It’s the sheher ki aam ladkiyan singing to all the gorgeous, handsome males flitting around with their rich black manes, handsome mien, and more importantly a glowing complexion:
“Humein toh loot liya milke husn waalon ne
kaalae kaale baalon ne gore gore gaalon ne...”
The Emami male, now conscious of his new found allure, utters “Chalo, hato na... bahut chedthi ho, natkhat ladki” in teasing Naveen Prabhakar style.
Songs like “hum kaale hain toh kya hua dilwale hain” sung with rustic fervour by not so physically endowed men (at least, in the case of complexion), while wooing the fair sex, seems to have been dumped straight out of the Emami window.
Indian males are now ready to barge into what has been predominantly a female bastion, at least, that’s what the people at Emami want us to believe. Emami expects that this new brand will fulfill a latent consumer need. In a research conducted on user-ship of fairness cream it has been found by the company that more than 25% of fairness cream users are men. Emami sources informed that around the globe there is growing consciousness towards personal grooming among men.
If the modern woman can wear pants, work with weights in the gym, and trim her hair to a boyish length, why can’t the man spend some quality time on improving his looks? I think it’s a subconscious effort on the part of both sexes to converge to a common, unisex plank in the evolution of Homo Sapiens. Don’t get me wrong, but the chances are that it can happen very easily at the mental level, rather than (God forbid!) the physical level.
“You know a boy is growing up when he stops wanting to go out with girls, and wants to stay home with them”.
Today, a mom would realise that her boy is growing up if he asks her for, instead of a cone of ice cream, a tube of ‘Emami Fair and Handsome’ cream. But, what can we do about adult men who are willing to dump their favourite after-shave for a tube of their dream cream? I may sound presumptuous, but there are men who believe that by regular application of the Emami Fair & Handsome cream growth of facial hair can be controlled.
Editor of men’s magazine, Man’s World, Jerry Pinto, says most dark-skinned men are as insecure as women and go to equal lengths, albeit secretly, to achieve lighter skin. According to surveys, HLL’s ’’Fair and Lovely’’ was actually patronised by a high percentage of middle-aged men, across the country. Emami too backs the product with market research and numbers.
If the earlier concept of a most desirable man was “Tall, dark, handsome, and preferably single”; today’s ‘good look’ mantra for an Indian male is “Tall, fair, handsome, and with pots of money”. Scan any matrimonial column and you will find not one prospective bridegroom (or for that matter bride) admitting that he is dark. Handsome or not, it’s always ‘wheat complexioned’. This prompted a wisecrack (obviously frustrated) to remark that there’s a ‘wheat field’ to harvest out there among the matrimonial sites, cluttering the Net.
If you remember the advertisement that promotes the product on the TV, the student with a dark complexion is totally ignored by his female friends prompting him to hunt for a suitable fairness cream. Ultimately, he finds the right cream for men – Emami’s Fair & Handsome cream. Not surprisingly, all the girls are now swooning over this ‘dark turned fair’ handsome boy.
Prof. Shalini Bharat, a socio psychologist, says this sort of advertising is not good for Indian society as it promotes fair skin in a country where a large percentage of the population is dark.
An extract from the Net is reproduced here for the benefit of MouthShut readers:
Quote... First time ever fairness cream for men:
Emami in collaboration with Activor Corp, USA has created a unique fairness cream for men with a breakthrough Peptide complex patented in the USA. This wonder molecule peptide works on the collagen structure of male skin and dramatically improves skin texture and fairness in just 4 weeks. Its pleasant cooling gives an after-shave effect.
How does it work?
Active ingredients regulate production of melanin. Natural sunscreen protects against UV rays.
Peptide in combination with Vetiver and Rose Water makes skin fair and fresh with a pleasant cooling sensation.
What it does:
Improves fairness in 4 weeks.
Protects against sun’s UV rays.
Moisturises skin even after shaving.
Relieves stress and fatigue signs.
The efficiency of this cream has been dermatologically tested on Indian male skin
73% were found to be fairer
78% found it to be an effective after shave-moisturiser
75% found effective oil-control...Unquote.
Back to the review, the Indian male’s present obsession with grooming means more time and attention is needed to be given by him in front of the looking glass. A few souls could even be tempted to ask from envy and vanity (two hitherto unknown qualities in male) “Mirror, Mirror on the wall; who is the fairest of them all”... and the mirror would probably reply, in all honesty - “Hritik Roshan”. Well, why not? The Mumbai underworld does call him “Chikna”.
So next time, if you stumble across a metrosexual male (who also happens to be your boss) with a squeezy tube of ‘youknowwhat’ in his hands, or pocket, or briefcase... don’t throw any filmy tantrums. He is a perfectly normal human being who’s probably aspiring to become the next big thing after Michael Jackson successfully moulted his black skin.
The same goes for all fretfully suspicious mamas who are forever busy keeping watch on their adolescent sons. And during the course of one of their surprise inspections, if they ever find their bratty adolescent kid up to something with what appears to be a ’la femme’ cosmetic – relax, there’s nothing effeminate about the boy. It’s just the fad thing these days.
It’s altogether a different matter with girls in the neighbourhood who, probably, are swooning all over him, and crying out loud...
“Gora gora, woh baanka chora, kabhi meri gali aaya karon...
Gora gora, woh Emami chora, ab roz yeh cream lagaya karon...’’
mbfarookh