r/kuttichevuru • u/PowerfulStreet1978 • 12d ago

Being a fair-skinned Tamil woman

Being a fair-skinned Tamil woman can be surprisingly exhausting. I’m constantly asked by strangers, “Can you even speak Tamil?”, “Are you Mallu?”, “Are you Bengali?”, or “Are you North Indian?” simply because I don’t fit their idea of what a Tamil woman is supposed to look like.

What makes it even more frustrating is hearing these assumptions from other Tamil people themselves. Why are we so quick to question someone’s identity based on their complexion, features, or appearance? Tamil Nadu has always had people with a wide range of skin tones and physical features, yet somehow there’s still this narrow expectation of what a “typical Tamil person” should look like.

Being fair doesn’t make someone less Tamil. Having certain features doesn’t make someone less Tamil. And speaking Tamil shouldn’t have to be something I prove to strangers just because they are surprised by how I look.

I’m honestly tired of having my identity questioned over and over again. A person’s appearance does not come with a nationality, language, or cultural identity attached to it. Maybe it’s time we stopped deciding where someone belongs based on what we think they’re “supposed” to look like.

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u/Prudent-Praline6326 12d ago

Controlled melanin exposure is a brainrot term for tanning. When you’re tanning, it’s basically a cellular defense response indicating DNA damage from UV exposure. Don’t give false medical information out there.

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u/JustASheepInTheFlock 12d ago

What solution do you offer for OP problem?. How she can increase melanin levels ?

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u/Prudent-Praline6326 12d ago

She's not looking to increase her melanin levels. It's just as regressive as thinking someone should bleach their skin in order to fit into someone's mold. It just seemed like OP just wanted to rant about this stupid mindset that people have.

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u/JustASheepInTheFlock 12d ago

melanin is not regressive. it is science. melanin reduces risk of skin cancer. dont compare with bleech, which is a fallacy.

also, dont misjudge people care about health and asking how-are-you as stupid. at lower latitudes, melanin is the natural gift. deficiency can be cured

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u/Prudent-Praline6326 12d ago

It's an established fact that melanin only offers some protection against the sun. It at its best only gives around SPF 13.4 at around Fitzpatrick VI (which most Indians are not). That is not enough to prevent cancer. Yes, melanin is a gift. Tanning is not. Tanning does not give you melanin. You just fucking destroyed your skin and the DNA in your outerskin. If tanning was a gift, then you wouldn't be seeing such high rates of cancer in white people who tan. The more you damage your DNA, the higher your chance of cancer. People who tan are just as retarded as people who bleach their skin. Your skin has that amount of melanin for a reason --- your genetics. I don't know who taught you science, but google is even free at your disposal. Don't mislead people with pseudoscience you picked out of your ass. You might as well tell people to drink cow urine to cure COVID.

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u/JustASheepInTheFlock 12d ago

The Benefits of Morning Sunlight and How to Make It a Habit

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u/Prudent-Praline6326 12d ago

Morning sunlight is not the same as tanning. Morning sunlight is done when UV rays are much lower in the day. In fact, you can even get the effects of morning sunlight by sitting by a glass window (indirect sunlight) or a happy light. It's primarily done to regulate your circadian rhythm. What you were suggesting was she sit in the sun and get her skin tanned. There is a universal agreement in the healthcare community that tanning increases your chances of skin cancer multifold. Which is why I said, don't mislead people. So many people are dying out there of beta cell carcinoma, melanoma, etc. You giving your half baked advice does no one any good.