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Dear Celebrity, PLEASE Stop Promoting Cringeworthy Fairness Creams! Sincerely, India’s Self Esteem.

Dear Celebrity, PLEASE Stop Promoting Cringeworthy Fairness Creams! Sincerely, India’s Self Esteem.

Malini Agarwal
Saif Ali Khan

Sooo…. I just got a press release featuring Saif Ali Khan and Yuvraj Singh in this cringeworthy campaign for a mens fairness cream and I’m going to HAVE to call them out for it. Guys. WHAT are we doing here?

Saif Ali Khan

As actors, very are often expected to look

fresh and

bright

! In times like these, FLM becomes a great ally that allows my skin to look good

with minimum efforts

.” – Saif Ali Khan

That’s exactly the point. As role models for young men (and women) you should be actively CHALLENGING the expectation of actors to look fairer (or code name “brighter”) NOT buying into it and propagating a one “dab” insanely ridiculous solution to skincare! (And don’t even get me started on that grammar.) Meanwhile, cancer survivor and cricketing legend Yuvraj Singh had this to say…

“I am usually not too bothered about long and winding skincare treatments and this is why FLM is just the perfect range for me.

With these products, creating an impression is very effortless…

Yuvraj Singh

Oh dear. Please tell me you’re not saying that fair skin makes a better impression than dark skin. Please, do it now before I start looking permanently like that emoji up there. Fairness creams don’t make me mad, they make me sad. I’m sad at you Saif & Yuvraj. Very sad.

Now I know some of you reading this blog may:

A) Comment that I should call everybody OUT who does this. Yes, agreed. And I have in the past as well. In fact (and as much as I love these girls) I was particularly peeved about this one commercial starring Neha Dhupia, Priyanka Chopra – and repeat offender Saif Ali Khan – that went as far as to suggest that fair skin is the obvious solution to ALL of life’s problems (even infidelity!) W.T.F.

B) Claim that that they are simply promoting “good hygiene” and “skin care”, so what’s the big deal? Great. Then can we please also rebrand “Fair & Lovely” to something like “Smells Good & Takes a Shower?” #ThatwouldBeSwellThanks

C) Cry “Bravo!” by blogging about this I have inadvertently promoted the product. No nimrod. I have not. Hence the title 🙂 #JustSaying

Saif Ali Khan & Yuvraj Singh

Jokes aside (and I have many, many F&L jokes, I might even call my YouTube comedy channel FNL, like SNL, get it?! But I digress…) FACT is, fairness creams can actually cause a great deal of physical harm, leave alone the emotional repercussions of not being able to change the natural pigmentation of your skin. You want the truth. Can you handle it?

Saif Ali Khan & Yuvraj Singh

Also Alanis help me out here, but doesn’t the Fair & Lovely Men’s campaign tagline “here is the secret to their unbeatable fairness” seem exceptionally misleading and most UN-fair? Isn’t it Ironic. Don’t You Think?

Bottom line. #BrownIsBeautiful, just love the skin you’re in. Please leave me a comment if you agree.

PS. Saif, I like you so I’ll make you a deal; STOP promoting fairness creams and I will personally go and watch Humshakals 2 in the theatre – AND LIKE IT. #FairHaiNa? (Oh, and in case you didn’t get that reference, you probably need to read THIS.) OR you could disown this campaign like you rightly did your movie and we could really be friends? 🙂 #MakeTheRightChoiceBaby xoxo