Nnakwe1
IrukaNnakwe
Professor Ruccio
ENGL 1101
10 October 2014
Fair and Loveless
Tears coat her white pillow sheets. Her father sits at the tableholding a mug of coffee, slightly regretful, knowing that he has caused his daughter’s current sadness. However, he knows he is not the ultimate cause of her suffering. “If only we had a son,” he says. “If only she wasn’t so dark,” her society says. Fair and Lovely seeks to end the suffering of dark-skinned Indian women just like her. The whiteningcream company claims that its products can transform unappealing and socially-degraded dark skin into radiant and socially-praised light skin. The company claims it can transform this weeping girl into a confident airhostess in its Airhostess cream commercial, or mystically grant a dark-skinned girl a successful modeling career in a latter Ayurvedic cream commercial. While this company’s advertisements further bolster its current success in the marketplace, they also concurrently erode the chances of achieving societal change for its customers. Fair and Lovely’s advertisements use mesmerizing cinematography,historically cultural values, and relatable narratives consisting of despair in darkness and triumph in lightness to successfully facilitate ethos and pathos, thus leading to the prosperous marketing of its product; however, the company unsuccessfully administers logos since its advertisements do not provide a realistic solution to the issue of colorism in India.
Of the three most common rhetorical strategies, Fair and Lovely’s advertisements utilize pathos to the greatest extent through compelling cinematography. In the Airhostess cream commercial, the use of melancholic music in the background,while the girl witnesses her father’s disproval and then proceeds to cry on her bed, effectively depicts the sadness that she feels. The music, however, changes immediately into an upbeat and slightly heroic tune as the Fair and Lovely advertisement plays on her bedroom television. The music’s resolution from melancholic to light and reassuring, coordinated with the presentation of the advertisement, evokes the idea that the use of this product can be the solution the audience has been in search of. The transition from sad music to happy music is also used in theAyurvediccream commercial as the girl transitions from being rejected by the modeling company to being openly accepted after the use of the product. Loud, energetic music with an ethnicstyling is also used in the Ayurvedic cream commercial when her father mystically presents the components of the product, giving the cream a sense of magical reverence. Pathos is also applied through the lighting used in the advertisements. In the Airhostess cream commercial, the lighting is dark when the girl is depressed and suffering with the apparent curse of dark skin, but quickly turns vibrantly bright when she finally bears the benefits of using the product: lighter skin. The use of the families in the advertisements is also a successful utilization of pathos. In both the Airhostess cream and Ayurvediccream commercials, the narratives present the whitening cream as a way to enable better family relations, which can appeal to all parents, but perhaps especially mothers, who care about the state of the happiness of their loved ones.
The use of families in the narratives also successfully facilitate ethos, especially through the fathers. In both commercials, the daughter receives love and approval from her father after she uses the product. Indian culture, being traditionally patriarchal, reveres fatherly approval in life decisions. Therefore, the content the fathers provide is bolstered by a sense of patriarchal credibility inherent in the Indian culture. The narratives, though specific, are also relatable. Dark-skinned girls deal with the same body image and social pressures thatthe female actressesstruggle with in the advertisements. The relatability supports the credibility of the product since the situational plots in the advertisements are not fictional in the lives of their customers. The acceptance of the girls into successful employment in the commercials also increases the credibility of the product. The most powerful use of ethos can be seen during the Ayurvedic cream commercial when the father opens a scroll to present the product. The historical, cultural, and reverential aspects of the product’s presentation give the product supernatural credibility.
Unfortunately, Fair and Lovely’s administration of logos is the least powerful. The issue of colorism has affected Indian culture for centuries and the products do not logically resolve this issue. Fair and Lovely’s products provide a temporary solution to an ancient and persistent problem. Even if women of one generation successfully lighten their skin, the next generation will still struggle under the same societal conditions. The most effective and logical method of dissolving colorism is to promote beauty in all skin tones because it results in the most long-lasting, and hopefully one day, permanent change. Therefore, Fair and Lovely’s decision to empower colorism instead of destroying it is illogical and additionally detrimental.
In conclusion, though Fair and Lovely’s effective use of ethos and pathos successfully persuades costumers to purchaseits products,the company’s absence of logos curtails its capabilities to potentially improve Indian society. Colorism will continue to be an issue in India, and throughout the world, until it is openly rejected by institutions of societal influence. With its national popularity, Fair and Lovely could provide positive ads that empower women of all skin tones while continuing to pursue innovation in skincare. However, by choosing to profit off a destructive response to the issue of colorism in India, Fair and Lovely’s commercials only further inhibit the possibility of dark-skinned Indian women engaging in self-acceptance, which leaves them neither fair norlovelyin the eyes of society, but fair and loveless.
Works Cited
Airhostess Cream/Fair and Lovely.YouTube.N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.