Esha Gupta says brand sued her for refusing to endorse skin whitening product: ‘We still believe fair skin is superior’

Esha Gupta said she and her team mistook a whitening product for a brightening product, and were sued by the brand, when she refused to endorse it.

Esha Gupta, who previously revealed that she was advised to get injections for fairer skin colour, recently shared another such experience that she had with colourism in the film industry. Esha recalled that she was sued by a cosmetics brand after she and her team backed out from endorsing their products for promoting skin whitening.

Esha Gupta was recently seen in Aashram 3.

Esha said that she thinks many Indians still believe in ‘white supremacy’ and that fair girls are prettier, which is what we show in our ads, too. However, the actor decided she would rather get sued than endorse such products.

Asked if she was ever made to feel insecure about her skin colour, Esha told ETimes, "It happened with a brand contract once and it was actually my fault and that of my ex-agency. We did not read the contract properly, which said whitening and not brightening products. If I put cucumber on my face or eat the right food everyday, the brightness of my face will make a difference. But the brand decided to sc**w me and sue me because I wasn't ready to endorse their skin whitening products. That's when I realised that we come from a land where there's a problem. Some Indians have the mindset where we think like white supremacy."

The actor added, "Americans are fighting it. White supremacy means people who have dark colour or dark skin, are meant to be slaves because those who are fair think God made them as the ones who are supposed to rule. India's problem is far older, too. We still believe that fair skin is superior, fair girls are prettier, fair people get their way. That's what we show in our ads, too. You put on a cream and the guy will accept you. Who wouldn't want to marry you? You apply the cream and you'll get that dream job." Esha noted that Indian skin tone with texture, and voluminous hair, are more accepted abroad where people will compliment it, meaning that there's space for everyone.

Esha had previously told Prabhat Khabar that she was asked to go under the knife and have her nose sharpened, and get injections for fair skin, when she was trying to make it in the industry. Esha made her film debut with the 2012 film Jannat 2. She was last seen in the third season of Bobby Deol-starrer Aashram, and will also be part of the fourth season of the MX Player web series.