Here are some photos of Freida Pinto at the NYC premiere of Desert Dancer, her latest film. Freida is so pretty, but this lilac Elie Saab is too… eh? I mean, the color works for me, but I’m disappointed that she chose such an ice-skater-looking dress.
To promote the film, Freida has a piece in Los Angeles Magazine, all about her first trip to LA. She first came to the city in 2009, while she was promoting Slumdog Millionaire. It’s a nice piece – you can read the full article here. She talks about the initial craziness of her schedule, but finding out that LA was so yoga-obsessed really helped her because yoga is “very Indian.” She also talks a lot about the food in LA, which let me tell you – that’s also “very Indian” to obsess on food. That was the first question my father would ask me: “Where did you go to eat? What did you eat? I could probably make a better version.” Freida also talks about the prevalence of skin-bleaching in India, a subject she’s discussed before. Some highlights:
LA is all for brown skin: “A lot of girls growing up in India do not realize the beauty of their beautiful tan skin tone. Skin-lightening products are a big seller in the Indian cosmetics industry. On one of my trips to Los Angeles, someone walked up to me and said, “You have the most beautiful caramel-chocolate skin.” In L.A. everyone is sunbathing or going to tanning shops; I wish the 1.2 billion people in India could have a little peek into this culture and appreciate what they have.”
Her first Oscar experience: “Slumdog Millionaire was like a first love. None of what happened was expected; the next thing I know, I’m walking down the red carpet at the Oscars in my John Galliano dress. The ceremony was so beautiful. To feel the energy in that room—it was like being touched by God. I still have a small suitcase full of memorabilia from the ceremonies. I stole my name card from the Directors Guild of America Awards, and I took one of the Slumdog Millionaire tags that were on the table at the Governors Ball. I was so dedicated to remembering all the people I met that when they gave me their card, I would write where I met them and in what context on the back. My agent turned to me and said, ‘Good luck keeping up with that.’”
That’s so cool that she still has all the memorabilia from that awards season! She should turn it into an art project or something. As for the skin color comments… as I’ve said before, I’m half-white and half-Indian, so I am the palest one in my Indian family (and the darkest one of my mother’s side). I’m so American though, and I do prefer to have “some color,” as I call it. I used to go to tanning beds so I could be darker. I loved the way my skin looked with a deep tan. Sigh… I wish I had some color right now.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
She is right – millions of women want to be fairer as that’s what they think is beautiful. Many brides have been rejected because the groom thought they weren’t beautiful because they were dark.
It’s shame because beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have seen several gorgeous women in india who are dark – especially women from South india (Tamil Nadu) are not considered beautiful by the some people up north because Tamils are dark.
She makes a good point, but then is with L’Oreal who sells fairness products across Asia.
That induces my side-eye.
Exellent point Pri!
She is beautiful. I caught her on the Alex Wagner show on MSNBC the other day and stood transfixed on how beautiful her skin and eyes are. I literally had to sit down on the sofa and take it all in. She is equally as intelligent and well-spoken—especially on this topic.
I worked the makeup counter for years and saw all the Indian women that came in by the same shade of Ivory makeup. Not even close to the right shade for them even though we had a great selection of tones. It was a shade lighter then what I’d buy and I’m as pasty Irish as it gets. When I first started I would try to suggest a better colour but found that I was offending people so I stopped.
Lori, I’m a Filipina, and like Indian women, many of us are conditioned to believe that white is beautiful. Colonial mentality and all that nonsense. 🙁 There are fewer women who wear this kind of make-up now than when I was younger, fortunately.
She is gorgeous. My BFF who was born in India and follows all things Bollywood say she is not considered a great beauty in India.
Bollywood actresses are gorgeous but Freida just has such cute and beautiful face she just stands out.
I wish people liked their skin whether pale or tan.
He is right. She is nothing special really. I also think she doesn’t compare to many Hollywood beauties either. Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson are all better looking then Freida is. Its not racist, she just doesn’t have that ‘wow’ factor I think.
I’m a fan of those 3 but I think she comes pretty close… Probably needs some more interesting roles to show her beauty.
Wow. I think she blows them all out of the water, she is so gorgeous to me.
It’s a matter of taste, then, because I’ve always considered to have ‘Wow!’ factor. She’s utterly beautiful, and she has that spectacular smile!
