tamils are black either, there is all types of phenotypes
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
As an African-American woman from Florida, this was absolutely relatable and shows that the disease of colorism spans across so many cultures. This was so well done and will enlighten many. Great work!
Thanks so much 😃
yeah it is everywhere. these leftbaastaads show everything as Indian thing.
"Enlighten" many?
I agree. I'm Biracial and my Mom's side is White & Biracial. They are no fans of dark skinned people and complained when I dated & married dark skinned men (both of my husbands were dark skinned). My Mom prayed none of my kids would be dark like my Dad & my ex-husband. Out of 7, only 2 of my kids are dark.
I'm black American from North Carolina and I love the discussion of colorism globally as we need to discuss too heal it. This is profound information and presentation. I love people and culture, I intend for us to all love ourselves as we were made in God's image!
In Asia if you're tan it implies you work outside and are poor. In western countries if you're tan it inplies you're weathy enough to enjoy outdoor leisure. This a cultural issue.
Western where? In the US it implies you either go to the tanning both or spray tan.. dark skin just means you have dark skin.. dark skin changes in the sun as well. I’m darker and during the summer you can see the redder tones come through!
Ok, but u kinda missed his point
That's just the excuse. I'm living in Southeast Asia in a multicultural country. When I was young, I heard from my Chinese friend that fair skin covers many flaws. Even Japanese had that saying a fair skin covers 7 flaws. Never heard poor means dark, fair means rich until recently.
You have small eyes, it's ok, your fair skin can distract it. Flat nose, no worries, your fair skin can distract it. Being a total b*tch, don't care, still get respected because of your fair skin. Of course, no Asians would admit this because it would showcase how insecure they are with their ethnic features. That's why they encourage their daughters to marry white guys to get rid of their features.
Many of them have the audacity to call beautiful dark skin with sharper features and bigger eyes like Indians ugly, and think their flat face and small eyes look beautiful because of their fair skin.
Just swap our brown skin with East Asians,you'll see there's them differently. Unless they have high cheekbones or sharp nose, they can't pull of dark skin.
@johnbtt it's racism period.Stop making excuses and being apologists for racism
It's racism not cultural.Brahaminism is a hierarchical society base on caste/colour-shading.Stop making excuses and apologist for racism
I love that you mention the Arab slave trade that everyone is so afraid to mention all the time
Yes, if only they know what hell they brought to Africans, you would see a major shit in the world.
So sad that people have been trained to not love their skin color. Personally I think dark-skinned humans are generally very attractive and wish they were more well represented in Bollywood
Indeed!
@@TheEmissaryCo Watch some Tollywood
It starts at home.
You are a minority.
@@carymui3143 Hear hear 🗣️🗣️🗣️
*As an African (Nigeria), the issue of colorism is something I'm kind of glad isn't really a big issue in my country. Sure, people praise fair skin, but we still love our dark skin, and people aren't really discriminated against it in movies or media or in terms of desirerability. Caz, I can't imagine adding colorism to issues like tribalism, religious bigotry, and other ills of our society*
Nigerian here also we don’t really discriminate in regards to colorism but colorism still has some subtle psychological effects that people use to determine how they treat someone
lmao....I lived in Nigeria for 5 years, bleaching is even more rampant today than back in the days when Fela sang "Yellow Fever"
@proverbalizer The point I was trying to make is that unlike India where if you're dark-skinned, you may not get a movie role or get a particular job or even be desirable for marriage, that's not the case in Nigeria. Bleaching exists, sure but it's something that is still talked down upon
@@SamiOklo Yes probably it is not as bad as in India (though I have never been there), but Nollywood still seems to push the lighter skinned actresses to the forefront (just not as blatantly as Bollywood does).
There was also a time around 10-20 years ago when the majority of Afrobeats music videos all had to have light skinned or foreign looking video vixens (Wizkid Baba Nla is one example I can easily think of... but there were so many it was crazy), but actually I am happy that trend has changed in recent years and now you can usually see a lot of beautiful brown and dark skinned African looking women in Afrobeats videos
but seems you cannot get a job as a model for any soap, moisturizer or skin care product unless you are light skinned (in fact it is even better if you look like an Indian). Go to any store or pharmacy trying to buy soap and all you see is row after row of shelves filled with products claiming to make you lighter or brighter...with crazy names like "pure white gold" "white secret" "white and lovely" "caro white". "fair and white", but since some people don't like bleaching they now use euphemisms like "toning" and "glow gang" and "brightening" and even "organics" (the most crazing rebranding ever LOL), I have just enough melanin to enjoy the sun freely, so I was almost afraid to buy anything to use on my skin except pure raw shea butter, and pure raw black soap, or sometimes some American brands of normal soap I could recognize like "dove")
it's the same on Instagram, every page I have ever seen of a Nigerian selling skin care products will be trying to sell products that claim to be solutions to make your skin lighter.
