“Mean Girls” star Avantika is opening up about the ways colorism in India ultimately affected her self-esteem.
In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, Avantika spoke candidly about the harsh beauty standards set for women in South Asia and the negative connotations given to women with her complexion or darker.
“I have definitely always felt uglier in India than I have here,” Avantika said. “The colorism situation is primarily one of the biggest reasons why.”
She said the representation in both American and Indian media is lacking when it comes to portraying people who look like her and people who are of a similar background.
“I’m South Indian, and there’s this perception that North Indian women are more beautiful than South Indian women. And the South Indian women who do reach insane levels of success in India are very light-skinned — some have become lighter skinned [referring to skin bleaching].”
“I’m South Indian, and there’s this perception that North Indian women are more beautiful than South Indian women. And the South Indian women who do reach insane levels of success in India are very light-skinned — some have become lighter skinned [referring to skin bleaching].”
But lately, she’s been seeing more and more darker South Asian women put in leading roles on screen, which has made her feel more optimistic about the future of representation. Avantika said “Bridgerton” is one example of mainstream media embracing darker complexions.
”Seeing myself represented in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2’s Charithra Chandran and Simone Ashley — beautiful, dusky-skinned women…in Hollywood has made me so, so happy.”
This isn’t the first time Avantika shared her thoughts on colorism in the industry. During a past interview with the Cut, she opened up about her acting career and what it was like implementing her identity into the role of Karen for “Mean Girls.”
“It was an amazing opportunity to use not just a South Asian, but a specifically South Indian last name,” Avantika said. “Opportunities for brown women in this industry are few and far from many, so we don’t really have the privilege of specificity. When you get the chance, you jump on it for your own people.”
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