COMMENT | Beauty comes in many shapes, colours and sizes. As the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". It’s basically a matter of perception. What one person considers as beautiful might be different to others.

However, in Malaysia, most people would think being light-skinned is better than having darker skin. The proof can be seen through the massive influx of skin-whitening products that are available in our local market. These million-ringgit businesses prey on the insecurities of women (and men) and their discomfort about their own skin.

In the West, most beauty companies understand that they need to cater to the needs of customers of different races. However, in our country (and many other countries in Asia), there are local companies that boast that their products will make their customers’ skin not just a tone or two lighter, but completely white.

The perception that beauty means having white skin is not acceptable at all. Asian women and men should be comfortable with their natural features. It’s sad to see many of us spending hundreds, and maybe thousands, of hard-earned ringgit just to become fair or white.

Some advertisements about whitening products are borderline racist and misogynistic, targeting the insecurities of the people. We have all seen the common beauty product advertisements that show darker skinned women being treated differently from those who have lighter skin.

There was even one online advertisement that showed a woman being mentally and physically abused by her husband just because she was not white and slim enough...