but yes you are right, 99% of everyone in Nigeria is what we would call black, so you don't have as much outright discrimination again black people as you do in places like the U.S, India, Cuba etc. So yeah, in normal life, average jobs, school etc. darker skinned people can't just be pushed aside or excluded when they are still the majority
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
As a Black American this was truly eyeopening and I learned a lot. I am also filled with joy that India is reclaiming Herself. Thank you
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Mahabharata hero arjuna (greatest archer) in indian itihasa(history) is described to have "as dark as leadder of pack of elephant" and praised for his beauty
Yes I was going to include him too! But missed
@@TheEmissaryCo I love how you are making these anti-colonial videos and contributing to re-awakening the pride about indians., Like indians being proud about their own skin colour, values and culuture and moving away from colonial narratives of self-hatred, self-loathing and shame.
@@TheEmissaryCo Self hating indians (dravidianists, ambedkaries, geneticcel-kangers etc) are gonna be pretty mad at you.
@@TheEmissaryCo Not to mention Lord Krishna's name literally means dark. Lord Rama was dark too. Draupadi, the heroine of Mahabharata and wife of the Pandavas (including Arjuna) was also called Krishna due to he color. With dark skin and golden blonde hair, she was one of the most beautiful women of her time.
Arjun is actually White but Draupadi is Dark. Would that ever be encouraged in today’s society, a light man marrying dark woman? Hell no.
i'm half punjabi half himachali and the colourism is SO strong in my family. my mom is dark skinned and practically my entire childhood was her being glad that i got the light skin genes so i wouldn't be bullied about it in school. the kids in her school were absolutely brutal to her. every time i got a tan from being in the sun (like, i'm light skinned, but i'm still brown. i tan so easy) she would freak out and start doing weird homemade concoctions to get rid of my tan. it sucked being on the receiving end of the internalized colourism from my own mom. she was trying to protect me but all it did was reinforce these ideas that light skin = good and dark skin = bad. to this day she'll say stuff like "you're so pretty but you're too tan these days". i went swimming in an outdoor pool a few times over the summer and i still have the tan and she can't wait for me to lose the tan and transform into a white girl come winter. everywhere i go it's just colourism.
So sorry to hear :(
Your mom sounds really nice and protective of you.
@@TheEmissaryCo she's actually a terrible person lol but in the colourism respect she really did try to protect me she just did a bad job of it
@@ishathakor Damn, no hesitation roasting your mom, but i get it.
"Colourism?" IGNORANCE and bad education.
❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮
You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen.
When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.)
If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL.
It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade.
Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality.
Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance.
Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes!
White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂
"Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
Same but my family was glad my sister is fair skinned and my being the son fair skin didn't matter much, as much it would be for my sister.
don't know how i got this recommended but i'm glad i did. maybe this video will reach millions of other Indians as well.
Happy to have you on board!!
It is very sad😢
India is destroyed physically, mentally, socially.
What can be done next😮
India will rise due to people like you :)
@@TheEmissaryCo bruh he uses emojis in his comments I doubt it, but Bharat will indeed rise
Absolutely no negativity allowed! OK This is one more arab / colonial cancer that has infiltrated into our minds in the last thousand+ years. But is it not true that even now we can NEVER imagine or depict our beloved Krishna, our awesome Kaali, our valorous Rama, our all pervading Vishnu, as any other shade than a shining, blazing, very dark. Compare it to Jesus, who must have been, could have been, only a non-Caucasian dark or at least brown. He has been fully transformed into a pale, white-skinned, anaemic looking person with European features. No exceptions to this unreal depiction. So we Indians have more reason to be optimistic that this little aberration will fade out soon enough.
Don’t worry brother nothing can defeat us, we have endured since the beginning of time.
Nothing, it is too late, India will become another Latin America for the West.
After a long time, RUclips has finally recommended such an amazing video! The depth of the topic was incredible. Keep it up - I’m definitely binge-watching your channel! ;)
Thanks so much 😊. I am a new RUclipsr so hopefully the quality keeps getting better with each new video I make
me too
Me too.
While waiting at a crosswalk in London, a man who appeared to be Indian said, "I like your color". It was a surprising and unusual compliment!
I come from the north central USA and compared girls who tanned easily, I always felt too pale. I said thank you, but now I wish I would have said, "I like your color too!"
Next time I'll be ready 😊
of course he liked your color. your probably; lighter than him
That would be a sweet way to reply in the future! I definitely sympathise, when I was a kid my classmates would tease me by saying I needed to “drink more blood”(like a vampire) because I was so pale. I get severe burn on partly cloudy days so I always wear long sleeves and huge hats in the summer. All skin tones are beautiful, even if ours offer less protection 😂
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
This video is insightful and great. It's like a whole history of India in 30mn. I subscribe.
