“Sabkuchh roshan karde” says this Bajan CFL ad. They may be taking a swipe at usual fairness cream ads that are undeniably racist, but by equating fair skin with ‘roshni’ the ad very much underscores the deep seated racism of fair-skin-obsessed Indians.
Watch and weep! Where do I start! Of course it is taken for granted that the job of washing clothes is that of the woman and that the man is ‘magnanimous’ if he gets her a new, improved washing powder; while implying that it is desirable that he be promoted to ‘parmeshwar’ from ‘pati’. Then, the good woman, doing her ‘job’ keeping clothes white earns the approval of the man. He also approves that her hands are nice and soft… because it is the ‘duty’ of the woman to not only do the work but also to hide the evidence of her labor?
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