Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : October 31, 2013 12:05 PM IST
To those who haven't lived in India or experienced the deep prejudice against dark skin or pre-marital sex the new Tanishq ad might not seem out of the ordinary. But for anyone who's familiar with India's parochial mindset, the desire for fair skin and chastity will realise how revolutionary the ad is.
Directed byGauri Shinde who gave us the delightful English Vinglish the advertisement shows a dusky woman getting ready for her wedding. After that the ad shows her daughter insisting she wants to accompany her mother for the traditional saath phere (seven rounds), a request which is initially refused. Seeing his future wife distraught, the groom-to-be picks up the daughter and they take the rounds together.
We must say that this is a delightful change from the usually jewellery ads where sometimes, the thought of a mangal sutra is enough to convince a young girl to walk down the matrimonial road. Special mention should of course be made of all those ads for skin whitening that can apparently get a girl anything her heart desires, from her dream job as a cricket commentator to the perfect husband. Nowadays it's the norm for even actors to do similar ads suggesting that you need your make-up and cosmetics handy, even when you're doing stuff like rock-climbing or coaching a football team!
Advertisements are created for the masses and reflect the values society holds dear. Look at any of the ads from the United States in the 50s and 60s and you'll see how deeply chauvinist they were compared to our era. It's good that we're seeing a change because advertisements have a tremendous impact on our viewers. Just think how many people; especially children guzzle obesity-inducing soft drinks which are sold by their favourite stars. It's good that we're seeing this sort of an advertisement which says that it's okay to be dark, okay to have a broken marriage/relationship and okay to still love the child you had in that relationship. One swallow doesn't make a summer, but it's a beginning hopefully! (Read: Make-up tips for dusky women)
Loved this article?Vote for www.thehealthsite.com for the 'Website of the Year' Awardand stand a chance to win goodies. Don't forget to activate your vote from your inbox.
For more articles on beauty, check out our Beauty section and for videos, check out our YouTube Channel.
