The settings they’re in are usually very lavish, so light-skinned beauty gets tied to issues of class and upward mobility.
The movie stars that have been idealized in Bollywood, particularly in terms of women, have been very, very light-skinned, and that continues today. Not that you don’t have those types of visual cultures and fans in the U.S., but in India, there is a large population who cannot read or write films transcend those barriers of literacy, and in a country that’s in the Global South, the role that films can play is huge. They become national idols, and people are their fans. In Bollywood, the prevalence of the star system is huge-movie stars make the movie. Parameswaran: One of the biggest visual reminders and symbols of colorism is who is cast. TIME: What are some different ways in which colorism manifests itself in Bollywood? Radhika Parameswaran, a professor in the Media School at Indiana University, Bloomington, spoke to TIME about that context. In recent months, instances such as Bollywood stars promoting skin-whitening creams while championing Black Lives Matter and the casual colorist statements in the reality dating show Indian Matchmaking have resulted in a heated discourse surrounding the topic, which, at times, has spurred change. But just in the last year, colorism in South Asian culture has come under fire in a number of ways. In time, it should be seen as a career highlight from a superstar - one of the hardest-working people in the business, a new mother, in total control, at her creative and commercial peak.Though his stated intention did not match the lyrics’ reception, Khan’s statement does get at a deeper truth: the idea of a “fair lady” being a stand-in for a beautiful woman dates back centuries in South Asian culture, as it does in many others. It opens with an elegantly delivered "Let me sit this ass on you." When the album came out, the release itself dominated the chatter.
Soul throwback ballad "Rocket" is a close second, another amusing mix of metaphorical and explicit come-ons. Best of all is "Blow," playfully risqué boogie loaded with instantly memorable lines - "I'm-a let you be the boss of me," for instance - and a slick tempo changeup. It concludes with McMahon's dismissal of her group, as if to say, "Yeah, but look at me now." There's also a whole lot of romance, heartache, and, most prominently, monogamous sex - in the kitchen, in a chauffeur-driven car, while drunk. Central track "***Flawless" opens with Ed McMahon's introduction of her preteen group on Star Search, incorporates the combative "Bow Down" and a portion of celebrated Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk on feminism, as well as a booming, quotable-packed victory lap. "Mine" and "Blue" involve vivid expressions regarding the turbulence and thrill of motherhood. There are deep references to Beyoncé's competitive showbiz upbringing and acknowledgments of her beloved Houston hometown. Beyoncé co-wrote and co-produced all of the songs with A-listers like Pharrell, Timbaland, James Fauntleroy, Hit-Boy, and the-Dream, as well as emerging Detroiters Detail and Key Wane and the previously unknown Boots. Easily her best album since B'day, it's among her most entertaining and sexually explicit work, yet it's substantive in every respect. And then, on December 13, while engaged in a world tour and when no one expected it, she released her fifth solo studio album with accompanying videos. There were appearances on albums by Rowland, the-Dream, and husband Jay-Z, as well as a Soundcloud upload "Bow Down/I Been On," passionately debated for its aggression and vulgarity, and the more "ladylike" "Standing on the Sun," a clothing retailer tie-in. A documentary, Life Is But a Dream, aired on HBO. The trio released "Nuclear," an excellent song disregarded for not being an anthem. She headlined the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, joined by Destiny's Child partners Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.
The first 346 days of Beyoncé's 2013 were eventful enough.