La Jolie okay yes but ScarJo and Bratalie Portman?? They can’t carry Pinto’s makeup case!
It is all a matter of taste. I think Freida is just as beautiful as the women you mentioned, I would consider Scarlett and Angelina more sexy than beautiful; Natalie has a very pretty face, but I think she lacks a “wow” factor, moreso than Freida.
I think Freida is pretty enough, but Angelina Jolie has charisma which trumps what Freida (or Natalie and Scarlett) have. Ultimately, that’s what you need to be a successful movie star, more so than looks.
In terms of being sort of bland onscreen, I think Natalie, Scarlett and Freida kind of match each other, even though all 3 are pretty (it’s very hard for me to say one is prettier than the other, however, because of how different all three look from each other. Even though both Scarlett and Natalie are white and Jewish, they look very different from each other).
May I point out that Angelina Jolie (nose, chin), Scarlett Johansson, (nose, boobs) and Natalie Portman (nose) have all had at least those plastic surgery procedures and then some.
Ms. Pinto is a natural beauty, as she fell out of her mother.
Nope, Freida doesn’t compare to any of those woman sorry. Angelina is far more beautiful then Freida Pinto and I doubt she has had any sort of plastic surgeries. same with Scarjo and Natalie. Natalie looks the same as she did from Leon, which was in 1994. I don’t believe she has had any surgeries sorry. Freida ligtens her skin probably. Its obvious. She doesn’t look the same shade she was back in 2009.
Freida just looks girl next door pretty and its laughable how one person claimed Freida and Natalie;s acting level is the same. Please, Freida can’t act nor has any talent. Natalie can act, Scarlet can act, Angelina can act.
You think Pinto could do the kind of roles Natalie or Angelina have done? Tell . After watching Pintos pathetic acting in her films, you think she can take on the kind of roles Portman, Jolie or Johansson have done? In her untalented dreams.
If her acting was so great and well recieved, how come Hollywood isn’t giving her roles anymore? Why did they toss her aside? Will she start to play the victim card in Hollywood then?
I think Freida’s beauty is jaw dropping. She isn’t just cute, she is beautiful.
As for comparisons to the other women…they are ALL beautiful. Different versions of beauty, sure. But beautiful none the less.
Do we always have to drag other women into it? I think all of them are stunning, some more personally appealing to me than others but I know that’s just my own taste not an absolute fact – beauty is subjective, can’t we just say a women is beautiful without having to try to rank and diminish her in comparison to others? Their beauty has nothing to do with Pinto’s and vice versa.
@maripoodle – Scarlett Johansson got a boob job? Because if she did, I’d like to know which plastic surgeon would perform one on a 15 year old (this cap is from Ghost World, released when she was 16). Maybe it’s best not to say things when there are receipts all over the place proving them wrong.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/60d586cb068191cf331866846ad0e6a7/tumblr_mol1xmNzzW1rlk7mho1_500.gif
and this is from an interview for The Horse Whisperer (age 14). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPM3IWKUNkQ
And Natalie’s nose is the same one she had as a 12 year old in Leon.
Lises,
You’re being ridiculous; stating your opinion on something as subjective as beauty in the most high-handed manner. Lises has spoken everyone! We can all go home now as the subject is now closed. Frieda Pinto is NOT as attractive as any of the Caucasian actresses Lises has listed.
Deepika padukone is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Aishwarya Rai is stunning as well.
Aishwarya Rai is like Angelina Jolie to me. A great beauty. I think Pinto is just girl next door pretty, but she is not in the same looks department as Jolie, Portman or Scarjo. I know ppl here don’t like Natalie, but she is far prettier then Freida and can act better too.
Lises, beauty is absolutely in the eye of the beholder. For example, I know many rave about ScarJo’s beauty; I think she is sexy and has a great body, but I actually find her face to be rather odd looking. I definitely would not consider her a great beauty and certainly not more so than Freida Pinto.
Aishwarya is the only woman who can compare to Angelina IMO. Angie is the most beautiful woman ever.
I’m Indian, and although it’s not politically correct any more to say this outright, the colour of her skin IS the reason why she isn’t considered a beauty by local standards.
And the Bollywood crowd really hate the fact that a ‘dark’ ‘average’-looking local girl with no family connections to the business, is now working steadily in Hollywood/western movies, when even their iconic beauties like Aishwarya Rai (who was marketed as being perfect for western markets because her look was “versatile” i.e. she could pass for not being Indian at all) couldn’t.
