Krystle Dsouza recalls being advised to bathe in milk to appear 'fair': 'Didn't want to be "gora"'

In the glitzy world of showbiz, unrealistic beauty standards often prevail. Numerous actors have fallen prey to these ideals, while some have bravely shared their struggles with body and color shaming. The newest addition to this narrative is Krystle Dsouza. During conversation with News18 Showsha, she disclosed that early in her career, she faced criticism for her skin tone and was even offered a peculiar tip to enhance her appearance.

Talking about it, she says, “People gave me a lot of free advice in the past and they still do. I’ve also been called dusky. I remember receiving this advice that I should wash myself with milk so that my skin looks fair. I kept thinking to myself that I’m allergic to milk, toh uska kya? I didn’t want to be gora. I’m an Indian. I’m very, very desi and I love my skin colour. Why should I become fair?”

Not only concerning her skin tone, but Krystle has also encountered pressure to alter her eye color, resulting in her wearing contact lenses for a significant portion of her career. “My eyes are green. From 2008-2009 to 2019 when I did Fittrat, I wore brown lenses every day of my life because they said I won’t look like a positive character if my eyes are green. I don’t know why but I believed them and put on dark brown lenses for almost ten years,” she recalls.

According to her, Krystle now has the confidence to stand up against those who criticize her appearance. She credits this newfound strength to an incident that occurred on the Fittrat set. “People who knew me knew that I had green eyes but others, who saw me on stage or onscreen, thought my eye colour was naturally brown. If anyone tells me anything like this today, I’ll never believe or give in to them because now I know that you can see the honesty in people when you look into their eyes. During Fittrat, my director said to me, ‘Nothing doing! Throw those lenses out. I love your eyes’,” she says.

While Krystle acknowledges that being in the limelight means a lot of scrutiny, she has now developed a thick skin and has embraced herself for who she is. “You’re under a lot of scrutiny as an actor in terms of the way you look and carry yourself. The things you say can be blown out of proportion. But it’s okay. I don’t take myself so seriously. Itna toh chalta hai. Where will you take all of this? Jaana toh sabko upar hi hai,” she remarks.

That's why she didn't mind gaining a few extra kilos for her role in her recent film, Visfot. “My role in it is that of a sweet girl next-door. So, I didn’t have to look like my fittest best. I wanted to look as real as possible. I was okay with my arms flabbing. I thought it was cute (laughs). I was eating cupcakes and was unbothered,” Krystle shares.