Geography Vol 98 Part 2 Summer 2013 © Geography 2013 85 The complexities of complexion: a cultural geography of skin colour and beauty products The complexities of complexion: a cultural geography of skin colour and beauty products Oliver Picton ABSTRACT: This article explores the discriminatory and exclusionary nature of many advertisement campaigns for skin-lightening products. It employs textual analysis to examine a television advertisement for the product ‘Fair & Lovely’. The article explains how this particular advert serves to articulate both imperial and neo-imperial discourses. Analysis of the advertisement is used as a basis for a wider discussion of India’s ‘fairness complex’ and the complexities of complexion from a postcolonial perspective. The article demonstrates that imperialism – ancient and modern – and neo- imperial/globalisation discourses have provided the socio-cultural framework in which associations between white skin and beauty, wealth and success have developed. Mirror, mirror on the wall... ‘I am one out of three siblings. Both my brother and sister are quite fair while I had a dull complexion. I started using Fairglow recently and it appears as if I have got a new layer of skin on my body. I am now as fair as my siblings and this has given me wider acceptance in my family and friends circle. Thanks FairGlow and thanks to Godrej for a wonderful product’ (Fair Glow, 2011). Fairness (i.e. skin lightening) cream and soap sales in India represent an annual market of 6.75 billion rupees (US$150 million) or 60% of skincare sales. The fairness cream sector is growing at 25% per year compared with 15% for the cosmetic industry as a whole. In the Indian fairness product market, Fair & Lovely dominates with an 80% share of sales (ORGMARG, see Neilsen, 2011). One particular television advertisement (hereafter shortened to advert) for Fair & Lovely caught my attention because of how obviously it linked ‘fairness’ (i.e. whiteness) with beauty, wealth and success. The advert stimulated wide social debate across India regarding the nation’s ‘fairness complex’ because of its clear association between Skin lightening products for sale. Photo: © alexa627 (Creative Commons licence)