In all Fairness

A few weeks ago, a pop music video went viral online, showcasing, surprisingly enough, Saudi teenage girls dancing, singing and expressing themselves, for a change. Titled 'Hwages', loosely translating to 'Concerns,' the music video shows girls playing basketball, skateboarding and dancing – all wrapped up in abayas (loose, black attire covering the body). Created by 8ies, the girls take part in many activities (like driving a car etc.) that they are otherwise not allowed to do, and song lyrics like 'If only God would rid us of men.' The video was uploaded last December and has been viewed more than three million times on YouTube already. 

As much as one would praise the girls and the makers of this video for finally taking a bold step, it's also worth wondering how in 2017, women still have to live through archaic rules and ancient rituals. 

Things are not all so different in this part of the world either. Have you ever seen one of those ad-films where a fairness cream magically changes the luck of an otherwise female 'weakling' – unable to reach goals, never being liked by the opposite sex let alone getting married and of course, being unfit for the dream job? Over the years, stories of the wonders of these creams evolved with time – decades ago a girl was useless unless she changed her skin colour (using the fairness creams of course), thus wooing the man to finally notice her and marry her. Today, the fairness creams are all about oozing confidence in a woman. Gone are the days when you needed to change the colour of your skin to get married; it's all about how confident you will feel and attack the difficult circumstances in front of you – still wearing the fairness cream and changing your skin colour, however. 

Clearly, these age-old ideas of the 'forsha (fair-skinned) woman' winning all the trophies in society have rooted themselves so deep, that particular sections of the social net actually profit out of it.

Photos: Internet

One wonders, though, if people who watch these ad-films still believe in these ridiculous ideas. Do the educated folks, for who these films are made and showcased in the middle of fictions, reality shows and derails, actually believe that rubbing cream on one's face will change colour? Unfortunately, they do. 

The idea of marriage being the definitive life-goal of a woman is so strong in the subcontinent that even today, the education of a young daughter would be incomplete without teaching her how to take care of her home, cook, throw dinner parties and of course, taking care of her 'ultimate family' – her in laws. Coupled with this idea, girls are also required to be fair skinned – otherwise, there is a risk of them staying single their whole lives – something that even today, the society cannot fathom.

It's time to make a similar video in this part of the country, which would voice out 'change', 'acceptance' and 'tolerance'. It's time to create a digital revolution, where the content would be speaking directly to the hearts of the people, breaking all barriers and ending the nonsensical idea of being the stronger person if you are fair-skinned. 

In all fairness, it's what's inside that truly matters.