I’m brown and extremely happy about it: Suhana Khan calls out trolls on colour bias

PTI, Sep 30, 2020, 12:17 PM IST

Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and producer Gauri Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan has criticised Indian society’s obsession with fair skin while taking on social media abusers for trolling her over her skin colour.

In an Instagram post, the 20-year-old film student said from an age as early as 12 she has been called “ugly”, courtesy her brown skin tone.

“There’s a lot going on right now and this is one of the issues we need to fix!! this isn’t just about me, it’s about every young girl/boy who has grown up feeling inferior for absolutely no reason,” she wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

“Here are just a few of the comments made about my appearance,” Suhana Khan wrote, sharing some screenshots of the derogatory remarks she receives on social media about her complexion. For Indians, who are brown by default, showing hatred towards fellow country people over skin tone reflects their insecure nature, she said.

“I’ve been told I’m ugly because of my skin tone, by full grown men and women, since I was 12 years old. Other than the fact that these are actual adults, what’s sad is that we are all Indians, which automatically makes us brown – yes we come in different shades but no matter how much you try to distance yourself from the melanin, you just can’t. Hating on your own people just means that you are painfully insecure.”

Suhana Khan further said one should not let the idea of beauty set up by the social media world and matchmaking sites dictate their life.

“I’m sorry if social media, Indian matchmaking or even your own families have convinced you, that if you’re not 5’7 and fair you’re not beautiful. I hope it helps to know that I’m 5’3 and brown and I am extremely happy about it and you should be too,” she concluded, with ‘end colourism’ hashtag.