What can South Asian media learn from Priyanka Chopra’s discussions around being called “dusky” or “not pretty enough” early in her career, especially when trying to gain global acceptance?
How does this reflect the colorism and body-image bias deeply ingrained in South Asian societies?
Before she was a global icon, before Quantico and Citadel, before walking red carpets with Nick Jonas — Priyanka Chopra was a teenager being told something many South Asian girls have heard:
“You’re too dusky.”
“You’re not heroine material.”
“You’re not the fair, fragile beauty we’re looking for.”
Despite being crowned Miss World in 2000, her darker skin tone became an obstacle — not a strength — in the very industry that crowned her.
🎥 When the Camera Isn’t Made for You
In her interviews, Priyanka has openly spoken about the early comments made about her skin tone and looks — particularly within Bollywood, where the industry continues to equate fairness with femininity, desirability, and “mainstream appeal.”
- Casting directors called her “too ethnic looking”
- Brands wanted her to lighten up before campaigns
- Her skin color was treated like a flaw to be fixed, not a feature to be celebrated
And here’s the real issue: She’s not the exception. She’s the rule.
🧿 Colorism Is Not Just a Buzzword
Colorism — the preference for lighter skin within communities of color — is rampant in South Asian culture. It doesn’t just affect casting in movies. It affects:
- Marriage proposals
- Workplace bias
- Beauty standards taught to children
- How young girls value themselves in the mirror
When one of South Asia’s most famous actresses is told she’s “not pretty enough” — what does that say to a young girl in Karachi, Chennai, or Fiji who’s never seen someone her shade as a lead heroine?
📢 Why the Media Must Stop Playing Fair
South Asian media — particularly TV and film — continues to:
- Cast light-skinned actresses as romantic leads
- Use makeup and lighting tricks to “whiten” skin on screen
- Reinforce “fair = elite” tropes
- Promote fairness cream ads under the illusion of “glow”
All of this sends a clear message:
Dark skin doesn’t deserve center stage.
Even Priyanka once starred in a skin-lightening commercial. Years later, she called it one of her biggest regrets — a moment of internalized bias shaped by the industry she was trying to survive in.
🌍 Global Platform, Local Healing
Now that Priyanka’s on the global stage, her outspokenness about colorism matters more than ever. She uses her influence to:
- Acknowledge her privilege and her past mistakes
- Critique the fairness-obsessed system she once bought into
- Amplify stories that go beyond Bollywood’s beauty checklist
Her journey from being dismissed as “not pretty enough” to becoming an international brand is more than glow-up — it’s proof that the old standard is broken.
🎯 What South Asian Media Needs to Learn
1. Representation Starts with Casting
Hire lead actresses across the full spectrum of South Asian skin tones — without “correcting” them with filters or edits.
2. Stop Romanticizing Eurocentric Beauty
Just because someone looks racially ambiguous or “international” doesn’t mean they’re the default for success.
Talent isn’t fair-skinned. Global appeal isn’t pale.
3. Teach Girls They Don’t Need to Lighten to Shine
Media shapes culture. If every heroine is fair, every girl who isn’t will think she has to change.
💭 Final Thoughts: Pretty Enough for Who?
When Priyanka Chopra was told she wasn’t pretty enough — they weren’t questioning her talent. They were questioning her ability to fit into a box designed by colonial leftovers and internalized shame.
But she broke out of that box.
And South Asian media?
It’s time they burn it altogether.