Thank you! 😊
I absolutely love this!!! Dark Skin was, is, and still forever will be bold and beautiful!!!
😃😃
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
Man this channel deserves millions of subs instead of that rathee, Absolute masterclass of video making
Agreed.
Please do share to help me get there :)
Absolutely doing that bro nothing would be better than seeing you grow. @@TheEmissaryCo
Hinduism still has a bleak future, it is too expensive for the average person, nobody has time to read so many scriptures and do so many rituals. Cross is far more efficient and will conquer India soon.
Total agree!! 💯💯💯
You were correct in pointing to Bollywood, but there's a lot of bias against Dark Skin in Southern Film Industries as well because a lot of South Indians, today, themselves prefer light skin and have an inferiority complex of their own skin colour.
But as you said rightly that things are changing for the good, given that the Western world itself is moving away from its pro-white bias to a pro black narrative.
Of course this means that India will change as well given the mental colonisation that most Indians have that always looks to the West for inspiration.
Great point! Definitely pan-India
Your viewpoint is so accurate. As an African American. It seems we are slowly challenging and calling out all the Colonial viewpoints that hurt the beautiful fabric of all groups on Earth.
True i am indian (19F) and i startedusing phone since i was 14 and mostly watced American content the dark skin representation there made me like it and now I have no colour bais@@Zimaala
No excep5 in Malayalam we few decayed back actresses don’t even put makeup.bollywood also dev anand, amitabh, sharukh khan , mithun are actually dark compared to very fair other hero’s. In south rajnikant , Vijay are dark while there are fair ones who are not so popular
@@RaniS.S01 same im only 17 but will always accept myself because i asked my parents to stop using baby powder to my face because i always hated it
“Your channel truly deserves so many more subscribers and views! The amount of effort you put into the research and video editing is extraordinary. Every video is so well-made, and it’s clear how much passion and dedication you put into your content. Keep up the amazing work!” Also like this line “ Story about a people who used to worship black gods but ended up worshipping white men” 👌👌
Wow thank you so much! Very humbled and appreciated 🙏🏽🙏🏽
nah.
He needs to go back to college, study some real science, and clean up his thinking before producing more long Selfie-documentaries that continue discussions that would have died long ago, except for religion's battle with science's Objective Reality.
❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮
You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen.
When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.)
If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL.
It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade.
Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality.
Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance.
Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes!
White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂
"Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
As an African this been very educational thanks for sharing. 🎉🎉🎉
Glad it was helpful!
Non Indian here. Wow, this was a mind-blowing documentary!! Really eye opening. I hope India, eventually, returns to its ancient roots!
Thank you! Me too 👍🏿
@@TheEmissaryCo same i really really wish that too but practically speaking do u think its possible ?
...but only to the good things thereof please! - no castes, no widow-burning, no girl-infanticide, ....
@@Freiya2011 Of course!
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
I've spent significant time in India over many decades and i have a memory that goes to your point: I'm a native Californian and a sun "worshiper" (have the skin cancer to prove it). When I returned to India with a nice, dark tan, my friends (more than one) said, "oh Brian, what have you done? You look dirty!". That was the first time I really understood the "shame" you are talking about -- but I agree that the attitude is changing among the young. There is still a lot of division among castes, people from the south and north, etc., but it is improving slowly. So, young people like you talking about these issues directly is very important -- thank you! Brian
I love the diversity of India. It's beautiful. So many languages & regional cultures.
It’s great 🇮🇳😊
Sorry, but Diversity is not our strength, it is a curse for those who live in India. A pan Indian connecting language needs to exist.
It's not good at all... But u being a typical liberal left dont have the mental ability of understanding things....
This video should blow up and go viral. Truly amazing quality work. Great research and all the best for the future!
Fingers crossed! And do share to help :)
Quality writing, in an Old World sense. Sort of like picking up Austin Texas's newspaper South Asian Times to laugh at the overuse of Passive Voice grammar from the 1800s.
❤ Great visuals,❤ otherwise this is a long Selfie. 😮
You need to brush up on scientific critical thinking. This video is a comedy of humanity's historical errors, and your historicity does little but cloud the reality behind pre-science humanity, a deep and intelligently expressed ignorance decorating empty opinion, often based on metaphysical invention of Paternal Supermen.
When you truly understand Evolution, you understand how the human idea of god EVOLVED into the three main religions with MEN CONTROLLING WOMEN because that enhanced reproductive success (that is how Evolution works. It does not mean "change" but is a process that happens by enhancing reproduction, as in cars, organism, toothpaste, software (except monopolies like Windows), and New Improved Tide.)
If one re-examines history with 2010's sequencing of the human genome which proved we are all 99.9% the same, you find the only things that separate us are DELUSIONS = "Beliefs without evidence, except religion" LOL.
