What is behind India’s obsession with skin whitening?

[Fractal]

We only invaded Sindh and left, but most of the Muslim invaders in India were not Semitic but rather Turkic and Afghans who are lighter than us especially the first

Good point. It's only Northern Indians (Punjabis, Kashmiris, etc) as well as Pakistanis who cling to their "white" skin lol, I guess because they've bore the brunt of these invasions by Scythians, Greeks, Persians, etc

Most other Indians -west (Gujaratis, Marathis) or Central who have not are proud of their indigenous natural brown skin tone.

[Arduti]

Grass is greener on the other side?

Same reason why white people artificially tan their skin?

[Fractal]

Grass is greener on the other side?

Same reason why white people artificially tan their skin?

I don;t know any Indians who would want to be mistaken as a middle easterner which includes Jews like yourself. Hence which is why they'd prefer brown skin over white.

[AphroditeWorshiper]

it come from the Indo Aryans who invade south asia, and become the rulers and high class of this place imo

and they had white/light skin, and the indigenous population had dark skin

[Arduti]

I don;t know any Indians who would want to be mistaken as a middle easterner which includes Jews like yourself. Hence which is why they'd prefer brown skin over white.

My dad is white, and not a Jew, and I got his face, his complexion, his eye color.
I look pretty exotic for a Jew.
I wouldn't want to be darker or lighter than how I was Created.

[lameduck]

I think more than pigmentation its features that define your preference , what happens is that veddoid features occur at relatively dark pigmentation and caucasoid on relatively light features , since caucasoid features are considered more desirable in current aesthetic ladder , the skin color associated with it become preference.

Also in South Asia "Gandomi"(wheatish) skin tone is also desired its associated with healthy tan because of working in fields.

[Fractal]

it come from the Indo Aryans who invade south asia, and become the rulers and high class of this place imo

and they had white/light skin, and the indigenous population had dark skin

If this is the case then modern day Indians would worship whiter skinned Southern Europeans or Latin Americans - which they do not. Quite the opposite in fact, they despise both groups as lazy and unproductive.

Northern Indians (Punjabi Jatts) and Pakistanis will worship white skin due to them being admixed with Iranian, Greek, and Scythian invaders but not the rest of India.

[Mingle]

They also fetishize the idea of having partial ancestry from lighter-skinned peoples. It's definitely not from the British, but probably internalized racism going back to ancient times. Also, this seems to be far more prevalent among North Indians (especially Punjabis) & Indic Muslims than other peoples.

[Arduti]

They also fetishize the idea of having partial ancestry from lighter-skinned peoples. It's definitely not from the British, but probably internalized racism going back to ancient times. Also, this seems to be far more prevalent among North Indians (especially Punjabis) & Indic Muslims than other peoples.

You don't think whiteness is prized amongst Pashtuns?

[Mingle]

You don't think whiteness is prized amongst Pashtuns?

It's probably viewed similarily among Pashtuns as it is among West Asians, Central Asians, or East Asians. Yeah, it is a significant attribute for sure, but it's not worshipped. Pashtuns don't either fetishize foreign ancestry of lighter folk like North Indics (especially North Indic Muslims) do.