Gulbadan

So yesterday I was engaging in my favourite hobby of reading the daily newspaper (it is a ritual I have had since ages, sitting on the breakfast table reading the paper while munching my toast/paratha and chugging down my big cup of stale chai), and I came across an interesting piece in the The News by a lady called Afiya Shehrbano. Now I must admit the only reason I actually bothered to read the piece was because the author's picture was posted next to it, and she was one cute piece of pie. The article, though, turned out to be rather funny, especially when it mentioned terms relevant to me and my areas of study and interest: profit maximization, corporate social responsibility and Unilever (one of those typical companies who might give me a job entailing the usual soap-and-shampoo-counting).

I quote from her article:

"The trick is to sell it as a nicely packaged 'meaningful' social engagement. Step in, the corporate sector - the biggest phony. Another kind of 'scheme' has been featuring recently under the guise of corporate social responsibility. Unilever has been running a front page assault eulogising its Fair and Lovely scholarship program. Several feminist critiques have pointed out how companies are...promoting new oppressions by disguising them as empowerment. In this case, the social values that a modern woman should aspire for would include a good education and good looking fair skin."

Information about this particular program can be found here. Interestingly, this is not just a Pakistan specific project, but involves Unilever in India and Bangladesh as well.

Hmm, I wonder if they have something in store related to their Fair and Handsome product for really, really dark boys like myself. Because we all know how being dark is detrimental to upward social mobility and getting good marriage proposals. Shit.