The #UnfairAndLovely Campaign Tackles Skin-Lightening Creams

Images of the skin whitening product Fair & Lovely in the trash, promotions of beauty of all shades, and selfies that carry strong messages are all affiliated with the new campaign #UnfairandLovely that is tackling skin-lightening creams and South Asian beauty ideals.

Sri Lanken sisters, Mirusha and Yanusha Yogarajah were photographed by Pax Jones in a photo series called, “Unfair & Lovely,” and after a viral response, the three decided to begin a campaign about colorism and dark-skinned women from around the world. #UnfairandLovely has generated hundreds of stories on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

$400 million dollars are spent on skin lightening products a year in India. Pax Jones states that these products, “undermine the beauty of a select group of people and perpetuate various systems of oppression.”

 

Cover image courtesy of Pax Jones.

By S. Nicole Lane on March 16, 2016
Nicole is a women's health journalist living in Chicago. Her sex and art column, "Intimate Justice" can be found on Sixty Inches from Center. She also contributes to The Establishment, HelloGiggles, GO Magazine, and elsewhere. In addition to writing she is an artist who works with assemblage and sculpture. She tweets at @snicolelane.