Being a Girl ...

No it doesn't take anything to be a girl. Just a little bit of patience to bear the world and keep it going despite all the odds. Trust me girls are the blessed gender. We can look good, we can talk good, we can heal you, we can kill you, you name it and we can do it.

I cherish every moment of growing up as a girl. The toddler days when I would nonchalantly bring out all the stuff from my mom's kitty and paint my face to glory, wear my sister's clothes in an attempt to look older, would wear those frilly frocks and sit pretty on my dad's lap, would be beaten up by my cousin brother and yet not utter a word for we loved each other a lot (and we still do), would be mad enough to consider marrying the milkman for the unfailing love I had for milk, and bathing my dolls and soft toys with shampoo water and the zillion other stupid things I would indulge in.

Little older yet a kiddo, with the dream of growing old and being in college. Those days were of making dad buy all kinds of gawdy accessories for me, fighting with mom over the silliest of things, and sharing gossips and also creating enough of them with my sister. From pre-nursery to school to college to grad school, the journey has been so special and growing up a girl I believe made all the difference.

We surely make a difference to the lives we brush through everyday. And why not we are the special ones. We can smile and get away with almost anything, can't we? So why not celebrate the joys of being a girl and take a pledge to make every girl feel special. Today and forever save me, save your sister, save your friend, save the girl child. She needs you, as much as you need her.

Not Fair...

 

“The responsibility lies with us, whether we are okay with being taken for a ride or can we be a bit smart about it?” This is an extract from a friend’s blog that got me thinking. 

We have been seasoned to think that fair is good and dark…no way. As a result every Indian girl aspires to get a tone lighter every day. We use a sunscreen not to protect ourselves from skin cancer but to avoid tanning. We are more bothered about getting a fair skin than a healthy skin. Now what I’m wondering is whether the various fairness cream and lotion advertisements are a result of this Indian psyche or they are actually molding it in a way to make people aspire for fairer skin. Relating fairness with success in career and love is a complete bullshit, but there are certainly takers for these kinds of promotion as well. 

This takes me back to ‘consumer behaviour’ lessons learnt during MBA. Those who have read about means-ends chain model in consumer motivation would know what I’m trying to point at. This model provides a framework to the marketers through which they use a feedback loop to understand consumer motivation, build brand/product strategy and create marketing techniques. Let me try and build the ladder for a fairness cream.

Fairness Cream -> Fair Skin -> Look Good -> Self Confidence -> Perform Better -> Social Acceptance -> Success/Happiness

Almost every product or service created so far and which has a market is because people derive some value from it. But fairness cream advertisers need to be a little bit more sensible in designing their ads. Creativity should be smart, subtle and not dumb or straight on the face. 

A couple of years ago, the GoI tried to stop airing of such ads that promote fairness creams on the premise that these are demeaning to women and promote complexion prejudices, but that didn’t bear fruits. Below is a snapshot of ad-spend of companies like HUL and Emami on such skin whitening creams.

Ad-Spend

It is for sure that this trend is here to stay; the only concern is why are these ads not made in a dignified way. People who have seen the 9X fairness cream ad would know how demeaning and insensible an ad can be! I’m putting up the 9X ad for my readers. Have fun and pity us while watching. Now going back to where I started, it is time we get a little smarter and be proud of what we are, be it anything, the skin tone, the language, the food or the culture.