A segment on a Pakistani show, called Jago Pakistan Jago (translates from Hindi to “Awaken, Pakistan, awaken!”), has recently come under fire for mocking dark skin and showcasing blackface.
Obsession with fair skin, especially in south Asia, is no secret. But this particular segment of the show took it to a whole other offensive level.
Titled ‘Mera Makeup Hai Kamaal’, the segment gave contestants the task of doing bridal makeup for dark-skinned women. This shouldn’t have been an issue, because there are a number of women with naturally dark skin in the country, much like India and other parts of Asia.
Bridal makeup often makes it about making dark women look fairer because the idea of beauty, in popular perception, is tied to lighter skin colour. So it would not have been surprising if that’s what had happened in this show as well.
However, what happened was this – the show got fair-skinned models. Makeup artists then put a much darker makeup cover on their faces to make them appear ‘dark’, hence eligible for the task.
A few contestants reportedly went on to say that applying makeup on dark skin was a challenge and one even pointed out that she had never applied makeup on a ‘habshan’, an offensive slang used to describe a woman or girl of African origin.
Audiences did not take well to this appropriation of darker skin by fair people, especially in a region where colourism continues to be rampant.
Many also called out ‘Jago Pakistan Jago’ and the host of the show Sanam Jung, for showcasing blackface on the show.
A Vox piece titled "Don't get what's wrong with blackface? Here's why it's so offensive" tells you exactly why fair people putting dark makeup on their faces and pretending dark skinned, and/or enhancing a costume, is deeply problematic.
Blackface is the practice which originated in the mid to late 19th century in the United States of America. White actors would don use grease paint on their faces to play slaves or free black people on stage. But these representations were caricatures, mocked black people and added to their dehumanization and perception that they were inferior because of the colour of their skin.
When people saw the ‘Jago Pakistan Jago’ segment, and the words used by contestants to describe naturally dark skinned people (Habshi, Makrani and Negro), they were understandably displeased.
a pakistani morning Jago pakistan jago painting light skinned girls with dark foundation to prove it's difficult to make dark skinned girls look good in makeup... pakistan's obsession with fair skin and their treatment towards people of a darker skin complexion is disgusting pic.twitter.com/rcXKqmY9kH
— sosun (@sosunm) March 15, 2018
I feel sick. Lawn campaigns in Pakistan comprise of using indigenous minorities & darker skinned people as props. Morning shows capitalize on the adornment of dark skin as a challenge. We propagate racism at home & complain about it abroad. Disgusting. #HumTV #JagoPakistanJago
— qirat (@brownbasic) March 14, 2018
Not only was Blackface and racism presented as a norm on Jago Pakistan Jago, the makeup artists called them "habshan" and "negro". We definitely need more representation of Dark skinned women in Pakistani media. This is NOT okay. #sanamjung @Humtvnetwork
— PAKISTAN POP CULTURE (@pkpopculture) March 15, 2018
What is up with these morning shows? Instead of hiring dark skin beauties they decided to slather dark brown foundation on fair girls??? #SanamJung#JagoPakistanJago pic.twitter.com/qzynzyo7vi
— Umaima Mehtab (@dudettestalk) March 14, 2018
When you think they cant go any lower,they prove you wrong.
— syeda zainabb (@syedazainabb) March 15, 2018
Morning show Jago Pakistan Jago couldnt find one tan colored person in the entire country that they had to paint fair skinned girls dark to show make up techniques for "habshans"
This is beyond appalling pic.twitter.com/Yub8iGbn6s
the internet has the power to be malignant and harsh at times, I hope it is also used to educate and inform. Racism is not okay. Not in the West or the East, not anywhere. It’s about time we learned this. #MorningShow #humtv #JagoPakistanJago #blackface #Pakistan
— Farhanaaz Affandi (@flamboyantfarha) March 15, 2018
Lack of sensitivity, depth, & education demonstrated by everyone at @Humtvnetwork @SanamJungPK @JagoPakistan_ . Not everyone feels the need for whitening injections. Shaming dark skin isn’t cool. #JagoPakistanJago #SanamJung #HumTV https://t.co/5hPsCc2r5d
— Sheeba Khan (@sheeba_k5) March 15, 2018
The team of #JagoPakistanJago is utterly stupid. So they want to show bridal makeup in dark skinned and instead of having a rational approach- finding girls with dark skin tones, they paint fair girls black. This is a part racial and an insult to dark skinned beauties.
— Beena Bukhari (@BeenaBukhari) March 15, 2018
#Pakistani show painted fair-skinned models with makeup to showcase how bridal makeup looks on darker skin.
— Sajeda Akhtar (@Sajeda_Akhtar) March 16, 2018
Your stupidity is beyond me. Echoing the title of your show, #JagoPakistanJago, “WAKE - UP” Pakistan. What are you teaching your future generation? pic.twitter.com/yMwSan2M9T
Hey Pakistani producers - blackface is NOT ok.
— Hamna Zubair (@hamnazubair) March 15, 2018
It's also not ok to say that applying makeup on darkskinned people is SO hard.https://t.co/qZeC6BcwKU
the world through a black/white racial binary lense, where fair skin = beauty, prestige, whilst dark skin is antithetical to beauty on all levels. These racist ideals are upheld and amplified by the beauty industry and media like #JagoPakistanJago who intimate dark skinned women
— bookish.subat (@bookishsubat) March 16, 2018
skinned children, and men, regardless of their own skin tone, will only marry light skinned women. It's a disgusting reality, one I don't see changing anytime soon. It's too deeply ingrained in the fabric of Pakistani society. A step in the right direction would be banning
— bookish.subat (@bookishsubat) March 16, 2018
the broadcasting of crap like this: https://t.co/LwPRmI84Qi#JagoPakistanJago
— bookish.subat (@bookishsubat) March 16, 2018
The controversy comes just a few days after Pakistani clothing brand, Sana Safinaz, was accused by Twitterati for using Kenyan nationals as ‘props’ for the brand’s 2018 Spring Summer collection.
While the pictures and posts about the episode have been deleted from the official Facebook page of the show, there has been no official statement from the producers or the channel owners of Hum TV, on which the show is telecast, with regards to the incident.