120: Shweta Aggarwal: How a Computer Science Engineer moved from India to Japan & UK & became an Anti-Colourism activist

Send us Fan Mail To introduce my guest, I’m going to steal some rather uncomfortable, inconvenient facts from her new book. For hundreds of years, Asians, especially Indians, have believed that if you are fair, light skinned, it means that you are superior. That’s right – white supremacy doesn’t just exist among white people. Sadly, this is still the case even in modern, ‘liberated’ India. Global sales of skin lightening products are expected to cross $8.9 billion by 2024, according to the World Economic Forum. Ever since the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 following the brutal murder of George Floyd, my guest found herself sharing innumerable stories with her husband and kids about her painful past. Ever wondered what persistent bullying will do to a 6 year old in the long term? Ask a 45 year old. Ask Shweta Aggarwal. Shweta is an anti-colourism activist with a colourful life. A computer science engineer by trade, her passion is dance and writing. Shweta grew up in India and Japan, and has lived in the UK for almost 25 years. We have a lot to unpack with Shweta, and talk about things like how skin-tone bias affects racial equality at work and also, all things career pivots. Learn more about Shweta Aggarwal: https://shwetaaggarwal.com/Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblackroseway/https://www.instagram.com/theblackroseway/Get The Black Rose and Shweta's other books:https://shwetaaggarwal.com/product/the-black-rose/The semi-final at Britain’s Got Talent 2010:https://youtu.be/5CnWXjr68p4?si=dlSl1w-0rpR3A29J------ Liked this episode? A few things:1. Share the podcast with three of your closest friends! And please leave a great review on Apple Podcasts here or Spotify here (tap on the three-dot menu under the cover art of the podcast) , as it would mean a lot to me and hopefully help others discover it. 2. You will love my emails called Charge-Up! I send them every few weeks, they're no fluff no spam, where I share my favourite career insights from movies, TV shows, news and my own personal experiences, that I don't share anywhere else. Make sure you sign up here!  3. Come hang out with me LIVE on LinkedIn and Youtube every Friday at 2 pm CET where I answer your questions and often bring in fab guests:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonalbahl/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/SuperChargeYourself4. Share your favourite takeaways and tag me on your Instagram and LinkedIn.