A couple of years ago, I was rejected by a boy who had come to my sister’s wedding in order to “take a look at me” for a possible rishta (proposal). His reason? I wasn’t gori (fair) enough. I admit, it stung a little, but not for long. I was more amused by the fact that I was spurned by a man I didn’t even know existed and certainly was not interested in marrying in the first place. Also, I’m not even that dark – but, even if I were, why exactly did it matter so much? As much as I would like to believe this was a one off event, it really isn’t. Many ladies insist this prejudice is restricted to uneducated families, but the truth is obsession with color is still rampant in our society, whether upper class or lower.

If you’re Pakistani, you may be a regular reader of the Sunday Magazine of the Daily Times newspaper. For those not familiar with the insert, it features the latest Pakistani fashions, designers, celebrities and social events. Their regular beauty columnist is a gorgeous, seemingly sophisticated and modern girl who interjects her speech with “hip” slang, such as the shortening of the phrase “trying to” into “trynna” (it personally drives me nuts, but I can appreciate the effort to reach out to the everyday girl). However, in last week’s article on the latest nail polish, even she advised readers to reach for red, as it makes one’s hands look fairer. Hmmm. It makes one’s hands look fairer? I didn’t know whether to be appalled by the fact that a beauty columnist was making such a statement, or that a magazine that considers itself forward thinking would actually print it.

We belong to an age where dark beauties like Rani Mukherjee and Bipasha Basu sizzle on screen, and fake tanner is sold by the millions in the U.S. so that lighter-skinned ladies can achieve the bronzed glow most of us were born with. The whole world is trying to go darker, yet our society is still hung up on how to become just a few shades paler through skin lightening products (you’d be shocked at the amount of such creams available in Asian markets). Personally, I did not grow up with the Persian genes of a fair, creamy complexion and ash brown hair that the rest of the women in my family were blessed with, and that is absolutely fine by me. When the weather turns warm, I am the first one out in the sun with the agenda of further tanning my skin, while many of my counterparts in the Subcontinent shield themselves by hiding in their homes. And when I actually do get married (hopefully to someone a little more open-minded than my presumptuous suitor of two years ago), I aim to closely resemble Padma Lakshmi’s glowing complexion.

Before I offend anyone out there, I want to make it clear that I am not reverse discriminating against the fair skin girls (my own sisters are pale, beautiful creatures). I simply would like to know – why is it that light skin color is still the definition of beauty in our society when both fair and dark skins are, in truth, each equally alluring in their own right? In the olden days, a fair complexion meant a lady belonged to the upper classes because she did not work under the sun in the fields like a plebeian. This is 2009. Why is one’s shade of brown still an issue in this day and age? Sound off in the comments section below and share an experience, opinion or rant. We’d love to hear what you all have to say on the matter.

Photo Credit: cosmeticeyes.com

As I was walking out of a coffee shop this morning, I bumped into an absolutely stunning desi girl. She was dressed immaculately and her hair and makeup were perfection. However, her unnatural grey eyes were startling, and not in the way I expect she had wanted them to be. Her colored contacts looked incredibly odd against her complexion and took away from the beauty of her features. It was then that I got to thinking about all the desi girls I’ve run into who have chosen to replace their natural eye color with tinted contact lenses.

I have to admit, I have never been one to try colored contacts, I personally feel they look absurd. However, I’m curious to know what you all think about them. Take the poll below or sound off in the comments section. How do you all feel about desi girls with colored contacts? Are they a miracle invention for us South Asians or a beauty disaster?

[polldaddy poll=1520929]

Photo Credit: foreveramber.typepad.com

By Guest Writer Chaat Masala

Eyebrows, a universal desi problem. When did such a simple ornamental feature become so difficult. Now the battle here really is between nature and nurture. Because, as desis, we know that nature has endowed us with a veritable thicket of glorious browdom. And I say brow, because oftentimes the problem isnt thick eyebrows, it is thick eyebrow. This applies, of course to men and women. So naturally, there is a place for making yourself appear as though your ancestors stopped dragging their knuckles on the ground a couple millenia (or generations) ago. However, there is a fine line between tweezing the stray brows and well, leaving a fine line.

Reema Photo Credit: www.hipakistan.com

What you will notice is that some desi girls have a tendency to leave pencil-thin eyebrows on their faces. Personally, I always thought that was the purview of the evil sauteli ma (stepmother) characters with painted on eyebrows in Pakistan dramas, and well, Lollywood actresses (Reema comes to mind). As much as they may be the paragon of class, these pencil thin eyebrows, or painted on, have no place in the real world. Frankly, I don’t even know how the actresses do it; when the rain starts falling, as they dance around the tree in their white sari, somehow their eyebrows manage to stay painted on.

There is, of course, the other extreme-Kajol. We all know that two eyebrows are better than one.

Actually, a good progression of desi women and eyebrows may be Karisma (Karishma, whatever she is calling herself today) Kapoor. Now, when she started in films, she had her naturally bushy eyebrows, and looked kind of like a slutty chipmunk, or a man–really, either comparison works. Then, she went to the other extreme and actually started to look like a transvestite with painted on eyebrows. Now, she has progressed to a somewhat more neutral, feminine (relatively) eyebrow shape.

Photo Credit: celebrity-gossip- fathima.blogspot.com

Photo Credit: karismakapoor.net

Photo Credit: www.aol.in

Enough of the stars, you all know what I’m talking about. Now here is the most important part. Girls, even us guys know that you are naturally “blessed” with a few more hairs than you might need or want. Be careful as you tweeze. Taking one stray hair from here, then from the other side, then back to the first side, is a process that can lead you to look like Mrs. Potatohead. Moderation is the key. That, or hire a professional. Please.