# Should people looking to lighten their skin just accept themselves? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 11, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860 "2016-01-11T23:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/41 "2016-01-15T23:07:31Z")
> [@GlowingDarkness](#): > > Can you give a reason why?? > > If a scientist comes up with skin lightening in 20yrs that is safe would you be okay with it? Skin lightening is physically harmful and the self hatred it comes from is a mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/42 "2016-01-16T00:00:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > AIUI, the criterion is 50%+ coverage, are you saying his was that extensive? > [@MrDibble](#): > > ETA - Not arguing, there, just curious Keeping in mind that vitiligo tends to worsen over time, initially he started wearing a lot of make-up to hide the white blotches. Eventually, he started wearing make-up to lighten the remaining dark splotches. I’m not MJ’s dermatologist but some pictures taken later in his life do show extensive whitening on his limbs, he very well could have passed 50% at some point. > [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > It would be impossible to say how much, if any, of Michael Jackson’s “vitiligo” was from the autoimmune disorder and how much was splotchy skin color loss from bleaching. Drop the scare quotes. It’s pretty certain at this point that MJ had actual vitiligo. I don’t know why anyone thinks that’s impossible. Again, I’m not a doctor but I’ve known several people with real vitiligo. MJ’s lighter skin showed margins typical of vitiligo ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/43 "2016-01-16T11:18:13Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Drop the scare quotes. > > It’s pretty certain at this point that MJ had actual vitiligo. I don’t know why anyone thinks that’s impossible. > > Again, I’m not a doctor but I’ve known several people with real vitiligo. MJ’s lighter skin showed margins typical of vitiligo My apologies for frightening you. I am not aware of individuals who hold it’s “impossible” (don’t be frightened; quote marks just mean a word might have more interpretations than its common one, and in this case I’m literally just quoting you 🙂 ) he had vitiligo. It is a commonly-held view by those who paid more attention to it than have I that Mr Jackson indulged himself in skin lightening independent–and even antecedent–of any vitiligo onset. . The “Skin Color” (quotation marks again ! ) [section on Mr Jackson’s caucasian-reassignment efforts in Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson%27s_health_and_appearance#cite_ref-tara_434.E2.80.93436_1-2) has some observations in it. Although I am a physician, what I don’t have is the personal examination and history of Mr Jackson. Without that I can only speculate, as I have above. I’d bet on botched lighteners though, for most of his weird skin color problems, despite your confidence that sharp margins are apparently pathognomonic for vitiligo. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/44 "2016-01-16T11:30:11Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Skin lightening is physically harmful and the self hatred it comes from is a mental illness. Why are you so inclined to beat down and isolate only those with darker colored skin? Is the self hatred that comes from tanning also a mental illness? Tattoos? Piercings? Makeup? Hair styling? Grooming? Sartorial choices? Boob jobs? ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/45 "2016-01-16T12:08:09Z")
Why do you want people with dark coloured skin to self-destruct? And yes: choosing tanning, bodybuilding, plastic surgery over your health is insane. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/46 "2016-01-16T12:14:34Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > My apologies for frightening you. > … > (don’t be frightened; quote marks just mean a word might have more interpretations than its common one, and in this case I’m literally just quoting you 🙂 ) I don’t think she’s afraid. “Scare quotes” is actually the term for using quotes marks to mean “so-called”. Directly quoting what someone has said would not be a scare quote, but, in context, and since you just put the word _vitiligo_ in quotes, the simplest reading is that the intended meaning was so-called, or your term, not mine. > [@](#): > > I am not aware of individuals who hold it’s “impossible” he had vitiligo. It is a commonly-held view by those who paid more attention to it than have I that Mr Jackson indulged himself in skin lightening independent–and even antecedent–of any vitiligo onset. Well his autopsy noted vitiligo, so I think someone would have to be very ill-informed to suggest it was impossible or unlikely he had it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/47 "2016-01-16T12:41:28Z")
^ This. **Mijin** got my point. ---
**Author:** ![T.M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ad7895/32.png) [@T.M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.M)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2016, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860/48 "2016-01-19T11:34:55Z")
I think it is sad that anyone thinks that they have to change their skin colour to become acceptable. I am far from being the most attractive of men and if people do not like it they can #\*\*@ themselves. My wife who is a good looking woman does not have a problem so why should anyone else [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-people-looking-to-lighten-their-skin-just-accept-themselves/742860.md?page=2)