It was always prejudice and victimization by skin tone. So instead of continuing to use the word Race or Racism which have no meaning beyond prejudice decided by minor genes for skin tone, call it bigotry by skin shade.
Stay close to scientific empirical objective reality.
Further "ethnic" or skin tone separation as "black people" (or "white," etc ) with notions of a ridiculous "diaspora" just perpetuate the ignorance.
Oh, and why do people dislike others? ENVY. USA's segregation started in East Coast public swimming pools intended to bathe the poor, but only AFTER they integrated all sexes!
White people KNOW they are ugly. That's why they try to tan. 😂😂😂
"Like children, traditions should be SEEN and NOT... taken seriously." - Steampunk Mark Plimsoll
You are so eloquent man! This level of wordplay and narrative delivery is impossible to get from the people indegenous to the land, cause the current ethos ensures to kill all possiblities of creative fruition. People here just don't know anything about cultures of the world or thier own, its refreshing to see someone can blend and represent on global stage
thanks so much for the kind words!!! I try :)
While I too appreciate his content, but most people I know can put across their points legibly, you from Bihar or smth?
@@laabh9949I bet you feel proud of yourself for knowing exactly how well each and every Bihari alive articulates ☺️
@@laabh9949Bihar is to Indians what the India is to the rest of the world😂😂
@@kaushiksunapu5657 I dont need to know how well every bihari speaks when I'm talking about only one
Great video. I’m from the US so this gave me a better perspective on the depth of Indian history and the interaction with various foreign influences. I am African-American and our community is beginning to shed old colorist notions of beauty (sort of). It is troubling to learn how pervasive it is in various cultures (South Asian, African, Latine) to associate positive images with light skin and negative connotations with dark skin. It is perhaps the most enduring holdover from colonialism. A people is never free unless they embrace themselves as they are.
Yes self-acceptance is key
@brian - it's also pervasive among North East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) and South East Asians (TH, VN, PH, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc). In SE Asia, many celebs/ models are light skinned and/ or hapas/ hafu (half mixed with European).
Light skinned people are considered as more beautiful and/ or higher social status (not peasants or working outdoors). Lots of skin lightening products too. It's a sad remnant of colonialism. For those countries which weren't colonized, light skin is a status symbol.
Colonization & colonialism haven't been committed just by White people. Non-Whites(including Blacks) are equally guilty of committing both acts.
Well said
I am a black woman and I understand what you're saying. Colorism for black people mostly begins and ends with beauty standards, (which is still bad) but we don't actually practice colorism like rewarding light skin people for being light, and punishing or denying dark skin people for being dark. It was white people who did that, not us.
You have earned a subscriber
I actually detest RUclips videos regarding Indian historiography, which were generally sourced through materials collected through colonial lenses.
But this is the most well informed, comprehensive but relateble content presentation i have encountered .
👍👍More power to you
Thank you so much and for subbing!
Sita is quoted making a telling statement in the ramayana when tribal women in the forest ask her who among Ram and Laxman is her man. “The savarna is my husband, the gaur is my devar.” Sita uses the term Savarna to signify dark skin. Savarna of course translates from Sanskrit to “with color”, and refers to high caste indian groups.
wow did not know that story!
Which version of ramayana is this?
@@JohnNobody_The original Valmiki version, there is another mention of this when Supernakha comes to Ram and Lakshman. The original is free online as well, and is very different from later retellings.
Also There are 3 krishna in Mahabharat All are called most beautiful and Attractive... Kanha ji , Arjun and Draupadi... Three of them had Dark skin but were described as very beautiful with poetry written about them...
@@namas0 original valmiki version doesn't exists bro (-_-)
Every shade of Indian is beautiful. I am a non-Indian and I find that Indian people in all shades are beautiful. You have beautiful features, body proportion and hair. You adorn yourselves with the beautiful textiles, jewelry and henna of your culture. I find it unimaginable that any of you would find your shades undesirable. I think the very dark Indians look the most interesting, to be honest. 🌸🙏🏽🌸
I once posted a picture of a black Indian on Reddit and asked whether it would be a close representation of Krishna. The way people bent over backwards to explain that black doesn't really mean black and that he was Aryan so white, flying in the face of everything known about Krishna and Visnu.
There's more to racism and it all comes down to the age of lies we live in.
Lot of water has flown under that bridge. the entire 'aryan race' theory has seeped deep into indian minds.
@@Dariusdagr8 Kali Yuga in full effect
Yah they’re dumb
jatak katha's vasudeva is not black but jatak katha's kanha is black, that's why you see many people are confused over them. same goes with shiva etc.
