Fair & Lovely rebranding: From memes to praise, netizens share a mixed response

On Thursday, June 25, 2020, Hindustan Unilever published an official statement in which they revealed that they were changing the name of their long-standing and infamous product, Fair & Lovely. To be more inclusive, Hindustan Unilever has decided to remove all mention of fair/fairness’, ‘white/whitening’, and ‘light/lightning' from its packaging. This decision was made in light of the recent protests that aimed to end discrimination based on race and skin colour.

This decision received mixed reactions from netizens on social media. Some felt like removing 'fair' from the name was not enough as the product was still inherently about skin colour. However, others felt like it was a much needed progressive step towards ending discrimination. Several netizens and a few celebs even praised Hindustan Unilever for their decision. 

Netizens react to Fair & Lovely after Hindustan Unilever decides to drop the 'Fair' from the title

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Many netizens feel like removing the word 'Fair' from Fair & Lovely will not change the problematic nature of the product. People were also amused by the fact that Hindustan Unilever was still willing to sell the product with a changed name, even after the massive backlash they received on social media. However, some people praised the change and called it a positive step towards ending the product's racist marketing. 

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Since the inception of Fair & Lovely cream, Hindustan Unilever has marketed the product as a way to get lighter skin. Though Hindustan Unilever claims that the product's marketing strategy was changed in 2014, Fair & Lovely cream is still primarily meant to be a skin lightening cream aimed at Indian Women. Hindustan Unilever recently came under fire for its Fair & Lovely cream due to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the United States. 

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These protests began after the tragic death of George Floyd, an African-American man. George Floyd's death not only sparked protests in America but it also reignited discussion about racism in other countries, including India. After the protests began, many Indians called out Fair & Lovely cream for allegedly propagating racism by claiming that fair skin was better. 

Also Read | Hindustan Unilever To Stop Using 'Fair' In 'Fair & Lovely' Brand; HUL Issues Statement