The Miss India show is criticized for its lack of diversity

Colorism in India began before colonialism in the 1600s, when social hierarchy was based on caste systems.

The rich, royal and priests were at the top, while those with manual labor were at the bottom.

Farm workers working in the fields became darker because of their exposure to the sun, which made it possible to badociate people with darker skin to the lower social hierarchy.

This was deeply rooted in society during the colonial era, when European invaders reinforced the belief that lighter-skinned people were more powerful and thus had access to more privileges.

The common belief was that those in the higher social hierarchy were not as exposed to the sun as the lower castes and could remain in the interior.

A study by the University of Washington's Global Studies Law Review found that invaders, including Mughals, Portuguese, and British, arrived in India as early as 712 AD.

They note that "the Arab and Muslim invaders, including the Mughals, came from the Arab and Persian belt and had a fairer skin tone than the majority of the local Indian population" and were perceived as more powerful.

The belief has become so entrenched in society that the first "fair and lovely" fairness cream for women in India was introduced in the 1970s.

In 2005, the first men's equity cream, Fair and Handsome, was approved by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

The women's equity market is expected to be worth 50 billion rupees ($ 716 million, 566 million pounds) by 2023.

According to Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of Women of Worth, colorism often begins at birth, when parents prefer children with lighter skin.

Some of Bollywood's biggest stars, including Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai, are generally considered to have a 'pale' complexion.

However, in recent years, the color bias has been criticized, with the launch of the campaign "Dark is Beautiful" in 2008, launched by Kavitha Emmanuel.

In 2013, Fatima Lodhi, of Pakistan, launched a Dark is Divine campaign, targeting school children in India.

In 2014, in response to the upsurge in feedback, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) issued guidelines prohibiting advertisements from describing darker skins as "unattractive, unhappy, depressed or concerned. ".

By Jessica Rach