Elle magazine went too far in their Dec 2010 issue. Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, featured on the cover of Indian edition of the women’s magazine, was infuriated to find her skin had been photo shopped to a fairer shade.

“She believed that these things don’t happen anymore,” a friend of Bachchan told the Times.  “Not in this day and age when women are recognized for their merit, and not for the color of their skin.”

But this isn’t the first time Elle magazine pulled a lighter one over on us. It happened before to Gabourey Sidibe, the Oscar-nominated African American beauty known for her role in Precious. Elle put out a statement that “nothing out of the ordinary was done” but it is clear that is not the case. There is no way the photo below could not have been altered. Sidibe’s skin tone is clearly two different shades.

Is Elle showcasing a form of racial discrimination? Would a magazine really sell more copies just because the model on the cover has a lighter skin tone? Aishwarya Rai Bachchan believes it is racial discrimination and has decided to take action against Elle magazine.

According to the poll on www.nydailynews.com, when asking “Do you think Aishwarya Rai Bachran has a right to sue?” 71% of the nation said Yes, she is being misrepresented, 22% said no, the magazine holds the rights, and 7% are unsure.

What do you say?

When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to figuring out the complex answer to his daughter’s simple, but profound question.

In the documentary film, Good Hair, Rock takes us on a fascinating journey through the international business trade of hair weaves, the science behind relaxers and the surprising question of how much black women spend on their hair.

During a press junket for a film festival in Salt Lake City, Rock discussed with Salon Magazine journalist Andrew O’Hehir how the initial idea for the film expanded the further he investigated.

“It kind of blew my mind, the idea that in an African-American household you got this Porsche that nobody can see, these working-class and middle-class black women spending thousands of dollars… buying a Porsche that nobody sees.” He adds, “There is a whole economic realm to this that I didn’t know about at all.”

One unexpected turn in the economic story comes when Rock learns that much of the hair used for creating extensions for black women comes from India. Human hair is India’s single largest export. He also sees how the culture has adapted to make harvesting the hair easy and profitable for the industry. Many Hindu temples conduct “hair sacrifices” during religious ceremonies that allow members of the temple a few moments of cultural distinction (and no money) in exchange for hair that can later be worth thousands of dollars. This “sacrificed” hair is processed and sold to hair dealers around the world who, in turn, sell it to local dealers who, in turn, sell it to salons and hair vendors at a huge profit.

How does Rock view this suspicious economic angle? He tells O’Hehir a different cut of the movie exists where Rock treats the hair trade as a problem for black females. He later calls on women to reject this international cartel of exploitation. But, he says, in the end that version simply wasn’t as fun to watch. He said he would rather inform and entertain rather than divide and mobilize.

On that tip, Rock succeeds. The movie is a serious, yet non-confrontational look at how cultural norms can make us do and believe some crazy things. It’s entertaining, but not angry. Celebrities such as Ice-T, Nia Long, Paul Mooney, Raven Symoné, Maya Angelou, and Reverend Al Sharpton all candidly offer their stories and observations that add much more entertainment to what could have become a sobering, but impersonal look into the culture of beauty in the world.

For anyone involved in cosmetology, hairstyling or ethnic beauty marketing, this film is a must. Good Hair is playing in select cities right now. It opens nationally on October 23.