Re: Does colour matter?
Nice topic! 1) saying someone is "dark but pretty" is not a compliment! Its like saying someone is fat but has a nice face that's essentially saying that somehow being dark would mean someone is NOT pretty or that someone is pretty despite being dark. 2) I don't think desi hatred of dark skin is comprable to white love of dark skin. Most white people don't pick their life partners based on their skin color, yes there is a concept that dark skin makes you look younger and healthier (which is does) dark skin also hides skin flaws, and generaly darker skin on legs arms is slenderizing. But those are not things that are widely used in choosing a mate. Skin color in our community is. It is also the same in other multi racial groups like Brazilians in the Caribian etc.
3) Now does color matter? I guess if it was just a personal preference then NO. It does not mater, but if you are culturaly warped and think people with light skin are some how superior or just beautiful by the sheer reason of being light skinned, then its a problem. Anyways, despite growing up in the states, just by the virture of being of Pakistani origin I have felt a slight skew toward lighter skin, I have worked hard to distinguish true empirical measure vs. cultural garbage. We are all a product of our culture but beauty comes in all shades and colors!
PS: On a side note, being Dubai right now, I am pretty ofended by the racist color based slurs I am hearing about Obama and his wife and kids! They are a beautiful family! Its definately some sort of cultural warp to think otherwise!