Krishna was called krishna cause he had a dark complexion..similarly draupadi was called krishna too ..she had a darker complexion as well..people are so dumb. The name krishna signifies darker complexion
Stupendous! A man after my own heart❤.. I have family stories exactly like yours. We have a spectrum of skin tones among siblings and cousins. Have struggled to make sense of the overt racism in Indian pop culture for years. Your video puts it all in a clear context. Thank you so very much!!
thank you for watching and do share :)
This reminded me of my visit to Guruvayur temple (temple dedicated to Krishna located in kerala). Where the walls of the building housing the idol of Krishna is filled with murals of him from different part of his life. And in all of the pictures he is depicted in a dark bluish-black colour. Which was a surprise to me as in most modern represent he is depicted fairer skin colour. I did a bit of digging about it and realized that the transition of colour to a fairer one is a relative modern phenomena due to the change in culture.
But, now as mentioned in the video the culture is shifting again take for example Krishnakumar Balasubramanian. He is the actor who played the role of Krishna in the biggest Indian film to date called Kalki 2898 AD. His skin colour is relatively darker compared to other represent in popular media. Hope this is a start of a new trend.
I need to watch that movie still!
@@TheEmissaryCo I believe it's available in Netflix.
WOW, what a insightful video..Being of African decent i see so many parallels concerning Africa. Love the ancient Egyptian statue in the background ( Heru ?? ) Your level of honesty & understanding of history provides such great context, is spot on..Strange many years ago I took on a middle spiritual name of Bhakti( Devotion ) but your video provided me with a whole new level of information about devotion & Blackness.. In many countries in Africa the color Indigo has powerful spiritual significance as in India..Thank You, for this insightful video. A new Fan of your channel
Thanks for watching and the kind words. Happy I sparked some connections 😃
As an American, i love my Indian doctors. ❤
😄😄
I always thought the golden dark brown color of Indians was so beautiful. Indians have such a unique skin tone. I myself am Latina.
As an Indian I take responsibility for racism
I salute your honesty and ownership 🫡
Marry a black skin indian then talk
@@TheEmissaryCo instead of colourism it should be racism as Indians are of all races.
@@musham6295 there are many Indians who have married black skinned Africans I think that should be enough but it is the Indian media who doesn't talk much about them.
Respect to you 💯 sir
I have travelled in central and western India and this one community called 'Patidars' in western MP associate dark skinned boys with more physical and mental strength than the lighter skinned boys. It was like a new discovery for me.
Hmmm interesting idea!
Patidars mean Patel??
@@Abcd-vd8ebpatil.
Colorism plays a huge role in the racist North Indians have toward South Indians as well. On top of that most North Indians aren't fair like Bollywood either even in Punjab vast majority of them are wheatish tone than the very pale fair skin Bollywood Khatri clans (THE THREE KHANS) show off since they're originally from Afghanistan. Even famous Bollywood actresses' like Alia Bhatt, Kiara Advani, Dia Mirza, Jacqueline Fernandez, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Evelyn Sharma, are ALL 1/2 or 1/4 white. And before the last couple of years almost all these actresses' endorsed bleaching creams like fair and lovely to their young wheatish/dusky/dark toned Indian fans...
This is fetishization in colourism. It is also something the British bought with as it did in Africa - when associating colour with sexual prowess and virility in both females and males. It also justified brutal sexual assaults and rapes by the colonizers and enslavers.
Proud, unapologetic and aspiring perfectly described how new generation of Indians are today also fantastic documentry going in full depth and well presented facts you are really amazing man believe me you will also witness the same rise as India is now going to witness. Excited for more such video with love and regards. 👍❤
Thanks so much for the kind words! Do share the video to help the rise 😄
As a black person, the first time I saw an Indian, I was only five, my father went to study for a Scholarship at Purdue University and there were people from all over the world, but the only ones not dressed like westerners were the Indian Women? They were all dark brown like me except for a few, who looked plainly white, and kinda ill suited for all the colorful ethnic clothes that Indian women wore. I didn't even take note the dark skin, because I was black, I just thought that Indian women were the most beautiful women I had ever seen. It wasn't until much later that I learned darkskin Indian women were not the preffered women in India, even though by every metric they were physically the most striking add to that the dark skin made the bright clothing and jewelery stand out. Great show: I always thought anti-blackness in India was purely an English colonizer invention.
This is an eye-opener. Younger generations are getting the grasp of all humans being the same. If people think carefully about their physical structure they will notice that we consume food through the mouth and the waste have an exit like everyone else. There is nobody superior in that.
One added element is that acting in films wasn't considered particularly appealing or reputable, so many actors and stars came from mixed race, or non-Indian backgrounds (Helen, Sulochana etc) This only further reinforced the "west eurasian" look at more appealing to Indians.
woah very interesting! didn't know that
and Amy Jackson, Kareena Kapoor, etc.
I heard now the rapper tee grizzly getting pretty popular over there.
@@nickb839 in India?
