In February of 2016, a Tanzanian student in Bengaluru was brutalized in a racist attack by a group who beat her, tore off her clothes, and set fire to her car. Three months later, 7 Africans were violently attacked in a neighborhood in South Delhi. These are only the most recent and publicized incidents in a pervasive pattern of Antiblackness that takes the form of both institutional and literal violence in India. Now, some African nations may limit the flow of students they send to Indian universities in the interest of their safety.
"Given the pervading climate of fear and insecurity in Delhi, the African heads of missions are left with little option than to consider recommending to their governments not to send new students to India, unless and until their safety can be guaranteed," said a statement by Eritrean Ambassador Alem Tsehage Woldemariam. The sad irony is that Black and Brown students have so much to learn from each other, given the chance.
At a time when there is so much turmoil around Blackness in India and abroad, Grazia came out with... probably the most tone-deaf cover possible in this situation. Let's have a look and break this down.
1. Good Hair, We Care! The irony: Indian hair is harvested and sold, often to Black consumers, all over the world. American comedian Chris Rock even made a documentary called Good Hair, where he came to Tirupathi to get the inside scoop on the virgin hair trade. The documentary was prompted by his daughter's question of why she didn't have "good" - read: fine, soft, and loosely textured - hair. The market for Indian hair is valued at393.5Million and growing; the African consumer market is valued at6Billion and growing. These markets exploit respectability politics that Black women face all over the world. In the same way colorism in India keeps dark-skinned men and women consuming Fairness creams, natural hair stigma in other parts of the world keeps black women feeling that they need "good hair" to succeed in work, life, and love. The next level of this irony? Indian womens' natural best practices for hair, from coconut & amla oil massages to mehendi for grays, are making their way all over the world - and helping black women in particular reclaim their natural textures. Despite being the stewards of the most historically effective and holistic hair care practices in the world, Indian women are being sold chemical "smoothies, serums and shampoos" by industry giants to maintain their hair. The same predatory global beauty market exploits the insecurities of both Black and Brown women to keep us consuming mass-produced beauty products.
2. Girl Gone Wild!The irony: For Black women in workplaces all over the world, no matter how professionally they may dress, indelible features like color of their skin and texture of their hair are huge obstacles to workplace advancement and social mobility. Shraddha is wearing a turtleneck and a blazer in a demure, professional look. The only distinguishing feature making this look "wild" is the Afro. Framing the Afro this way links natural textures to wildness and backwardness. This simultaneously plays into the colonial imaginary of a "wild" Africa, and reinforces the broader mentality that stigmatizes Black women for just, you know... existing.
3. All Roads Lead To Rio! The irony: Rio is one of the biggest fronts in the global problem of colorism and Antiblackness. During the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, 1 in 5 Africans were enslaved in Brazil. Brazil is home to the second-largest population of Black people in the world after Nigeria. And today, Black youth in Brazil are 4 times more likely to be killed than non-Black youth... and as in any society, the women suffer most. Earlier this year, Brazil's first Black Carnaval Queen was stripped of her title for being "too black". The next level of this irony? Now, during Olympics season, over 22,000 families have been displaced, most of whom are poor and disproportionately Black. So really, all roads lead us back to the staggering ignorance at the heart of this issue.
Kapoor's Afro hairstyle is credited to stylists Ekta Rajani, Shaan Muttathil and Amit Thakur. The culture of Antiblackness, however, isn't limited to Grazia. Other publications and industry insiders contribute to the insidious mindset that both stigmatizes and fetishizes Blackness. See exhibit one, the Indian Express article calling Kapoor a "rockstar" for her Afro style and claiming all we need is a mic in the photo to "imagine Shraddha Kapoor singing a song in Africi accent". Bollywood Life loves her outfits, but calls her hair "bizarre" and "a put off". The fact is, Fashion is inherently political. Every member of the fashion industry, from stylists to editors to production assistants, has a responsibility to educate themselves and get their mind right about the cultures and aesthetics they appropriate. Fashion can be liberating, or it can be deeply regressive. The choice rests squarely on the shoulders of the industry leaders and insiders behind publications like Grazia.
Now, that being said... There is a silver lining here: The emerging generation of South Asian Millennials is making waves in the discourse on colorism and equity. Both Indian nationals and diasporic South Asians are rising in their understanding of institutional violence through global social movements and collective efforts around representation. Movements like #unfairandlovely, which was cocreated by Pax Jones, a Black woman, unabashedly acknowledge and subvert Antiblackness in South Asian communities.
To Grazia: These are the tastemakers and changemakers, and it would behoove you to watch their moves. Pay attention to all the rad emerging South Asian creatives; take notes on their positions, their activism. We are at a crossroads in how the South Asian community worldwide - especially through fashion - interfaces with other communities. Clearly, Grazia sees that Black is beautiful. Clearly, Grazia understands that the world is watching, that the stage is global. Clearly, Grazia wants to have their finger on the pulse of this international creative class. Surely, Grazia can do this without the tone-deaf ignorance on display in this issue.
Solidarity requires accountability. We have to be able to call each other out gently. We have to be able to read and hear criticism, without taking it personally. We have to take people at their word when they tell us that seeing their hair texture repeatedly characterized as wild and abnormal has affected their self image. That watching a lifetime of Fair & Lovely ads has diminished their self worth. That it hurts.
It's easy to complain about appropriation, to be the #curryscentedbitch. It's often much harder when you've inflicted the pain. To admit you've done a wrong thing, and do the necessary to make it right. TBQH, South Asians are hella racist. We need to work on that. We need to understand, as Staceyann Chin says, that all oppression is connected. By contributing to Black liberation, we liberate ourselves; by contributing to Black suffering, we suffer ourselves. By reinforcing Eurocentric beauty standards, we put ourselves in a race that's impossible for any of us to win. So to Grazia and to so many of us that have been personally called out and made uncomfortable... Criticism is an opportunity for growth. Let's take it, learn from it, and do better next time.
Stay Connected | Instagram