I think Parminda Nagra is really pretty. Not sure what happened to her career, but she has acting ability. I’ve wondered how she’d be viewed by the Bollywood community. I think Nagra is more talented than Aishwarya Rai is for instance.
I can see why Aishwarya Rai is at the top of the Bollywood hierarchy and is considered so beautiful, but I can also see why she’d not really be that successful in Hollywood.
Parminda Nagra isn’t Bollywood though she’s appeared in 2 Bollywood films. Her focus and experience has always been Hollywood (UK/USA) like Archie Punjabi of ‘The Good Wife’ TV show.
Yes, I realize that Parminder Nagra isn’t and has never been part of Bollywood. She’s English born and raised, and her start was in British films (i.e Bend It Like Beckham). I was just wondering how the Bollywood community might have viewed her if she had ever hypothetically tried to become a Bollywood star since her skin tone might not match their ideal (though from what I can tell many people in the West have described her as beautiful), or how they view her success in Hollywood, as many people seem to be pointing out how dismissive or agitated they seem to be of Pinto’s success and Aishwarya’s “failure” in Hollywood. The people of South Asian descent who have done well in Hollywood don’t necessarily fit the Bollywood mold, though they are nonetheless considered pretty by Western ideals of beauty (i.e good bone structure, slim, or at the very least not fat, petite, most likely fit, etc.).
Agreed. Then again, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have pretty similar coloring as Freida, and they are both considered gorgeous in India. Although, who knows if Indians even realize how “tan” they are? In movies and photoshoots they are always captured in such specific lighting that makes them appear 3-4 shades lighter than they really are. It’s sad because I think I’ve internalized the whole “lighter = prettier” after years and years of being told that by Bollywood and my family
Beauty in eye of beholder. It’s a nice compliment but people of all types must be accepted as beautiful. It’s like the real girls have curves slogan. What happens if you have genes to be thin and small chested. We need acceptance in every direction.
ITA
I don’t think the way she expressed herself is similar to the “real girls have curves” slogan. She simply said she wishes Indian women could appreciate what they have, and realize that people do find their skin tone beautiful. She didn’t dismiss one group to put another group up. I think she was essentially essentially that people of all types must be accepted and appreciated as beautiful, and that hopefully this sentiment of acceptance could start with themselves.
Completely agree with you. I think Pinto’s message is nothing but positive.
Agreed.
I feel you. I hate this “real girls have curves” slogan so bad. I have them now, but I was a real girl already when I was a skinny teenager.
I’m there with you. My curvy friend’s older brothers used to taunt me that guys didn’t like “skin and bones” and they liked girls with meat, etc. I realize now that my friend felt bad about herself in comparison to me and they were trying to make her feel better…but it seriously gave me a complex about not having “curves”.
No ma’am, you’re conflating body shaming with colorism–an ugly and unfortunate byproduct of white supremacy–I can’t get down with that.
Big women can lose weight, thinner women will inevitably gain weight, having the color of your skin used against you is a whole other level of foolery…
THAT is something you cannot change without cost of serious damage via chemicals.
I distinctly remember my grandmother forbidding me from going outside because I was already “too dark”—I will forever be grandma’s girl but the ignorance and shame she flung on me for something genetics dictated, i will forever perpetually side eye her (internally as she can put fear of God in me with one look 😂).
Anyhoo, I’m glad the actress touched on this.
Dark skin is gorgeous and I wish we saw more of it in the mainstream.
I agree, dark skin is gorgeous, and Indian women are among the most beautiful women in the world. They are regal. Not to mention West African women, who are very dark indeed. They are simply spectacular.
I agree, dark skin is gorgeous. There are so many different types of beauty in this world, and I embrace them all.
Colorism in Asia is not a byproduct of white supremacy, although colonialism did indeed make it worse.
Yeah it’s not really as simple as ‘pitting one group against another’. Yes all skin is beautiful and that is the fundamental message but dark skinned girls are told from all corners that their skin isn’t pretty and light skinned girls the opposite, so for someone to stand up and say ‘dark skinned girls are beautiful’ it’s not about saying light skinned girls aren’t, it’s about correcting a balance and a horrible misconception that so many have.
