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.

The advertisements of local beauty product companies are worse compared to their overseas counterparts.They know that most Malaysians do not have light skin and they are willing to ride on the insecurities of these people so that they can make money.

We are being pulled backwards in the effort to eradicate racism by thinking that white skin is much more favourable and superior than having dark skin.

I believe that this perception stems from the fact that our former colonial masters were white. The British have been gone for a while now, but our people still view them with awe, even to the extent of thinking that to be beautiful you have to be white like them.

Redefining beauty

With most of these products targeting women, I strongly believe that Malaysian women should take a stand to redefine what constitutes beauty. We want our women to love themselves for who they are.

Before the arrival of the colonial powers, the Malay community acknowledged that all types of skin colour were beautiful. That is why they referred to the different tones of human skin with beautiful words.

A person who is dark-skinned was called hitam manis, which literally means dark and sweet. For those who have lighter skin, they would be called kuning langsat, which bears the name of the sweet langsat fruit.

There were no derogatory terms for complexion types, as at that time, the community celebrated our vibrant cultural diversity not with animosity and hate, but with love and openness.

It is acceptable if you want to use beauty products to preserve the natural state of your skin, for example by using a facial wash to remove skin impurities (blackheads, whiteheads, et cetera), but using these products to change your skin colour is going too far.

However, it is worth noting that the light-skinned obsession is not exclusive to Malaysia, as almost all of Asia suffers the same deranged perception that being white or light-skinned is better than having dark skin. One particular NGO in India called Women of Worth has founded the “Dark is Beautiful” campaign to address this issue.

Malaysians should take note of this and understand that the colour of our skin does not determine our place in the world. We should also teach the younger generation that beauty is not skin-deep and to be comfortable with their own bodies. The key to happiness starts not with our superficial features, but comes from our personalities and the goodness of our hearts.

Be bold, be different, and most important of all, you should love yourself. If other people tell you otherwise, don’t be bothered. Believe me when I say that being dark-skinned or light-skinned is not an issue. You are beautiful just the way you are.

AHMAD SOFFIAN MOHD SHARIFF is executive secretary, Shah Alam Welfare Assiociation.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini