I can’t stand that Katrina Kaif is the face of Olay’s Natural White skin-lightening cream. For one thing, it’s ridiculous that people still spend money on products that rarely work just to make their skin a few shades lighter. But this idea has been around in India (and most of Asia) for so long that it probably won’t fade any time soon.

At the very least, Olay could be logical about their brand ambassadors. As though pulling in customers by showing depressed women with few romantic or career prospects who suddenly get everything they want after lightening their skin wasn’t enough… they hold their audience up to unachievable standards. For those who are unfamiliar, Katrina Kaif is half Caucasian. So simply through genetics, she has lighter skin than the vast majority of Indian women to begin with. It makes absolutely no sense for her to be selling a skin lightening cream. That’s the same as selling skin tanning lotion by using someone of Indian origin with naturally brown skin as a model.

But India has a long way to go before this type of thinking is overturned. Until then, Indians will continue to buy Olay’s Natural White and other similar products. And India will continue to idolize women like Katrina Kaif as the epitome as Indian beauty—women who aren’t even fully Indian.

Check out one of their ad campaigns with Kaif here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIIAEyLefYQ&feature=related.