Tanupriya Khurana watches intently as her sister Bhavna gets a makeover at a designer cosmetics kiosk in the middle of one of Delhi's most popular malls, Select Citywalk. Shades of velvety pink blush roll over Bhavna's olive cheeks. She holds up a mirror and inspects the results. Behind the kiosk, a clothing and lingerie store displays trendy fashions on mannequins with blond hair, blue eyes and milky white complexions. They look nothing like Tanupriya and her sister or the hundreds of other Indians milling about this upscale shopping complex on a Sunday afternoon. Even the advertisements and store posters that use Indian faces promote a look that is unattainable for most Indians: long, silky straight hair; a tall, thin body; and, most importantly, a fair complexion. The most popular Bollywood stars such as Aishwarya Rai -- a former Miss World -- look more white than Indian.
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Many Indians feel the disturbing obsession with fairness is compounded by Westernization
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Interest reignites after Nina Davaluri, of Indian descent, is crowned Miss America
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Author recalls family members telling her to stay out of the sun lest she turn darker
But even those here who do not dispute the new Miss America's beauty said this: A pageant or a @placeholder role is one thing, but when it comes down to finding a bride for a beloved son, Davaluri, despite her stunning looks, would be too dark to make the cut.