There are many Indians who have nothing to do with this land like ,there are like so many yemenis in Gujarat and Hyderabad ,Armenians in Bengal ,some chinese too,let's not forget the Jews ,Parsis,Arabs, and so many more ,are you gonna forget them? And ohh the siddhi people 😢@@TheEmissaryCo
This is the Best vídeo I 've ever saw about colorism! Thank you. I understood the similarities between Índia and Brazil . I'm brasilian só I can tell you, we had the same problems here: colonialism, invasions, slavery... but things are changing , for better ❤❤❤❤
Thanks so much!! 💙🇧🇷
FYI slavery wasn't introduced to Brazil by Portugal. It was already there when the Portuguese came.
@@goldenvulture6818oh,really? By whom? Theach US,please.
This is a fantastc video. I grew up in a majority Punjabi area as a white guy and I've absorbed so many myths and misconceptions about the Indian race. Thanks for setting the record straight
🙏🏽🙏🏽
@@nolanpeters5462 Race is a pure construct in society. There used to be two human traces, Neanderthal and Homo sapiens, that co existing for some centuries.
Since, there is only one human race on Earth, which is Homo sapiens sapiens. Phenotypes aren’t stupidity categorised into races, those lies built up to justify colonialism, and still almost everyone believes them.
By the way, an indian race as such doesn’t exist, as it is mix of many different physiological traits . They are people I personally know, who look Caucasian but have an African grand parent with the darkest skin you’ve ever seen. Does that make them multiracial even though they look blond with features associated with a “Caucasian face “ ?
@@AA-ui2wk Well that's a little toooooo one love commie for me. Ethnicities and cultures are unique and different and that is a good thing. Race is a thing, we just dont need to be assholes about it
Emissary makes awesome videos. Articulate, unbiased, great communicator and full of facts. Deserves lot more followers.
Thank you!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Most enlightening. I am of mixed Indian and European ethnicity, and although my Indian ancestors are Tamil, this is not evident in the appearance of most members of my family. Having said that, there are close relatives who thankfully show more evidence of our great Tamil ancestry. South Indian culture is after all the oldest and purest Indian culture
Really great video! Love learning about history and im fascinated by India's rich culture. Lots of love from Brazil!
Love Brazil 🇧🇷😄
Quality of videos is going up and up. Jordar bhai.
Thanks a ton ✌🏽 bhai
I'm Mexican American and great video you made about colorism in India sadly not just in India also the fair skin admiration could happen in Mexico and Latin American countries I remember when watching the Mexican telenovela or Colombian telenovela etc. they depict the light skin or fair skin to be cast as protagonist and the brown skinned to be cast as antagonist or villain or as extra or background actor.
Thank you for this masterclass! It answered many questions I had about ancient India. I suscribed immediately.
Thank you so much 😊
Excellent video! Glad to see it being discussed openly. I studied Asian literature and art in university and was always confused about the visual and written depictions of Indian gods such as Krishna and Kali. No one at school ever spoke about it in detail. Your video added much needed context, especially regarding Muslim and Turkic influences on Indian culture. Thank you!
It's really hard being a dark-skinned Indian. I can't stand looking into the mirror because I'm absolutely disgusted by and ashamed what I see. Not to mention how I'm treated by others. It's nice to know that if I were born a few thousand years earlier, I would be the beauty standard.
Sorry to hear that bro. These days a lot can be solved by getting jacked! Look at Ankit Baiyanpuria 😃 Either way there is nothing wrong with your skin color! It’s Krishna ☺️
@@TheEmissaryCo Yeah, I'm working on it. Nice to see the perception changing at least a bit, with actors like Sethil Ramamurthy and Dhanush getting roles in Bollywood and Hollywood movies
@@JohnDoe-zg6qt watch some African movies and get inspired
Hey i am 19 year old indian girl and i have no colour bais beacuse i exposed myself to western content where beauty standards are nowadays being tanned it helped me change my perception 180 degress trust me its changing!
@@RaniS.S01 yayyy good for you 🤗
28:46 , You should see this animated movie "arjuna the warrior prince" . Apart from it being great movie in many aspects and considered milestone in indian animation, it features heroes of mahabharata (arjuna and krishna) in their actual skin tones.
Wow I need to check it out!
Right that was such a great show but unfortunately we didn't succeed it back then.
@@TheEmissaryCo Please do watch it. I am sure you will love it! It is very underrated but great.
@@TheEmissaryCo Yeah, please watch that movie. I am sure you will love it. It is underrated but it is great.
I am Indian from Hyderabad city i have R2a Haplogroup i got
The Iran_N=60%
AASI ancestry=30%
Steppe ancestry=10%
I am Wheatish skin person i look like Vijay Deverakonda and Rana Daggubati mixed😊
25:20 he actually succeeded today. If you think about it, all of the Indian success today is due to American outsourcing. And literally everyone on the internet speaks English and writes English and despises Indian languages like Hindi and Sanskrit.
