I know in the past that there was a perception (probably all too true at times) that lighter skinned black people had an advantage in jobs and salary and such. Maybe that’s still the case. If a black person lightens their skin (however they go about that) in order to improve their prospects at a job or a raise is that self-loathing or an economic decision? Or is that a forbidden question to ask on a certain level? Is it OK to avoid the sunlight to keep one’s skin as light as possible but not OK to employ chemicals? Is make up OK or not?
No, it shouldn’t be that way, that the color of one’s skin dictates one’s job prospects, but let’s say it is for a particular situation. Is that self-loathing or adapting to circumstances? In the entertainment world you don’t see many really dark skinned blacks. There are more than there used to be, but let’s face it, that’s not the majority of black entertainers.
Is it that different than actresses who get breast implants in hopes of getting more work? Facelifts? Any other plastic surgery or body alteration seen in Hollywood?
I suppose, bottom line, I feel I don’t have a right to say what others should do with their bodies. On the other hand, if it gets to the point of causing permanent harm (which some lightening techniques certainly can do - cancer, damaged skin, scarring…) I have to say it’s unhealthy and harmful.
I think the reason why it’s difficult to shrug off as no big deal is due to him looking like death warmed over. Preferences aside, it’s hard to look at his mug and not instinctively wonder if he’s sick. We associate unnatural paleness with ill health because that’s the usual cause of unnatural paleness (vitiligo, anemia, etc).
Tanned skin, on the other the hand, is a natural reaction to sun exposure and isn’t associated with sickliness (if anything, it’s associated with health). Going from light to dark is not as alien and bizarre as going from dark to light. That said, Kartel is equally as freaky look to me as Dona Versace. So both extremes are disturbing.
Herearesomeoftheircommercials. Most of these links are not in English, but you can get the gist of them; actors are painted dark and told that they are ugly and unsuccessful. They add cream then become light and happy.
Olay, Garnier, Nivea and many more all sell these creams around the world, and they sell even more when they use the most perverted advertising.
My inlaws’ primary caretaker is Belizian and has beautiful dark dark skin. Because she’s not handy with the internet, she used to have my husband order skin lightening cream for her and her friends - 6 or 8 bottles at a time, from a company in the Ivory Coast. What made me sad was that she had started ordering it because she wanted to use it on her 8-year-old daughter.
I always assumed she was either getting scammed, or that it was a lotion that made you just look lighter - I never thought it could be actually affecting that sweet little kid’s skin.
I’ve known some black women who used sunblock every bit as strong as the stuff I use to prevent my vampire-pale skin from burning - they weren’t afraid of sunburn, they were avoiding tanning. Nothing wrong with that, if you ask me.
There is stuff that actually will lighten your skin, but how harmful is dependent on dose.
I think it’s sad if people think they have to drastically change their appearances, so much so they wind up buying things that hurt them.
White women used to do the same thing, use harmful potions to achieve a “porcelain” complexion along with using parasols to keep the sun off their skin - having a tan was a sign of being a low class woman forced to work in the sun. At some point that changed and pale people started flirting with skin cancer to darken their skins while dark skinned people continued to try to lighten their skin. It’s all crazy cultural stuff. I’m still waiting for the day when beautiful, healthy skin can be appreciated regardless of the particular shade.
It can be. Dark skinned people can have trouble getting enough UV light at high latitudes at the best of times. Using SPF 30+ sunscreen is going to exacerbate the problem.
Of course the problem can be circumvented entirely by using pills, but it’s not certain that everybody knows that.
Wow, couldnt imagine this topic would be as intirguing to me as it turned out to be. Just a couple comments/ opinions on the topic. Like someone else said, I’m also white, don’t tan intentionally, and think the practice is pretty pointless. On that note, I find tans to be extremely unattractive. It’s quite obvious when a person intentionally tans on a regular basis and is quite repulsive to me. Also, the thought of skin lightening is just horrible from my perspective. It’s just… I dont even know, ummm… disgusting I guess. It’s like a way of transforming ones self, which just seems bizarre and a bit insane to me. As for thetalk of white or "porcelain and dark skin being attractive, I am attracted to both extremes. I’ve talked to others about it and no one seems to be of the same opinion as me, but when it comes to black or white women, I am quite fond of pale white women and very dark skinned black women. Never understood why dark tans on light skin are so popular and why light-skinned black women seem to be thought of as more attractive.
In Japan, you can find many products that claim to whiten, but dont really. If you read the ingredients, it’s just AHA or vitamin c or something like that. One of the most popular “whitening” products here is called HABA White Lady. The exact same formula has been repackaged as HABA Fair Lady for the American market. In east Asia, “whitening” is really just code for “brightening”.
I have a Filipino friend who says that many women in the Philippines swear by the whitening properties of papaya soap, but I seriously doubt the effectiveness or it. There’s hydroquinine, but the thought of liberal use of it all over the face and body is quite scary.
