Skin whiteners labeled racist (CNN)
"Skin whiteners were once targeted only to women. Now the products are a hot commodity for men.
"Many of the brands being advertised for men are well known around the world—including Nivea and Garnier.
"A marketing study found sales for skin whitening creams have jumped more than 100 percent in rural India and sales for male grooming products are increasing 20 percent annually.
[...]
"To get a good look at the pervasiveness of the stigma attached to dark skin in India all you have to do is look at the want ads for Brides and Grooms in the newspaper.
"Arranged marriages are still commonplace in India, and the advertisements for brides and grooms often list physical attributes of the person being sought. Many of the ads list 'fair' as one of the wanted physical characteristics."
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