Text Story: Dailymail.com
The fairer sex? Indian company launches an intimate wash designed to 'brighten' the vagina

A
feminine hygiene product launched in India which promises to 'brighten'
skin around the vagina is causing widespread controversy.

A
25-second TV advert for Clean & Dry Intimate Wash is being
advertised on prime time television, and shows a woman using the product
to lighten her sexual organs to please her man.

The product has
attracted condemnation on Twitter and blogging sites, with one (male)
user branding it 'the ultimate insult' and others bemoaning the extent
of discrimination against darker skin tones.

Described as
'unique', the product is apparently designed to keep the skin 'fresh and
protected from infection all day' with the added bonus that it will
'brighten darkened skin in that area...making it many shades fairer.'

The
product has divided opinion in India, being seen by many as a sad
indictment of discrimination against darker skin within the social caste
system, while others deny the product has any racist connotations.

Columnist
Laskhmi Chaudry lambasts the product in her blog, writing: 'The
campaign to eliminate the scourge of darkness has extended to every nook
and cranny of a woman's body.'

Indian theatre personality and
advert director Alyque Padamsee, however, is quoted as saying, 'The only
reason I can offer for why people like fairness, is this: if you have
two beautiful girls, one of them fair and the other dark, you see the
fair girl's features more clearly. This is because her complexion
reflects more light.'

The launch of the product is likely to continue debate about 'fairness' being synonymous with beauty and desirability.

Despite
attempts to end discrimination based on the caste system, it is still
widely accepted in India, with the five different levels of the caste
system being Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Dalit.

Brahmans
are generally considered to be the highest caste group, while Dalits,
formerly known as the Untouchables, are considered the bottom rung of
the social hierarchy and are often ostracised and forced into menial
jobs.

The business of skin lightening is big in India, with Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan endorsing such products.

Many Twitter users and bloggers have pointed out that skin bleaching creams are already widely used in many countries.

Fair
And Lovely is a popular skin lightening cream originally from India,
but sold worldwide, while Porcelana cream is also a huge seller
worldwide.

The product is on sale for Rs 90 (about £1) and can be bought online.