It’s not only in India, almost all of Asia is obsessed with fairness…China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand…you get my drift. I do believe there are really gorgeous non-white and tanned people but I myself personally feel I look better if I am fairer. I guess I am part of the problem but I just have to be frank.
Everyone is entitled to their personal opinion and preference. It becomes a problem when that is all that is shown, idolized and glorified – leaving those who do not fit that mold to feel badly about themselves. Colorism is real (in many cultures, not just the Indian one).
True Santia…I hope diversity will be championed instead.
I got to experience this first hand in Europe. Asians would walk up to me or my siblings to take photographs with us because of our skin tone. I felt extremely awkward with the situation of having to say NO.
And I wish I wasn’t so white. Seems we’re never satisfied with who we are.
I live in Asia and my 1 year old strawberry blonde son is a local celebrity and the first thing EVERYONE says when they see him is, “he’s so white!” Yasssss…..we IS white ppl. From the soggy damp hills of miserable northern Europe. So wat.
I’m a super pale ginger, and the only nail salons here are staffed by Asians. They always go on and on about my whiteness. I would love a nice tan, but alas it’s not in the cards for me.
Isn’t part of it , at least for Chinese , to have perfect skin— and the fairness creams are effective (at least some are) for fading scars freckles age spots uneven tanning…even darkness around the eyes.. I feel like I’m pretty familiar with Chinese culture and though they may put French luxury fashion brands on a pedastal over local products, I don’t see their beauty ideals as a white supremacy issue. Especially as many Chinese people have very light skin. My “half Chinese” daughter lacks the lovely tan/Tawniness that even many Caucasian little ones have (I lack it too) And their other beauty standards aren’t really trying to look white.. I mean they certainly don’t want our fatter bodies! And straight shiny dark hair is the ideal..
The lightening creams are great for evenness. I have used shiseido white lucent to make my skin more even, then used bronzer to look darker … Sounds silly but good result on me
mte. a lot of people use “whitening” products not to be lighter, but to even out their skin. a lot of asians covet unblemished porcelain skin. that’s the holy grail.
however, i’m not saying that there aren’t asians who don’t want whiter skin, because there are. but not all of them do it to look caucasian. it also has to with the farming culture and status. if you’re darker, you must be toiling away in the fields, but if you’re lighter, you must be rich. it’s a logic that predates colonialism. but the thing is up until the early 1900s, that was also the thinking in many western countries – that tanned skin was associated with the poor because they worked outdoors. ladies carried around parasols, wore hats, and even had lead put in their makeup. it wasn’t until the the 1920s that coco chanel brought tanning in vogue. the thinking then flipped to tanned skin = wealthy, able to layabout in the sun, vacation in exotic locales, while pale skin = toiling away working indoors.
I am with you there. Even I feel that i look better if I am a few shades lighter. I too am a part of the problem or atleast that societal/cultural mindset which thinks fair is better and/or beautiful. But I genuinely try not to see other people with that biased lens.
The real problem with Colorism is not just a depleted self esteem of an individual, but the actual, real and potent discrimination darker people face in colorist societies. There are several areas of occupation which are virtually barred for darker people- movie & tv actress, flight attendant, models, front desk/receptionist, hospitality, just to name a few. Discrimination is not limited to job opportunities, but extend to education, job promotion, marital prospects, societal acceptance etc. It is very similar to what healthy or fat people face.
I think Indian women are some of the most beautiful in the world, they are so exotic and striking to me. It’s not just their skin tone, something about the way they carry themselves and dress, or something I can’t put my finger on, I’ve just always been drawn to both the men and women! Lol
I would kill to have caramel-colored skin, although I gave up on tanning many moons ago.
If you can’t sunbathe then moonbathe for that ethereal glow 😜
Colorism is a very real thing, not just in Indian culture but in mine too (Malaysia). A lot of the advertising here show ONLY fair-skinned girls and women celebrities who endorse beauty products or even develop their own include “skin lightening” creams. I used to want to be fairer too but not so much anymore, though the feeling still comes up from time to time. I actually have Freida Pinto’s skin tone but when you grow up looking at ads of nothing but fair-skinned girls being glamorized, you start feeling terrible about yourself.
I have the opposite problem. I’m a redhead, no amount of “tanning ” would give me caramel skin. I burn or freckle. This has frustrated me since I was probably 9 years old. Ahhhh.. the grass is always greener ….
Now don’t get me started on my curly/wavy hair!
