Last week, actress Priyanka Chopra, like many celebrities, shared a lengthy Instagram post on the Black Lives Matter movement.
“There is so much work to be done and it needs to start at an individual level on a global scale. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves and end this hate,” she wrote alongside a picture featuring the words, “I can’t breathe”.
“End this race war here in the US, and around the world. Wherever you live, whatever your circumstances, no one deserves to die, especially at the hands of another because of their skin colour.”
There's just one problem, as critics were quick to point out – in the past, Chopra has endorsed skin-lightening creams. The Quantico actress was previously the face for a Garnier cream that promotes "fairness plus dark spots reduction".
The BLM movement has opened the door on conversations about race, skin colour and privilege, and not only in America. People around the world are seeing this as an opportunity to talk about problems within their home countries.
In India, the movement has opened up a conversation about discrimination on the basis of skin colour, with many calling for its citizens to confront biases. And that includes calling out celebrities who have supported the BLM movement while simultaneously profiting off and endorsing skin-lightening products.
In 2017, Chopra stated that she regretted endorsing skin-lightening treatments. However, it didn't spare her from a wave of criticism following her BLM post. “Weren't you the face of Garnier's fairness cream advert? Bet you made a good sum by feeding into anti-blackness,” read one such comment.
"Thanks for speaking out for black lives. But, maybe also stop supporting a skin bleaching cream which promotes anti-blackness," read another. The star has, at the time of publishing, not made any further comment on the issue.
However, Chopra is not the only Indian celebrity to have been called out for showing their support for the BLM movement. Actress Disha Patani, who put up a post saying “all colours are beautiful”, was reminded of her endorsement of a Ponds BB cream that delivers “instant coverage plus spot-less fairness”.
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, who shared a quote by Desmond Tutu that states: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor,” has been the face of L’Oreal’s White Perfect Re-Lightening cream. Its tagline? “Flawless. Spotless. Pearl perfect fairness.”
Stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vidya Balan, John Abraham, Preity Zinta, Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D'Souza have all endorsed fairness products in the past.
Other Bollywood stars who have voiced opinions on BLM have been accused of also benefiting from an industry that typically favours lighter skin tones. In Bollywood, “brownfacing” – the act of darkening a star’s skin tone when playing characters from disadvantaged backgrounds – is common, while lighter skin tones are preferred for lead roles.
Over the years, several dark-skinned actors have spoken out about getting sidelined for big roles because of the colour of their skin.
In light of the brewing controversy, it was Abhay Deol's posts that resonated with online audiences. The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara star called out cosmetics companies promoting skin-lightening products while adding the pertinent question: "Do you think Indian celebrities will stop endorsing fairness creams now?"
He also shared tactics used by these cosmetics companies in the past.
“Fairness creams in India have evolved over the years, from being fairness creams to now using euphemisms like 'skin brightening / whitening', or 'lightening creams'. Most brands no longer want to be associated directly with being termed as 'fairness creams’. So now we have brands selling 'HD glow', 'white beauty', 'white glow', 'fine fairness', and so on,” he pointed out.
The move has been hailed by celebrities and fans alike. Kubbra Sait, of Sacred Games fame, commented with her experience of refusing to associate with products that had anything to do with lightening the skin.
Most recently, Kangana Ranaut backed up Deol’s sentiments about the hypocrisy of celebrities supporting BLM while having promoted such products themselves.
"[Bollywood celebrities] have been endorsing all kinds of fairness products and today, shamelessly, they stand and say black lives matter. How dare they? Why is no one asking them? What about these million-dollar deals that they have been doing with all kinds of fairness products and how come now suddenly black lives matter?" she asked in a BBC interview.
Ranaut is among a growing number of Indian stars who have actively refused to endorse fairness products over the years.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
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Israel – $18 million
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Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The five pillars of Islam
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
MATCH INFO
Hoffenheim v Liverpool
Uefa Champions League play-off, first leg
Location: Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim
Kick-off: Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
Specs
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Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
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MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Pickford, Pope.
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Dier, Gomez, Keane, Maguire, Maitland-Niles, Mings, Saka, Trippier, Walker.
Midfielders Henderson, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Winks.
Forwards Abraham, Barnes, Calvert-Lewin, Grealish, Ings, Kane, Rashford, Sancho, Sterling.
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
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The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
