'Gora Rang' Complex
The British raj took over the subcontinent region when the Muslim rule ended in 1857 and lasted uptil 1947. This shift of power brought along multiple socio cultural changes in the subcontinent whose effects are felt to date. Although the British rule came to an end in 1947, but White Supremacy kept ruling the mind of the natives for so long that the socio cultural patterns still reflect a sense of royalty and supremacy attached to anything that looks, talks, and behaves like the Whites.
Pakistani women originally have dark hair, middle toned complexion, dark eyes, and sharp features and these physical traits were considered attractive for a long time in the region. Ever since the advent of British rule ,however, the definition of beauty evolved and took shape of anything that looked similar to the ruling elite in the subcontinent-the 'gora' (White) population. The complexion of the ruling class along with their lifestyle started being considered and perceived as prestigious. The closer some of the local population members found themselves to be in resemblance with the dominant ruling White class, better the sense of power and confidence they felt. In effect, some of them would shed their own skin and rather feel comfortable in owning foreign traits that would give them a sense of superiority, power, and royalty. The term' Brown Sahib' referred to the concept of a South Asian man who often belonged to a higher social strata and adopted British/Western lifestyle appearing consequently to be 'brown on the outside and white on the inside'. The prestige and value attached to English medium schools in Pakistan today too reflects the heap of importance and meaning given to Western lifestyle with respect to being an elite class member in the society. For women , the picture is ridiculed further by setting unrealistic standards of beauty for them that comply with the traits of 'Whites'. Women are considered physically attractive if they have a lighter skin/white complexion. Media in addition, reinforces and regulates the notion that 'white is pretty' and in order to look pretty girls should be white. Moreover, a lot of beauty products cash on this idea in order to retain their position in the market. Undue and unrealistic demands of the guy and his family especially in an arranged marriage setting are a social pressure on girls to come up to the standards of beauty set for them by the society which is oriented towards gratification of men. This in effect emphasizes the idea that women should be judged on the basis of their looks, and should be attractive and appealing. Unfortunately, such an approach highly overlooks the intellectual abilities of a woman which should actually mean much more, for its far more enduring and lasting impact on self and others, than any of the physical attributes she possesses. A 'gori' (white complexioned) woman is considered desirable by men and socially acceptable. It is interesting to note how a mere possession of a biological trait that no one could naturally have had a control over is over emphasized so much so that it puts a woman at an advantageous position compared to others in work, social, peer groups, media, career opportunities, educational opportunities, and leadership domains. Whiter complexion and fluency in English rather than talent and intellect sometimes earns women social acceptance and better career opportunities too. The 'identity theft' of minority group members and a minority within the minority group member-females, is socially constructed unjust and unhealthy phenomenon that calls for immediate attention. The purpose , however, should be to realize who we actually are and how to prime ourselves better fitting for our society psychologically, intellectually, and morally rather than hiding our true identities under an alien mask.