ITA. I have auburn hair and I’m extremely white and I can’t tan. I get fed up with people telling me to go get some colour. I can’t help it.
Same here. I’m very fair with freckles. I do not tan, I just burn, then back to white. I HATED my pale skin most of my life, all of my friends would get a glorious tan in the summertime…not me.
Now I’ve come to terms with my skin and just accept it. I’ll never forget this man I was checking in for a flight. He made a comment about my freckles and I said I hated them. He said “a face without freckles is like the sky without stars.” Made my day!
I want to hug that man!
I will have to remember that! 😊
I’ve always found freckles to be beautiful. Never understood why they were considered a flaw. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and yeah, that man deserves a hug.
wow she is ignorant. Of course “girls growing up in India” do not have the same beauty standards as American girls. because the culture is different!! duh??? she’s judging people from totally different culture with her american thinking.
it’s like Asians telling White Westerners with condescending tone “they don’t realize the beauty of their beautiful pale white skin”. but actually it’s always done the other way around with westerners being all judge-y and condescending over asians bleaching their skin.
What funny is Pinto is an indian from India. She behaves as if she grew up in the States or Europe. That being said, she doesn’t have much of an acting career anymore and should really stop playing the sympathy card about ” Indians are racist, they hate dark skin, wont give me roles,,etc” Well, I don’t see Hollywood giving her roles anymore either, is Hollywood being racist to her then? She seems ignorant and is always passing racist judement on India, which is a population of over 1 billion people. How can she say that all 1 billion people think alike?
Also, if Freida is telling other girls to accept themselves, she needs to take a look at herself. She is a much lighter skin tone compared to her Slumdog days, and never use to have a posh Brit accent that she supposedly has now. Why does she fake a British accent? She sounds ridiculous. I personally think Freida has done some skin lighting herself, even though she denies it. She looks way lighter then before. I am glad this no-talent ‘actress’ doesn’t have much of a career anymore. How much longer before she plays the “Hollywood is racist’ card?
I don’t think she’s done skin lightening. You can tell when someone bleaches their skin because the color no longer looks natural (see: Sammy Sosa.) I think she moved from India to London, where there is less sun, and she is likely now wearing sunscreen.
The same thing happened to me when I moved from Florida to Seattle. In any case, throwing around accusations of skin lightening just because you don’t like a particular actress is petty.
@ TC.
Oh I do think she has done some skin lightening treatments but won’t say. Just look at some pics of her back in 2008/09 and compared it to now. She works for LOreal, which promotes skin lightening creams in Asia. She could be using them but won’t admit it. How many Hollywood stars have gotten plastic surgery but deny it all the time? Pinto isn’t an exception sorry.
So I am petty for calling her out to be the hypocrite she is? Yes, I don’t like her because I think she is a fake and has no real talent either. She also keeps using the skin lightening issue as a sympathy tool and likes to put down a country with a population of over 1 billion and claim they all think the same. A country in which she is from but acts like a girl who grew up in the Untied States or Europe. Pathetic. If she is so confident, then why does she lighten her own skin and also fake a British accent? She herself probably doesn’t feel good about herself when she puts on that awful fake accent.
That my friend is a petty way of thinking. I am sure you don’t like certain stars and make comments about them. So are you not petty then just because you don’t like them? Wow. Pinto has surely fooled you all.
It all depends on the person carrying the skin tone, and hers is very beautiful. Me, I wish mine were lighter, because I just love a very white skin. The thing about acceptance is the damn midia. How many protagonists have a darker skin tone? From advertisements to tv series, all I see is white people. For teenagers, we have Bella (white), Katniss (white), Elena (white). Children are obsessed with Frozen characters, one is white, and the other is whiter.
I agree about the media but I have always wanted darker, tan skin. I used to get teased as a kid for being so pale “where does your legs end & your socks start?” or “ahhhh- I’m blinded!” I can’t tan- I’m white or red. I had a client that I spent a lot of time with who was Indian with darker skin and I would find myself just gazing at her gorgeous, flawless skin. Mine is so white that every single imperfection glows. We should remember that beauty is all different &, frequently, the grass is always greener.
It is kind of stupid that darker skinned people try to have a lighter skin and those with lighter skin tone a darker one. Nobody is happy the way they are. I have decided that tanning is a waste of time that can get your skin burned easily. Maybe my skin does not look perfect but I just never liked sunbathing so I stay pale.
