Colourism

I get irritated when people start commenting on my daughter's coloration. It was something that started even when Sarah was a baby and the makciks commented "Eh apasal mak dia putih anak dia gelap?" "Cos she went suntanning in the womb makcik!" Even my mum got caught with this ideology of skin fairness when she declared that under her care, Sarah will turn white. What she gonna do? Bleach the girl?

What's with the colour? Does it make her less beautiful that her skin tone is darker?

These days with Tasnym around, the difference becomes more stark, especially with Tasnym being so fair. Salesgirl, nyonyas at the malls never fail to comment. Oh Tasnym is like me and Sarah is like the dad... but they make it sound bad cos they will then fall all over Tasnym cooing abbout how fair and cute she is.

I worry how Sarah will take all these one day. I asked Izad last nite how it was for him that he was so much darker than all his younger brothers. His response "I made sure I got darker." Ooookie...

Are we a little racist without realising it? Or should I say colourist? Is white equals to beautiful and dark equals to ugly? Did we coach ourselves from the time of colonial days to see that only the whites can be deemed as good looking?

Well some would say... didnt Ms India win Ms Universe a few years back? But didn't you see as well that she was the fairer Indian?

One of my good friends, who is an Indian, shared with me how her daughter hated her skin colour as she said it was too dark. Other girls at the playground had told my friend's daughter that they did not want to play with her cos her skin was dirty! Some would say, perhaps it was the parents who had not done a good job in teaching their kids not to say such things... but when I encounter so many adults who are so bent on pointing out the colour comparisons between my two girls, not that Sarah is even that much darker, how can the little girls not have such thoughts about colour when the adults are equally as insensitive and like a say a colourist (cos I know they are not racist).

I dun really know how Sarah is feeling about this right now. With her being so shy, I dun think it bothers her too much that Tasnym gets more attention from strangers. But in years to come, I'm not sure how this would impact on her or whether I can really do much to protect her.