Valid perspective yah!!
@RahulkumarMak actually spiritual seekers very much honour the Sanskrit language
So true, I can't even write Bengali anymore!! 💀💀
while both of them are composite of multiple languages.
Speak for yourself. There are people who live in the White English speaking world that take pride in talking and writing their language and being in touch with Sanskrit.
I'm a black African and I found this so interesting. Us non-white people are gripped by colourism and it's fascinating to learn about how each one developed within our parts of the world.
i really expected you to have more subscribers with this much quality, awesome work
Much appreciated! Do share so we can get those subs up!!
Growing up with zee world,i really believed being dark-skin was a rare thing for Indians.I remember watching Krishna and thinking WOW,i've never seen an Indian this dark.As I grew up,i realized how false that is and made me understand how important representation is.Thank you for this video.I really liked it
Thanks for nice words
Strange cuz literally every beggar and labour is dark skinned
Where are you from?
A very well done video. Very instructive! I’m East African and like Indian we have every shade in every household
What a comprehensive take on colorism in India. Truly unique and must watch. And definitely noticed the new lighting and editing. 👍from me.
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for touching on the part of history between the ancient times and British colonialism with quotes. The reason it's skipped over often is because talking clearly about it is seen as a Hindu nationalist idea.
This is the most concise video I have seen which touched every important bit without making it too long. 👏👏👏
🙏🏽🙏🏽
I have been down many a YT rabbit hole. This discourse on colourism was well-researched, pithy & reflective of the current zeitgeist! Kudos.
Thanks 😊
Loved the presentation. Excellent job
Thank you 😃
Bang on! So much eloquent & articulate!!
Thank you Sankalp!!
Great video been to India and of Indian roots. Some powerful empires got to India that alone would change so much. Bless
Yah definitely and thank you!
Awesome breakdown. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Fascinating. Loved the historical detail and the warm, engaging relaxed style of presentation. Great job. Thank you 👍🏾
Thank you! 😄
What an in-depth take. I never heard about how these issues go back further than the fleeting British rule.
What a wonderful video. Well explained. It also made me sad to think how from a society that didn't care much about skin colour, we have become one that is obsessed with it. Hopefully things are changing as you mentioned at the end of the video and we will accept ourselves as who we are without any sense of shame.
Well said!
India historically was not a color conscious society. Colonialists attempted to divide the castes by color but failed because they observed that all colors are present in all castes. Both the hero and the villain of the Hindu epic "Ramayana" are dark skinned.
Really loved your work, If you keep making videos consistently and of this level I can assure you that you will be viewed by the masses and lots & lots of people would be impacted by the great work you do.
Yes I need to speed up production!! Thanks :)
What a fantastic sane and apolitical analysis of India's people groups!
Very well put together. This description is probably the closest that anyone has ever gotten to the truth. I wish for all Indians to see this and understand that you can take pride in being Indian no matter the colour of your skin. It is very important to learn from history so that we may build a better future. Kudos to The Emissary, keep it up. 👍
Hey Great work brother. Quality and Information is put together very well. Good luck with you channel! Really glad you pointed out that Indians themselves loved Dark skin, but due to foreign migrations we learnt there ignoreness. Also great work on pointing out its wasn't just the British this Colorism came in from the Arabs and Turks etc its often forgotten.
Thank you!
Highly informative and inspirational. Thank you for this brilliant vid. I subscribed and I'm looking forward to more of your insight and teaching via vids like this.
Welcome aboard! 🙂
people in india fight within india over trivial issue.
Yah lol
That's the same across the world, not just India. It's a problem we are all facing
Just discovered your channel, enjoyed the production quality and your candor. Love Indian people and cultural diversity, though as a dark-skinned person, I have found this to often be an unrequited affection. Since my childhood in the late 1950s to the present day, whether conscious or not, presumption of character, intelligence, and skill is strongly influenced by skin color and features, not just in India and the Indian diaspora, but throughout every culture touched by colonial influencers who believe in race, color, and gendered hierarchy as intrinsic human qualities.
Thanks for kind words and for sharing your experiences!
Okay I've just watched the video, because the topic seemed interesting, but it was really nice to see such a well researched and written video essay. Great job!
Very interesting, thank you so much for sharing !
It’s even more interesting to witness how Indians are more open about this issue in their culture compared to other Asians. We all know how insanely obsessed Chinese and Koreans are w maintaining a fair skin tone. But they will never publicly acknowledge it. This just shows how ready Indians are to tackle this issue and move forward, unlike the rest of the subcontinent.
I’m watching you from France, again thank you a lot for your great work !
