Mumbai: Twinkle Khanna recently shed light on an important yet sensitive issue her daughter Nitara faced discrimination based on her skin colour and constant comparisons with her brother, Aarav. In an interview with Indian Express, Twinkle spoke candidly about her parenting journey and how she empowered her daughter to embrace her uniqueness.
Reflecting on societal biases, Twinkle said, “I learnt a lot with my first child. Your first child tends to be like a manual you experiment a little bit with them. With my second one (Nitara), I realised there was always this comparison between her and her brother in skin colour or things like that, which unfortunately exists in our country. I decided to make sure she believed she is absolutely wonderful. If she had a unibrow, I told her, ‘Look, you are as beautiful as Frida Kahlo.’ If her skin was brown, I told her, ‘Your skin is golden.'”
Twinkle also shared a proud parenting moment during a family outing to the beach, where Nitara confidently embraced her skin tone. “One day, my proudest moment was when she was sitting with her brother, and we were going to the beach. He was putting on sunblock, and she said, ‘I don’t really need so much sunblock because my skin is greater than yours.’ She even added, ‘A white T-shirt gets dirty, but a brown T-shirt doesn’t. You can’t see it, so I am greater.’ That, for me, was a triumph.”
Twinkle’s approach to instilling self-confidence in Nitara highlights the importance of challenging societal norms and teaching children to value their individuality. Her story is a heartwarming reminder to parents about the power of affirmations and fostering self-love in children.