The 'Dark is Divine' Campaign fights color discrimination across Asia!

We often talk about gender equality in our Asian countries, but don’t bat an eyelid to the blatant discrimination many women face at the hands of not just men, but other women as well. There are many that tend to judge a woman based on the color of her skin. Fair-skinned women are given more preference and it is Pakistan’s ‘Dark is Divine‘ campaign that tries to fight this discrimination.

Dark is Divine is the first anti-color-ism campaign that is working on a global level to transform Asia into a region where women are not judged based on the color of their skin and are all treated equally. We see so many advertisements for skin lightening creams that make claims that if one becomes lighter skinned then one will flourish in their life.

Unfortunately, this discrimination has become so ingrained within us that it doesn’t even register as discrimination. In fact, it’s surprising how easily and without thought people will make comments on another person’s skin color, especially in our Asian countries.

Women are treated as commodities. They are judged by the clothes they wear, the structure of their bodies and by the color of their skin. Those with darker skin tones and non-petite bodies face many issues like, when applying for jobs; such as receptionists, air hostesses, TV anchors, etc are told that they are not suitable for such jobs.

Dark is Divine believes in celebrating diversity, uniqueness and respecting the difference. It is a movement designed to ignite conversation to start a positive change in the way people are reflected in their respective societies on the basis of their appearance. It has also conducted awareness drives in Nepal, India, and various cities in Pakistan.