Hai Handsome! Dear Shah Rukh, endorsing fairness creams cannot be right

There are many things to love about Shah Rukh Khan. After all, he is one of the few Bollywood stars who, when he speaks, doesn't make you wonder if it is necessary to have a brain full of hot air to be a film star. He seems to be doing fine without getting arms that are human counterparts of beanbags. And finally, he has updated his screen age to 40, if Chennai Express is anything to go by. That's at least a decade less than his real age, but given how age is nothing but a wrong number for most Bollywood stars, this is a significant improvement.However, unfortunately, there are as many things to hate about Khan. If Chennai Express and the curd-noodles was not bad enough, it is fairly disheartening to see him prance around in a men's fairness cream, with women cooing "Hi handsome, hi handsome" at him. And worse still, in a recent interview, he's said there's nothing wrong with people using fairness creams.In an interview published on The Economic Times, this is what Khan had to say about endorsing Fair and Handsome."Apparently, according to research a lot of men do use fairness cream. I don't think it's wrong. I wouldn't do it if it was wrong. It's one of the highest selling creams. It's not harmful and in no way am I selling that fair is better than dusky or dusky is better than fair. I am not that kind of person."[caption id="attachment_1652361" align="alignleft" width="380"] Shah Rukh Khan in a Fair and Handsome ad. Agencies.[/caption]For starters, the fact that research shows that men use fairness creams doesn't legitimise the use of these creams. Different research projects at different points of time have also shown that there's rampant gender discrimination at work places and dowry harassment thrives in several parts of India. Does the existence of these statistics suggest that there isn't anything wrong with these practices?The fact is that fairness creams privilege one skin tone over another and essentially tap into a deep-rooted bias in our society. That's what makes them wrong and when Khan chooses to be associated with that brand, he is, as a matter of fact, saying that fair is better than dusky.Khan had always been deliciously self-deprecating about his ways of earning money. He has made abundant of fun of Bollywood stars like him dancing in the weddings of big industrialists, for instance. He's never made any bones about being someone trying to make an honest living, defending fairness creams isn't doing much for his reputation. It's one of those rare situations where a sense of humour doesn't save the day.In the same interview, "I would never belittle anyone on the basis of physicality. I would not tell my own daughter, 'Beta, aap dusky hain, thoda cream lagao.'"He also added that he had told the company that he hoped that they had roped Khan in to promote the handsome bit in the brand, not the fairness one, since Khan himself is not fair. Leaving aside Khan's high opinion of himself, the fact is that Fair and Handsome has not picked Khan for his looks, but for his appeal. (Which is rather ironic for a cream that would have you believe that fairer skin will improve one's destiny.)Khan's stardom cuts across social barriers and economic profiles. That's why he is considered a big-ticket endorser for everything from underwear to fairness cream. Consumer brands that target mass consumption, especially in India's humongous middle classes and lower middle classes, have often chosen Khan as their brand ambassador for this reason. If you look at some of Khan's significant commercials, they are all daily use items that are mostly consumed by the masses: Chawanprash, Navratan Cool Talc, Lux Cozy, Frooty, Nerolac Paints etc.  That just goes to show Fair and Handsome's target.While there's nothing wrong with products that improve the quality of your skin, it is not the same as wanting to lighten its colour. The privileging of fairness, especially in a still predominantly parochial society like India, is tied to an inherent racism and subtle strains of casteism (the assumption is that the lower one is in the caste pyramid, the darker they are). So people who want to and who are asked to use fairness creams are effectively being told to conform to an image that conforms to highly unfair social biases. Basically, they are being told that they need to look like something other than themselves in order to do well and be well-regarded. And when was that not wrong? Never!When the new crop of stars like Ranbir Kapoor have taken a stand against endorsing fairness creams, is it not, umm, fair that Khan stop doing so too? Especially since, as he has pointed out, he's made it despite not being particularly fair.