In pakistan it is considered as upper class to have white skin. Because if you have brown complexion. That means you have to take the bus or rickshaw. And of course if your brown that means you have to work.
The fact that you have to work in a job where you have to expose yourself to the sun, is equal to that your «lower» than the upper class.
The upper class take pride in their white skin. And their daughters inability to make dinner. Mothers say to other friends «my daughter doesn’t even know how to make a fried egg». So the bleaching cream industry in pakistan is of the important products for most women/girls in pakistan. Since they do not have the «right» complexion according to the class they want to belong, women spend increasing amount of money on the bleaching cream that can do wonders. If the fashion industry or the rich / famous / tv / drama personalities had want to do something about this trend where «white» is everything. They could start a trend where famous tv / drama people start sitting in the sun, so they also would get an «ordinary» skin color. Rather than an unnatural white «doll» look. Maybe people from outside pakistan doesn ‘t see this as an issue. That might be because most women with the «wrong» complexion have difficulties getting married. The opinion leaders in pakistan could easily help set a better trend. But they are too busy in their upper class society, that most of them does not have time for ordinary people difficulties. Here in Norway it is opposite. Most people are white. Most people spend a lot of money on self-tanning creams and solarium and vacations where they get tanned. The vacations can be very expensive. This is a big industry, here in Norway. The trend is clear. Having a tan is good. But when it get’s to dark, than its to much. So many people look down at people who are very dark in complexion.
To be able to change the stigma about not having the right skin color, it is important that opinion leader stand out as examples. Not that opinion leaders stand as those spreading the bigotry.
Roshnii179 