Model Mushk Kaleem, who has been nominated for Best Emerging Talent (Model) at the upcoming Lux Style Awards 2019, recently raised her voice against the glorification of fair skin, which is quite common in our part of the world. Seems like the model has had enough of it and wants the fashion industry to get over colorism.
The model took to social media and shared that she will no longer entertain clients who ask her to ‘whiten up’ for shoots. “No, I’m not a pearlescent white-skinned girl, I’m dusky and bronze. To all the clients who book me for shoots and then expect me to douse myself in lighter makeup to make me look ‘acceptable for lawn’, I’d rather say you not book me at all,” she wrote on her official Instagram handle.
“My skin colour defines me, it’s who I am, so if you feel like you need to whiten me up so that I match the ‘requirements of the brief, or the shoot’ or because ‘Lahoris have issues with dark models for summer lawn’ or whatever, please don’t consider me for your shoots,” she wrote.
The model, who is proud of her dusky complexion, furthered, “In the past few weeks I’ve had photographers and designers tell me that they’re only making my skin whiter because ‘the brand can’t afford to get hate comments on luxury collections’, because ‘we need a pretty feel for the shoot’. ***k that. Book me because I look good in my own skin, if you want to Photoshop and edit my face till you wash out the dark of my skin, then find yourself a fairer model. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble. Thank you.”
The dig at Lahoris, notwithstanding, this obsession with fair skin needs to go from our fashion and entertainment industry and more power to Mushk for speaking up.