Thanks! I guess it’s cuz Indians have such a variety of skin tones so it’s very open
Amazing research. Thank you for making this video. I am not Indian; I am black, and I am always interested in gaining insight into the past, especially as a lens to understand what is happening around me today. I was particularly interested in your take on Christianity being foisted on Indian people as I also believe the same happened in so many other cultures around the world. India’s culture seems to be so rich and connected to its past probably more so than most cultures which feel white-washed with “modernism” to obfuscate a lot of truths. I am by no means a historian, but I remain curious about the roots of Christianity and videos like this provide small confirmations that my machinations may not be so far removed, not because I want anything to change but mostly to reinforce the personal rationalizations that make me unique. Thanks again and well done.
Wow, this video was so educating and eye-opening. Well done. As a Somali, unfortunately our society is not immune to colorism. We really put light skin females and males on a pedestal. Colorism in Somalia has increased in the past 30 years due to increased Arab and Turkish influence in war-torn Somalia. Before the somali civil war, we used to praise dark skin and bleaching was rare. But now that Arabs and Turks have infiltrated out culture, we are now so colorist against our natural dark skin :(
Thank you for watching! I had no idea about that in Somalia!!
There is no skin bleaching industry in Somalia or Ethiopia.
Skin bleaching products are mostly sold in Cameroon or Nigeria.
I am a new subscriber…I love learning and your videos are so well done…well researched…I am so glad that the algorithm suggested your channel
Thank you. Welcome aboard!
I will never forget the man I saw that was so "black" that he was blue. I was a teen in the late '60s in a university town that was beginning to welcome people from around the world. He almost glowed. It was like he was blue around the edges. Of course I did not stare or study him as that certainly would have been rude. I was and still am entranced... maybe he was a god?
You taught me something today. I bow humbly to you
No bowing needed. Just a handshake or fist bump 👊🏽
I'm sri lankan and although i come from a very mixed race background, I'm glad i have russet brown skin due to my strong Dravidian maravar warrior lineage on my dad's side. I can pull off a variety of colours, dressing sense wise. I wouldn't be able to do that and look fabulous if i were to be pale!
Thank you so much!! When i said nowadays small creators are doimg masterpieces i meant it! I hope you continue this now whenever i have to explain someone something about indian skin tones i will recommended them your video hopefully people's perspective change after whatching your video atleast slightly. I also think that like in china they have a century of humiliation we should also have something like that in our syllabus so to educate our masses.
Wow, thank you! Good idea 👍🏽
You got a new subscriber.
I like the way you try to talk through an Indian POV, explaining the whole video. I understood everything you said.
Thank you for watching and subscribing 🤝
Thank you for your research. I love that people all over the world are taking on new attitudes towards diversity. We are learning to love ourselves again. Bit by bit you are helping to heal the world.
I am from a south Indian family where we have fair, medium and dark. All of them. And it doesn't matter to us.
Your channel needs more recognition.
Do share to help me there :)
10000% Indians are redefining what beauty is! Even my skin ranges from wheat to very dark. Each shade is beautiful! It took me years to see that in myself! 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
Glad to hear 😄
I just can't wait to watch more of your future content!
Keep going man! Had never been this excited for any creator that I've known till date
So kind of you 🙏🏽 Working on a video as I type this and will release soon!
Same thing still happens in Bangladesh. I'm the least favorite one in my own family just because I'm black and my younger brother is white. Every time I go to family gatherings people ask me what don't I use skin whitening creams or they suggest me to do so. I don't get it I don't want to be white I'm fine put the color of my skin and I wouldn't want it to be any other way. But I do feel sad for all the dark-skinned people in my country who had such difficulty is growing up. I feel their pain.
Sorry to hear that happened to you bro! Be proud of your skin! It’s the way of the ancients
Honestly you shouldn’t criticize skin bleaching industry.
It’s a choice , unlike hijab.
Thanks for making this. Was not aware of the islamic part. Keep up the good work!
Yah it’s not often covered!
I worked with India and I learned to love and respect them.
Nice 🤠
Hi, there 🤗
I'm living in Greece and most of the time, specially in summer I spent on the beach,and I love to be a brouned ,and I'm so proud of this.
This is an informative and interesting summary of migration and geopolitics. My comment is however about your editing process. Although it is the trend to edit and eliminate pauses in speech, it is much easier to listen to when you are speaking at a natural pace that includes pauses. Personally, I need those pauses to give me time to absorb and digest what has been said. Without those natural pauses it is as if I am speed reading. I can do that, but it is questionable how much I actually take in and could repeat even five minutes later.
Thank you for the constructive critique! Yes I understand it can be a bit fast paced and will work on that for future videos
A Wonderful video and a wonderful channel! I'm from Turkey and I'm interested in Indian culture. This channel is really in depth! Waiting for more of your contents! 🎉❤
Thank you! Stay tuned😊