Introduction: “You’d Be Prettier If You Were Lighter” At age 9, Aanya remembers her aunt pulling her aside after a wedding:“You’ve gotten so dark! Stay out of the sun, beta. Who will marry you like this?” She didn’t understand what she had done wrong — except exist in her own skin. For many South Asians, especially women, beauty is not just skin deep — it’s skin tone deep.Colorism — the discrimination based on the darkness of your skin — is so normalized, it often masquerades as “advice,” “concern,” or “tradition.”But beneath the surface, it carves deep cracks in self-esteem, belonging, and mental wellness. The Inherited Shame of Darkness Colorism in…