Sunscreen & Fairness Cream

The Sun scorched everything in its reach. The recently asphalted road diligently reflected the heat, which in turn made the air drier & hotter. Sunaina felt as though she had to walk through a natural oven. Her choice of a long-sleeved cotton dress protected her arms & socks covered her feet. A double folded cotton dupatta deftly wrapped around her face formed a shield. She swiftly walked towards the college. As she entered the premises, she rushed to the restroom & removed the dupatta.

The mirror reflected the harsh Sun's impact on her clear white skin; it had turned red & showed signs of sunburn. Without any delay, she pulled out a cosmetics pouch from her bag. She promptly removed her socks & bagged them in a separate cover. She wiped her feet clean with a wet tissue. Now her attention shifted to her sunburned face. She splashed fresh tap water onto her face & a sigh of relief escaped her lips. She dabbed the face with a wet tissue & poured a generous amount of moisturiser with sunscreen lotion with SPF 30 to her left palm. She meticulously applied it to her face, neck, ears & feet, followed by basic makeup. She double-checked herself head to toe & exited the restroom.

As she neared the block, she observed her friends sitting under a large tree & chatting. As she scanned the crowd, her eyes locked his. A small, shied smile parted her lips. He walked up to her & said, "Due to a lecturers meeting, they cancelled the first couple of classes. Shall we go out for a cold coffee?" Neither did she have the heart to say "no," nor did she dare to face the hot Sun. She smartly answered, "In a couple of hours, we have electrical laboratory class. We can go later in the evening." They agreed & settled in with the rest of the crowd. Friendly chatter & banter was on.

Over an hour later, Kanika walked up to her friends. No sooner did she reach the shade of the large tree than she pushed the sunglasses from the bridge of her nose to over her head. She stated, "It's so hot today. At this rate, we are all going to get skin cancer like Stefani." Confused, Kriti asked, "Who, Stefani?" As Kanika made space to settle in, she replied, "Stefani from Baywatch. Joey mentions her in Friends." Rasheeda responded, "Oh, this girl! Forever about Baywatch & Friends. Why did you not come in early?" Kanika pulled out a water bottle from her bag & sipped some water. Once her parched throat was satisfied, she replied, "Come on, don't say that about the series. Had you watched them, you would know. Anyways, last night I caught a late-night movie & could not get out of bed this morning. Looking at all of you sitting out, it seems like it was a good decision."

As the pleasantries ended, Ashmitha complimented Kanika, "You are looking good today." A few others also praised her. Kanika thanked them with a smile. Advaith jumped in & announced, "You are dark; you can't be pretty!" Rasheeda whispered to Kriti & Sheetal, "Here comes, Sunaina's knight in shining armour." Kriti muttered under her breath, "Sunaina flaunts too, but this guy is obsessed with fair skin." Kanika was aware of Advaith's argumentative nature; she responded, "I know." Kriti was offended & questioned, "What? Are you not going to say anything back to him? You are looking so pretty." Kanika responded, "It's a free world & he is entitled to his opinion. I only agreed to the point that my skin is dark." Sheetal added, "You are not dark; your skin tone is dusky. Also, what's skin tone got to do with being pretty?" Kanika replied with a smile, "Lord Krishna is also dusky. I have to agree with you; beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder."

Advaith sharply said, "So, you think you are God?" Kanika calmly replied, "It is a reference to skin tone only." Kanika had no interest, time, or energy to debate with him. In an attempt to avoid an ugly argument, she came up with an excuse. She checked her wristwatch, picked her bag & declared, "Let's go, girls. We have to get into the laboratory early; otherwise, we will end up with faulty equipment."

Advaith saw an advantage & provoked, "Oh, look at her, she's making excuses to leave." Kanika coolly stated, "I believe in; you have it, flaunt it. I'm pleased with my skin tone." Advaith pushed the limits & quoted, "Losers, come up with such silly punch lines." The debate was drawing undesired attention & crowd. Kanika knew there was no way out; she put down her bag & said, "I have 15mins & I will close it in 5mins." Sheetal whispered, "Now he has woken up the sleeping lioness." A few of the girls cheered Kanika; it was unbelievable & she shook her head. Advaith geared up to tear her down. Sunaina enjoyed the protective nature of Advaith & being a trophy girlfriend. Still, she was not sure which way this argument was going to sway.

Kanika confidently stated, "The world's most prestigious & long-running beauty pageants do not select women based on their complexion. So, it doesn't matter what you say." Advaith replied in a condescending tone, "We aren't talking about pageants here. It's about you. Do you know most sold cosmetics in India are fairness products?" Kanika replied with a smile, "Since you are dismissing pageants, I'll have to dismiss fairness products. For your kind information, I do not use sunscreen or fairness cream."

Advaith rudely added, "For college fests & events, fair people get picked up for programs, hosting, etc." Kanika laughed loudly; she paused to say, "Those cherry-picked participants have to work hard for months on rehearsals. On the day of the event, they miss out on watching every other event. In comparison, I can chill & watch all the programs. I don't want to kill myself over 5mins of stage presence." Advaith said, "It's a facade; I'm sure you have a complex about your complexion." Kanika proudly said, "I've several advantages of being dusky." Advaith was puzzled & asked, "Would you care to enlighten us?"

Kanika listed, "I don't have to worry about a tan whether I'm out in the Sun or water. Fair skin is prone to sunburns, where skin peels & takes time to heal. I can wear any pastel & dark shades; carry it off with confidence. While fair complexion blends into pastel colour, one cannot see facial features. Fair-skinned people in dark colour clothes bring out the contrast, which is sometimes heavy on the eyes. I can afford to wear loud lip shade while it makes fair-skinned look like a vampire. I can wear my acne/pimple scars proudly like a war veteran; eventually, it blends into the skin. While on fair skin, it presents as potholes on roads. I can delay waxing as hair growth is not apparent; on fair skin, it looks like porcupines' skin." Advaith opened his mouth to say something & Kanika added, "Actually, I hadn't paid attention to these until Sunaina pointed them out. You may want to check with her." Advaith couldn't believe his ears & tuned towards Sunaina with a stern look. She returned an awkward smile.

The crowd was stunned by Kanika's statements. Boys who chased fair-skinned girls, jaws dropped. A few of the girls got off from their seats & clapped. Kanika's eyes popped & muttered, "What are you girls doing?" Advaith was agitated & was not going to heed. He said, "You're just cooking up stories to defend your statement." Kanika was exhausted & said, "Mythological reference, beauty pageant criteria & daily practical reference are not convincing enough. What to do?" Advaith arrogantly declared, "Those are lame excuses which you claim as advantages."

As Advaith watched Kanika stand up & pick her bag, he felt the rush of satisfaction & he adorned a victorious smile. Kanika turned towards him & looked straight into his eyes. With all her confidence, she stated, "Here is the scientific reason. A pigment called Melanin determines a person's skin tone. Dark-skinned people have a high level of Melanin. They are less prone to skin cancer & wrinkles. When I have a longer life & younger-looking skin, why do I care about anything else?"

Take away: When one is confident & comfortable in their skin (tone & personality), no one & nothing can beat it.