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This commercial may seem like a simple Indian wedding and will certainly warm your heart, but it’s more than that. An a non-Indian, I will admit that I didn’t understand the subtle progressive cues it displayed. But once the conversation sparked on social media about the imagery, I knew that there was something bigger in the minute and 37 seconds that I should dive into.

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The darker skinned Indian woman (as Indian culture glorifies fairer skin) in the video can be seen putting on her Tanishq necklace for her traditional Indian wedding. During the ceremony, the woman’s daughter (from a previous marriage) begs to be included in the “pheras–” a ceremony where the couple walks around a fire seven times, reciting their vows. Typically, this is only the bride and groom. The bride chastises her daughter with a motherly look and the sad little girl catches the eye of the groom, who picks her up and makes her a part of the ceremony. The bride is left beaming.

Lowe Lintas India created the ad with filmmaker Gauri Shinde in order to shine a light on the stone age-esque views of marriage in India, as well as their prejudices toward darker skin tones. Historically, divorced or widowed men are outcasts in Indian culture. So this ad is a palpable break from Indian tradition and we love it.

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