Petition signed by 1629 forces Shaadi.com remove skin tone filter from website!

NewsBharati    24-Jun-2020 16:31:20 PM
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New Delhi, June 24: Asian marriage website, Shaadi.com, has removed a skin tone filter following pressure from users. Hetal Lakhani from Dallas, USA, started an online petition against the option, which led to the company removing it. She started it after speaking to another user, who questioned the filter in light of anti-racism protests. Shaadi.com says the filter "was not serving any purpose" and was a "product debris we missed removing".

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When users joined the site they were asked to select how dark or light their skin is under the 'skin tone' option. Users could search for potential partners by the skin tone they'd selected, but Shaadi.com claims this filter didn't work and searches would show all matches of all skin tones. The website is unique to other dating sites because it replaces south Asian tradition of a matchmaker and helps people intending to get married find a spouse.
 
Colourism in South Asia has come under the spotlight following global anti-racism protests after the death of George Floyd. Indian film actors have also been criticised. Meghan Nagpal was using the website to find a potential life partner who would also be of Indian origin. "I emailed them (shaadi.com) and one representative said this is a filter required by most parents," she said. She discussed the complexion filter on a Facebook group, where Hetal is also a member.
 
Hetal says a company with international reach should be more responsible. "People have their biases. But a company should not inculcate that culture." The Director of Marketing at Shaadi.com meanwhile said, "We truly believe that love comes in all shapes and shades. And we are proud to represent a cross-section of India - that's something very few companies in India can boast about."