To SRK, Karthik, Yami, John and other celebs endorsing fairness cream

will now be penalized

Akanksha Bhatia

As a nation, India has a problem with colourism, where we are constantly tormented by fairness ads and products that promise to make us more 'attractive' (read whiter) with absolutely no medical or scientific backing. After years of obsessing over 'fair' skin, it looks like India is finally ready to forgo the stereotypes and take a step in the positive direction.

In order to ban advertisements that promote such false claims, the government has proposed to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. This amendment will ban all fairness and weight loss promoting ads.

According to MoneyControl , the draft bill prepared by the government, states that it could slap a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh and imprisonment up to five years on brands that make such claims. This umbrella includes advertisements promoting pharmaceutical products for fairness of skin, deafness, improvement of height, hair loss or greying, obesity, and others. The draft has also expanded from just visual advertisements.

Any audio or visual publicity, representation, endorsement or pronouncement made by means of light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice, banner, poster or such other documents: Provided that label or wrapper is an advertisement only if it contains any information or claim other than provided in the rules.

The draft of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 also proposes a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and up to two years’ imprisonment in the case of first offence. And in the case of a subsequent conviction, imprisonment may extend to five years and the fine, up to Rs 50 lakh.

good and much needed move.

What I found:

The draft amendment bans advertisements of products that promote fairness creams, enhance sexual performance, cure premature ageing and greying of hair, improvement in height of children or adults, increase in brain capacity and memory, improvement in strength of teeth and vision, change of foetal gender by drugs.

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While I understand the ban on fairness creams and claims of changing fetal gender, the rest is a bit much.

Hair dye ad? How about Vitamin ads for brain/bone/teeth/vision health or DHA containing baby formula ads?

Great so Shahrukh will not say Fair & Handsome but it would be like Fresh & Handsome

What about skin whitening that all actresses did,,,,even they should stop that surgery too

I really dont get it why people want that if someone like fair skin they should lie that they dont,