God, you’re an idiot. Simply based on people like you, “discriminating someone” based on intellect has merit.

When was beauty in humans anything except biologically or socially determined? Even ‘an aesthetic’ is socially conditioned. To say it as if it is abstract or ideal is to miss the point.

Also, you say “Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with somebody wanting to be fair or thin, but it is hugely problematic when these become the only yardsticks for beauty. ”

I wonder if you see that this is precisely the argument that those who buy into the whole beauty mafia offer as an explanation? That they don’t see what is wrong with looking nice. That all feminists need to be loud, hairy bra-burners.

I’m not saying that the media does not play a powerful role in perpetuating stereotypes. They might even play a large role in creating regressive roles for women that are contrary to what we see around us every day. One cannot underestimate the power of a lie repeated often enough to make it true. All I’m saying is your article not only says nothing new, it doesn’t make an argument for anything specific. Yes, the media perpetuates stereotypes. Yes, fairness is a big deal in India. So?

You seem to be saying that examining the idea of beauty will help in eradicating such stereotypes. Great. How do you propose to do that?

Please don’t think I’m not on your side. I just feel that a better thought out and argued piece would have gone a longer way in creating debate. As it stands, this piece says nothing that hasn’t been said before.

I am just thinking aloud on some issues.

Fairness is God’s gift, some humans (men and women) have it, some do not. So it would be grossly unfair to select / reject any human based on his/her skin color.

Similarly, intelligence is God’s gift, some humans (men and women) have it, some do not. Would it be grossly unfair to select / reject humans based on their intellect (I am talking of raw intellectual horsepower, whcih, I believe, is different for different people)

Similarly, hereditary wealth is God’s gift, some humans (men and women) have it, some do not. Would it be grossly unfair to select / reject humans based on their personality, when it is clear that the environment where they were born into and the exposure they received as children have a major role in shaping their personality.

Why do we feel that discriminating someone based on skin color is bad while discriminating someone based on intellect or personality (proven to be dependent on hereditary wealth) is acceptable to the society?

On the issue of dowry, why is dowry considered bad when it is perfectly acceptable for a man to say that he wants a wife who earns atleast Rs.20,000 per month?Is this not some kind of dowry that the guy asks, only it is being paid in installments over the entire working life of the lady. Why can’t the right way to ask be – “I want a partner who understands me well, who loves me, will be loyal to me and will stand by me through thick and thin. That’s all I desire. I do not care whether she is rich or poor, fair or dark, intelligent or dumb, a careerist or a home-maker”

Also, we say that women should have a right in the parental property. Completely fair. The only question here is – how is this fundamentally different from dowry? How do we ensure that the woman’s in-laws will not usurp the money which her parents bequeath to her?

I do not claim that dowry is good – it is clearly a despicable custom which needs to be punished. Nor do I claim that men/women should be discriminated based on their color / race / gender / sexual preference etc.

But I also feel that humans should not be discriminated against due to their background or anything which they have received at birth. Just as I do not choose my caste/gender/color/race etc, I do not choose my financial background, I am born into it. But somehow, we take this discrimination as legitimate.

If we look back to what creates stereotypes in the first place, it is our homes, our schools, our parents and our peers. The media of course validates and endorses these stereotypes. But even in my household where both parents have Masters degrees and jobs and we live in so-called, “progressive” Bombay, my mother is always worried about my “wheatish” skin. I have gotten the freedom to do as I please for the most part but this antiquity has not disappeared.

As a follow up to this post I’d love to see how we, the new generation can combat this stereotype that the media perpetuates, at home. Most of us cannot control the media, but how can we help adoloscent girls build strong body images despite it?

In particular, check out the not-so-subtle euphemisms used by the airline managers/recruiters.