British-Pakistani Roma Riaz Challenges South Asia’s Fair-Skin Code

The glittering pathway to the Miss Universe 2025 competition in Thailand has been unexpectedly dominated by a fierce debate about skin colour, identity, and global heritage, placing Miss Universe Pakistan 2025, Roma Riaz, firmly at the centre. This controversy is not just about a beauty pageant; it is a profound reflection on the pervasive issue of colourism that afflicts the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, a prejudice Riaz’s own life as a British-Pakistani woman has been built around challenging.

Forged in Britain: The Professional Life of Roma Riaz

Roma Riaz’s dual identity is key to her powerful advocacy. Born in Lahore and of Pakistani Punjabi Christian heritage, her formative years were primarily spent in the United Kingdom, a foundation that shaped her modern, professional outlook.

Riaz’s career trajectory is distinctly British. She pursued higher education at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business, management, marketing, and related services. Following this, she plunged into the heart of the UK’s fast-fashion scene, taking up a role in Manchester at the global fashion retailer, Boohoo. Starting as a merchandising administrative assistant and quickly rising to become an assistant merchandiser, Riaz developed a corporate acumen and a deep understanding of global retail operations—a background far removed from typical pageant entrants. This professional life, grounded in the UK, provided the confidence and platform that eventually led her, somewhat spontaneously, to apply for the Miss Universe Pakistan title at the urging of her sister.

The Darker Complexion: At the Epicentre of Controversy

It is Riaz’s physical appearance that has ignited the sharpest backlash from critics in South Asia. Described as both dark-skinned and plus-sized, her image defies the narrow, fair-skinned, and slender ideal historically celebrated and aggressively marketed across the region. This preference for a lighter complexion has deep roots in colonialism and class division, where fair skin was historically associated with power, wealth, and higher social standing.

Riaz has been unapologetic in sharing the prejudice she has endured, recalling dismissive and painful remarks that questioned her national identity, such as: "You're so dark, you can't be Pakistani," or the complete denial of her heritage due to her Christian faith. This intense scrutiny over her complexion reached a peak when some commentators suggested she was a better fit to represent Bangladesh, a country where the population generally has medium to deep brown skin tones due to the tropical climate and genetics. Riaz views these attacks not as personal insults, but as a clear justification for her mission: to use the global stage as a powerful rebuttal and an opportunity to set the record straight on diversity.

Illuminating the Colourism Crisis with Concrete Data

The controversy surrounding Riaz provides a crucial, high-profile platform to expose the severity of colourism, which fuels a multi-million-dollar industry across the subcontinent:

• Market Value: The market for skin-lightening products in India alone was estimated at a staggering $450-535 million in 2019.
• Advertising Bias: A content analysis of 21 fairness cream commercials found that 15 featured female primary characters, with lighter skin being explicitly linked to securing jobs, achieving confidence (in 10 TVCs), and finding happiness (in 11 TVCs).
• Endemic Prejudice: This cultural bias extends into every facet of life, including the marriage market, where dark skin is often a disadvantage, and the job market, where dark-skinned women reportedly face fewer opportunities in public-facing roles. In both India and Pakistan, skin-lightening products account for over half of the entire dermatological market.

The selection of Roma Riaz—a professional, accomplished British-Pakistani woman with a darker complexion—is a definitive statement by the Miss Universe Pakistan franchise against these damaging, deeply ingrained standards. As she transitions from the corporate floors of Manchester to the international spotlight in Thailand, Riaz stands as the courageous, unapologetic ambassador for a new era of South Asian beauty: one where roots, complexion, and identity are celebrated, not questioned.