Keeping women insecure about their looks is a billion dollar industry. If you are “pale” buy our tanning products to look “healthier” like the models in our adverts. If you have darker skin buy our bleaching products to look lighter like the models in our adverts.
If you don’t have curves buy implants, if you have curves buy liposuction and diet pills.
Every year the industry comes up with more and more ridiculous things that are “wrong” in mostly women’s bodies. I stopped caring after I first read about @nal bleaching and cosmetic surgery for the lady bits, since apparently they look ugly too. STFU!
Bingo!
“Keeping women insecure about their looks is a billion dollar industry. ”
And there you have it!
Boom! You are so correct! And the bleaching & surgeries on our nether regions. I just can’t…..
This is so right on.
very very true! like the processed food industry it’s reliance on the bad American diet
Although I understand she’s speaking from her own experience, skin bleaching is not necessarily pan-indian, and to call out 1.2 billion people as if they all have the same desire is really an uninformed generalization. The minute you say “1.2 billion” you are now speaking for everyone and public figures need to be more aware of the way they present messages and recognize that they are not national nor international spokespeople.
The reality is that there are regions of India with light skinned ethnicities in which skin lightening is not a common practice (North, North west) and there are other regions where it is incredibly popular (based on studies of sale patterns of the most popular skin lightening products which are concentrated in the south and south east, primarily Tamil Nadu, Kernataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh). India has a very complicated history with colorism that began thousands of years ago and was then exacerbated by its colonial history, to say indian girls don’t appreciate their beauty is a really gross generalization. It is also worth mentioning that one of the biggest consumers of skin lightening products are actually South Indian men, who apparently are getting into skin lightening at alarming rates. So it’s not just the women.
But isn’t that the point, though? Whether you’re lighter or darker the culture as a whole has a bigger appreciation for fairer skin. She’s spot on on that.
Yeah just look at Bollywood and Indian soap operas. It’s hard to spot out an actress that isn’t fair skinned. Not only that, in Indian soap operas, if the role is for an evil character, they always hire a dark skinned person for the role. So disturbing !
While I agree that fair skin is valued throughout India in all areas, I think it is always problematic to attribute a particular ideal or preference to an entire sub continent. There are many, many individuals of Indian descent, both fair and dark skinned, who love themselves and value their own beauty. When people make broad generalizations, it really eliminates the agency of the people you are discussing. Indians neither think nor act as a bloc. Discussing issues in an honest way is important, cultural stereotypes are never helpful.
Well said Nina! I am tired of this chick talking about this issue whenever she has something to promote. She knows it’s a sensational topic. Not every person is in India is bleaching their skin, lot of people are proud of who they are! And the younger generation is aware and getting over it is what I think.
Pick another topic Frieda!
“And the younger generation is aware and getting over it is what I think.”
That’s what I thought too, until one of my classmates openly told me she doesn’t think she’s pretty because she’s dark-skinned. And she’s 23 years old.
It’s wishful thinking to act like this mindset isn’t pervasive across India even if there are isolated people who refuse to buy into it. I live there, and I’ve lived across the country so I’ve seen it in all regions. From the passport photographer who was shocked that I didn’t want him to photoshop my skin lighter, to the department store makeup counter girls who didn’t want to even show me a red lipstick because “it looks better on fair girls” (I had to go to MAC to get someone to sell me a damn red lipstick because these people wouldn’t listen), to even a Member of Parliament the other day having the nerve to tell someone not to sit out in the sun or they’ll get dark.
In India, the lower casts have darker skin than the upper ones. Hence the desire for skin lightening products.
We humans are so weird.
ETA: I think this woman is gorgeous. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/540291286520560571/
No, caste has nothing to do with skin color.
No that’s not true. There are light and dark skinned people in every cast. The cast system has more to do with your family’s occupation than anything else….like being farmers, priests, shop owners, etc.
My mother is north African and my father is Scottish. My dad was born with skin so fair it was almost translucent. Kids teased him and called him a ghost growing up. I’ve got medium olive skin that my mothers family always complimented and my fathers family always ogled over. My brother is darker than I am but he has pale green eyes. I’ve always been jealous of that. The point is we all need to Benetton up and appreciate the spectrum. It’s all beautiful.
