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White Washed Brains

When I was 6/7, I was gifted a baby green (yes that's what I think it should be called) coloured hair clip, It was beautiful and had a pearl or two. It was a prized possession. It was beautiful, but that's not what made it so special. My neighbour aunty had got it for me from her foreign trip and hence my love for it. The behaviour continued with Taiwan returned water colour pencils, a T from US.
That was the 90s (oops did I just give away my age), when Steadler pencils were sort of a novelty in India. It's 2016 and we do get a lot more products in India. Yeap, unfortunately that also means one can't just gift those Snickers, Mars pack from their US trip anymore. (Remember the Akai TV ad)

That doesn't mean our fascination with all things phoren has ended. I don't get to watch a lot of TV ads since I prefer to waste my time binge watching recorded shows. But every now and then you see these ads of Indian products targeted for Indian junta but with white men/women. How does this white bearded cutie help sell a Micromax phone? Does he make the product hip?



This phenomenon is not just limited to ads. Pick up a brochure for any new residential construction, chances are the family is white. Myntra, Jabong have white models for ethnic clothing. For Ethnic Clothing!
What's up with all this white washing?

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