They are bronzed, They are beautiful and proud of it! Introducing the faces behind the SOTHYS Bronzed and Beautiful Campaign which were highlighted in last weeks.. Ramani Fernando, Yoshana john Pillai, Anushi Jayawardena , Ramona Dharmaratne, Shayani Miranda and Nidhuki Perera.. These lovely ladies will be sporting the hottest trend this season “Healthy skin”
Amidst the clutter of ads promoting skin whitening products SOTHYS creates a refreshing trend in the market by telling consumers that they don’t need to be fair to be considered beautiful or successful. Whilst people in the west risk skin cancer to attain our moca skin tones it is sad to see the mass of commercials telling us we are not good enough unless we are “fair”
“I have been in the beauty industry for over 16 years and the highest demand has always been for skin lightening products”. Says Soraya De Zoysa Director of SOTHYS Sri Lanka. “However in the recent past it is disturbing to see the number of customers coming in with damaged skin as a result of un regulated skin lightening practices and products. I have treated hyper (dark marks) Hypo (white marks) , acne and premature ageing as a result of harmful skin lighteners that are available in the market. I see nothing wrong in improving ones skin for the better; Clear, blemish free healthy skin makes any one look attractive. But beautiful skin does equal fair skin.”
And to prove this point we have been fortunate to have the support of 6 lovely ladies of color to be the face of this campaign. We would like to invite our readers to share with us their thoughts and their very own “Bronzed and Beautiful selfies” by following us on FB Sothys Estheti Centre.

What Ramani had to say:
“The idea that white is the preferred color of beauty has been hammered down on mankind for centuries, due to more reasons than one. It still continues mainly for commercial reasons rather than much conviction. We are however now in the 21st century where that perception is fading away and the appreciation of beauty in darker skins is widely accepted, with a number of stunning colored/black beautiful women in the forefront as role models.

It is heartening to find world class brands like Sothys taking meaningful steps to educate people to think in this way.”

What Yoshana had to say:
“To be honest I never really thought about my skin colour before. Never thought that being tanned makes me less attractive or is detrimental. My mom is what Asians would called 'fair skinned'. Growing up people would say “invain you haven't got your moms colour”. However It really never bothered me. I felt comfortable in my own skin... People fall prey to money making conglomerates that push their products by brainwashing society into believing they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society.
I think sothys campaign of bronzed and beautiful is a wonderful way of emphasising to women young and old to embrace the colour of their skin. To highlight what you have rather than a constant need to change oneself.

What Anushi had to say

Growing up in an Asian home where my parents had lighter skin than I did it was natural for me to hear things like "how did you get so dark " or don't go out in the sun you've got dark "words that still make me avoid the sun to this day !!
Skin colour bias affects a young girl from a young age it starts from within ones home when u constantly are made aware you are dark you think you are different and this most times affects the confidence levels of a girl.

What Ramona had to say
In the society I grew up in your skin tone did not define the person who you are.
The ideology of having an edge because you are fairer skinned is a wrong misconception which many people face today.

I feel the SOTHYS campaign is a very modest and informative approach against fairer skinned propaganda, and I'm very pleased to be apart of it knowing that it will indeed make a difference."

What Shayani had to say

Children should be comfortable in the skin colour they are born with and not made to believe that brown skin is a definite challenge to moving forward.

I feel that the notion of fair skin being an ingredient for success is a tired cliché.
So its good to see campaigns like this that are a lot more evolved and honest.

I congratulate Sothys for identifying brown skinned women in Sri Lanka and initiating this campaign. It’s a progressive and courageous stand taken to highlight that dark skin is just as beautiful, and that being successful or beautiful has nothing to do with skin colour.

What nidhuki had to say

Personally, I have faced many instances where I have been criticized for being dark. And although I try to keep my head up and ignore it, I can't help but feel a little insecure. It should not be this way, being dark should not be a negative thing!
I believe in radiant and healthy skin. I believe that whatever skin color you are, your skin should be given the care it deserves.
Don't define beauty, and don't let others define it for you. Be yourself, Be confident and Be healthy!