I’ve been called Casper while growing up. I always joke I will have kids with a dark skinned man just to give my kids a chance at not burning everytime they step out into the sun LOL
I get what FP is saying, I’m originally from India, from the highest of caste there is where girls are meant to be fair skinned and was told all my life that I am “too dark”, “would never find a “good” husband” etc etc…I moved to the US 20 years back and to date get so many compliments on my beautiful skin tone, how lucky I am to look so tan all year round, how it glows …the first time someone complimented me on my skin, I thought they were being sarcastic lol….
There are some mighty stupid archaic views on skin in India even now ..when we go back, my girls get comments on their “dark” skin but they know well enough to shrug it off, thankfully I have raised them to know that beauty is much much more than the color of one’s skin.
We’re never happy with what we have. I love to look at Freida, she really is beautiful.
Darker skin seems to age better than lighter. Mine is in good condition at age 58 because I’ve avoided the sun most of my life and spend a lot of money on skin products–but it’s not effortless. My girlfriend’s of color have never had to put in the effort that I have over the years and they’re aging beautifully.
Black don’t crack. Beige don’t age.
🙂
It’s not “Indian girls'” fault though. Society, the media and mostly cultures that are dominant will always find ways to make others feel ashamed of their appearance.
I lived in Asia for years and women would approach me and touch my face. I have a very fair complexion. They would ask which whitening cream I used and all I could utter (this was before I knew that whitening cream was a thing) was “DNA???”.
wonder why she doesnt ask the LA folks to tone down the tanning while feeling great about their milky white skin and tell them how lucky they are as opposed to their Indian counterparts who are always looking for ways to brighten their skin , which will never be as white as theirs anyway…Gah judgemental much Freida.
when the issue is about LAs love for brown skin,wonder why she doesnt ask the LA folks to tone down the tanning while feeling great about their milky white skin and tell them how lucky they are as opposed to their Indian counterparts who are always looking for ways to brighten their skin , which will never be as white as theirs anyway…Instead girfriend decides its time to vilify the Indians about their love for white skin…Gah judgemental much Freida
White skin is privileged in the way brown skin most likely isn’t. It would come off as totally weird if she told white people to appreciate their skin — they most likely already do (maybe not for the beauty aspect if being pale bothers someone, but for the privileges that being white offers). Even if a white person tans, you can still tell they’re white and that they benefit from being a white person in LA.
I find Indian people to be very attractive. I never understood the need to lighten one’s skin, but then I suppose there is a universal envy for what one doesn’t have.
You go girl!!!
Most of my pale white friends (middle to north Europe) WANT to be quite a few shades darker. There are so many tanning studios over here that doctors do regularly issue warnings: don’t tan too much.
Indian skin is SOOO beautiful.
Freida is so gorgeous its dostrbing. also Aishwarya Rai has long been my Most Beautiful Woman
Come on, you guys. I’m very doubtful that someone like Naomi Campbell or Jourdan Dunn ever wanted to have lighter skin. If you are gorgeous, skin tone doesn’t matter. If you are not considered to be the most beautiful girl in the world…well, don’t blame it on the color of your skin (pale, dark, or caramel). The point is, when woman is not satisfied with her appearance she would try whatever. Skin whitening product/tanning bed, losing weight/gaining weight.
The point is – it’s never about the skin color
The point is – it’s never about the skin color
Yes it is.
No, it’s not and it’s racist of you to think so. My point is – not all people are unbelievably beautiful, most of us are average. And if you don’t consider yourself to be the first type – don’t blame it on the skin tone. Because there are plenty of extremely gorgeous women of EACH skin color.
She is a very pretty lady. She seems classy and humble. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She’s not average looking to me, very pretty.
Just Google ‘Bollywood actresses’ pics. Then you’ll be like ‘Pinto? Who?’.
While I admit that Bollywood has not been too kind to dark skin, but even they can’t deny their acting prowess. Dark skin beauties like Kajol, Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Konkana SenGupta, Nandita Das, Rekha, Sridevi, Hema Malini etc are powerhouse performers. But Pinto is a Bollywood discard, not because of her skin tone or her less than average looks (by Indian standards), but because she is a sub-par actress who is possibly surviving Hollywood because of her ‘exotic’ quotient. I am frankly surprised that people here think she has the ‘wow’ factor, because personally I find her too bland and just meh.
My kids are the palest in our interracial family and I once caught my little one coloring her skin with a brown marker to look more like her cousins.