Sunita Marshall Opens Up About Her Dusky Complexion and Modeling Journey

The Pakistani showbiz industry often faces accusations of colorism, with stars like Amna Ilyas and Gohar Rasheed openly condemning it. In contrast, veteran actors such as Saba Hamid have shared that they never experienced colorism or discrimination based on skin tone. Similarly, Sunita Marshall revealed that her dusky complexion has not caused any hurdles during her successful modeling career.

Sunita shared on a local talk show that the modeling industry not only embraced her skin tone but celebrated it. “I never faced any major problems. In fact, my complexion gave me an advantage in the modeling world,” she explained. She recalled instances when teams deliberately darkened her skin tone by a few shades to achieve specific looks. According to Sunita, vibrant colors like bright yellow tend to stand out more on darker skin tones, which often made her a favorite for such designs.

Reflecting on her modeling days, Sunita noted that designers frequently reserved bold and vibrant hues for her and others with similar complexions. However, she acknowledged that both the modeling and television industries have faced criticism for promoting discriminatory beauty standards. Critics have also condemned the practice of darkening fair-skinned models instead of hiring diverse talent to represent authentic beauty.

While her skin tone proved to be an asset in modeling, Sunita admitted television posed different challenges for her. “On TV, it has been slightly more difficult,” she shared during the interview. She explained that her dusky complexion sometimes disrupted contrast and brightness when sharing a frame with fair-skinned co-stars. Cameramen struggled to balance lighting, sometimes overexposing her co-star or darkening her own skin tone to achieve consistency.

To address the issue, some cameramen suggested using makeup to even out the skin tones and balance the shot effectively. Despite these challenges, Sunita’s career remains strong, spanning over two decades. Most recently, she reprised her role as Asma in Baby Baji’s sequel, proving her resilience and enduring presence in the entertainment industry.