As Valentine’s Day was last week, we took this opportunity to partner up with two universities, the University of Leeds and the University of Brighton, and write articles about women who inspire us. It goes without saying that there are many female figures out there who inspire us, like for example our grandmothers, mothers and sisters.
However, we decided to focus this article on a social media influencer who empowers others on social issues such as colourism- a form of discrimination based on skin tone- in the beauty industry. Of course, whilst the women in our family are inspirational to us, there are only a few articles out there about bloggers who raise awareness of issues and make a difference in society.
Diipa Kohsla is an Indian fashion blogger and social media influencer who is also the founder of the Post for Change petition, which is an organisation that uses social media to deal with important social and global issues. One of the issues raised asked industries and brands to stand up against colour bias and challenge beauty standards across the world.
The hashtag #EndColourism invites people across the world to post a photograph of their skin tone against a photoshopped picture with a brighter skin tone to raise awareness of skin colour bias. Diipa says : “Be authentic and believe in your fight”, a message that inspires people to keep fighting for a purpose.
Recalling her experiences growing up in New Delhi, Diipa reveals how she was bullied for her skin colour. She states: “growing up in India, I was constantly faced with comments and bitter remarks reminding me that I was the ‘darker one’ in the family. This led me to believe I needed to change myself, that I was inferior and more importantly, unworthy.” Drawing from her own life story, this campaign helps people feel beautiful in the skin colour they were born in.
With the success of her campaigns, she has given speeches at The House of Commons and Harvard University, pushed for the advancement of women’s rights, worked with the UN, and spearheaded the #skinpositivity movement on social media by openly documenting her decade-long journey to overcoming acne. Furthermore, she has launched indē wild, her own beauty brand, also known as a “conscious and holistic beauty ecosystem.”
Diipa inspires us because she makes us feel worthy in our skin and raises the importance of big issues that are not talked about enough in the beauty industry. She states that “for decades, colourism has proliferated through the promotion of fair-skinned, whitewashed models, heroines and heroes who perpetuate the idea that fair skin is superior”. As an influencer, she uses her social media platforms to challenge beauty standards and the resulting societal expectations set by Bollywood and the beauty industry.
Words by: Simran Nayyar, Elina Miller
Edited by: Ellen Robinson