In a culture where fair skin is glorified and seen as an ideal and necessary standard of beauty, Kangana Ranaut stands out amongst a very small population of celebrities who go against this damaging mentality, rejecting a fairness cream advertisement that would’ve made her INR. 2 crores richer.
In an industry where a number of A-list celebrities have very popularly endorsed fairness creams, Kangana has gone against the norm and determinedly sticks to her values.
Kangana voices her concerns over the example she would be setting for the younger generation of India, particularly the girls.
She claims to never have been on board with the idea of fairness as the consummate of beauty, and is aware of her responsibilities as a public figure – she cannot in good faith be a spokesperson for something she does not agree with.
Kangana states, “My sister (Rangoli Ranaut) is dusky, yet beautiful. If I go ahead and be part of this campaign, then, in a way, I would be insulting her. If I can’t do that to my sister, then how can I do it to the entire nation?”
Among other Bollywood celebrities that have rejected such offers in the past are Ranbir Kapoor, Esha Gupta and Chitrangada Singh. Kangana claims that other Bollywood stars endorsing such ideas show irresponsible behaviour on their part and though she cannot change the way they think, her duty is to her value system, which holds a firm stance against the culture of fairness creams.
