#UnfairAndLovely: Le meilleur des pieds de nez à une crème pour s'éclaircir la peau

Trois étudiantes de l'Université du Texas, une Afro-américaine et deux sœurs originaires du Sri Lanka, ont lancé sur le web "Unfair and lovely" ("mat et joli" en français), une campagne contre cette tendance à dévaloriser les femmes noires au profit de celles au teint plus clair.

Le nom de la campagne s'inspire de "Fair & Lovely", une crème éclaircissante fabriquée et distribuée par l'entreprise Hindustan Unilever en Inde, en Indonésie, au Sri Lanka, en Thaïlande et dans d'autres pays du sud de l'Asie.

Le blanchiment de la peau est une pratique courante en Inde où le standard de beauté prédominant est un modèle de beauté blanc. La plupart des acteurs de films bollywoodiens ont la peau claire et les spots publicitaires pour crèmes et autres produits de beauté éclaircissants pullulent.

Par la suite, l'Afro-américaine Pax Jones a photographié les deux sœurs, Mirusha et Yanusha Yogarajah, ce qui a valu à la campagne de devenir virale. À tel point que les trois étudiantes ont décidé de lancer le hashtag "Unfairandlovely" sur les réseaux sociaux.

D'autres femmes, originaires du sud de l'Asie ou d'ailleurs, sont ainsi invitées à poster des photos d'elles, sur Twitter, Facebook ou Instagram, accompagnées du hashtag "Unfairandlovely" pour témoigner contre le colorisme et combattre l'idée selon laquelle les femmes noires seraient inférieures aux femmes claires.

"Growing up, I never felt like my skin color was inferior. I was actually proud of my gold-skin times. Knowing how much gold is valued in India 😝 But as I grew up, I realized that so many of my friends were using skin lightening products especially their under arms. I was made to feel like it is wrong if you don't shave+have dark underarm skin tone at the age of 12. I saw parents teaching their kids that. I saw so many advertisements, South Indian movies showcasing white as beautiful, classy. Meaning that dark skinned people were from 'kuppam' or slums. Never feeling represented in the Indian media even when I am an Indian. We are not born with a preference for a skin color but society imposes it so much that some cave into this unrealistic expectation." -@rachellechandraan #reclaimthebindi x #unfairandlovely | #reclaimthebindiweek
Une photo publiée par Unfair & Lovely (@unfairandlovely_) le 11 Mars 2016 à 6h02 PST

"When I was younger I used to believe that I was less than girls that were lighter skinned than I. I believed and accepted that I was less worthy of love because for some reason being darker meant being less beautiful. It was and currently still is (for some ridiculous reason) an unwritten standard. I appreciate that not all people believe that. But people, people from my own race and culture, my own relatives, would ask if I had been in the sun because I have grown a shade darker or would tell me to use tumeric to "lighten my skin tone" or to "get a glow". They would tell me to use creams like fair and lovely (🖕🏽). Heck, one of my family members even bought me a skin lightening cream that was so strong and contained chemicals which messed up my skin. I was 15 years old. The worrying thing, was that that kind of cream could be readily purchased from a pharmacy in most South-Asian countries. Even today. The leading heroines that I watched in Tamil movies were nowhere close to my shade and I felt like people my shade were under-represented. As I grew older I started listening to my own thoughts more and questioning why things were the way they were. Things like: Why does my skin shade affect how people see me? Why do I believe that if I was white or lighter skinned, people would like me more? Why aren't there people of my race and skin shade being represented out there in the media? Why does white-washing still occur in Western AND Eastern media? Now, years later, I am at the point where I am starting to believe that I am blessed to be this way. I am unique and different. Yes, people with my complexion or of my race, are seriously under represented in the media but just because I'm not like the women in the magazines or the movies, it does not mean I'm not beautiful. Just because my body, nose, eyes or hair isn't like theirs doesn't mean I am less beautiful. I am proud of my ancestral roots and the genes I've gained from them to make me look this way. I love my dark definitive features that you don't see in the media often. And finally, I am starting to learn to accept and love myself." - @sazoos #unfairandlovely
Une photo publiée par Unfair & Lovely (@unfairandlovely_) le 10 Mars 2016 à 19h32 PST

Deux témoignages sur Instagram.

#unfairandlovely pic.twitter.com/fxKcAEZOhX
— minisamuel (@kenosharealtor) 11 mars 2016

#unfairandlovely | art by @prettymuchkavi
Une photo publiée par Unfair & Lovely (@unfairandlovely_) le 27 Févr. 2016 à 13h50 PST

I'm not palatable to many and that's okay. #unfairandlovely #reclaimthebindi pic.twitter.com/2tPfpyLf07
— shahrukhquan (@browniverson3) 10 mars 2016

"Pour beaucoup, je ne suis pas acceptable et ça me va".

No matter what shade of brown you are, you're beautiful. S/O to the #UNFAIRANDLOVELY! I love myself. 👍🏾🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/7oppsjjJFl
— Davika (@DavikaStaar) 28 février 2016

"Peu importe ton teint, tu es belle. Alors #UNFAIRANDLOVELY. Je m'aime comme je suis."

when I think of full range of humanity's color, its a bit absurd that my skin is considered dark #unfairandlovely pic.twitter.com/8ywzStTURv
— YaliniDream (@yalinidream) 8 mars 2016

"Ma couleur de peau est considérée comme étant noire. C'est absurde quand on pense à la multitude couleurs que donne à voir l'humanité."

La campagne, "Unfair and lovely" commence déjà à dépasser le cercle des internautes originaires du sud de l'Asie. C'est que la problématique du blanchiment, véritable fléau sanitaire touche de nombreuses communautés.

C'est le cas aux États-Unis, au sein de la communauté afro-américaine, dans plusieurs pays d'Afrique de l'ouest et centrale, et donc, par extension, en Europe, au sein des communautés africaines.

All #darkandlovely ladies take a pic and show support for our #unfairandlovely sistas in #southasia pic.twitter.com/5nh3PjqOmo
— B.A.S.S. (@imhisbass) 27 février 2016

"Toutes les femmes noires et jolies, prenez une photo et soutenez nos sœurs du sud de l'Asie".