Skin lightening (300 BC- ), also called skin whitening or skin bleaching, is where you lighten your skin. It is common in India, Africa, China the Middle East and the Caribbean where billions are made selling skin-lightening creams. It used to be common in Japan and among blacks in America. It is still common among blacks in Britain.
The most famous case of skin lightening is, however, American: Michael Jackson. His skin went from brown to snow white before our eyes in a matter of years. Many believed he secretly wanted to be white, but, as it turns out, he did in fact have vitiligo like he said. His doctor lightened his skin only to even out the effects of the disease.
The most common way to lighten your skin is to use a skin cream. Fair & Lovely, sold in over 40 countries, is the top-selling one in India. They say it is made from papaya juice and tomatoes. I am not sure I can believe that.
The most common substance used in skin lighteners is hydroquinone. It can damage your skin (pictured) and even screw up your kidneys (not pictured). In much of Europe it is outlawed because it causes cancer in mice. In America it is allowed at 2% concentration while in Africa you can get it at 4% and, sometimes, mixed with with more dangerous things like mercury!
But the thing about hydroquinone is that it works: it does in fact stop your skin from producing melanin, the stuff that makes it dark. It is also used to develop photographs.
Why do people do it? One ad put it this way:
Yes, I am closer to white, more desirable and better.
Ads nakedly play on people’s colourism: the idea that lighter-skinned people are, well, not just better looking but happier and more successful in life.
A hundred years ago most of the world was ruled by white people. So in places like Africa and the Caribbean colourism is part of the colonial mentality that still lives on.
In India, South Africa and America it runs much deeper than that: lighter-skinned people took over those places and set up pigmentocracies: societies based on skin colour.
But none of that seems to apply to China and Japan. There it seems to be the old thing of poor people being darker because of having to work outside in the fields. In White America it is now the opposite: only the well-to-do have the time and money to lay in the sun in the tropics.
Some say men just naturally prefer lighter-skinned women because even within a given race women are generally lighter than men and women are at their lightest when they are most fertile.
In America skin lightening largely fell out of fashion when colourism weakened considerably in the the 1960s with “Black is beautiful” and the rise of black pride – and, maybe even more to the point, the rise of the black middle-class.
Now in India some are pushing “Dark is beautiful”!
– Abagond, 2009.
See also:
- colourism
- “Black is beautiful”
- ganguro – a youth subculture in Japan where they darken their skin
- Lupita Nyong’o
Ugh. That is absolutely vile.
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Tyra one time had on a woman who was trying to lighten the skin of her two little boys. It just struck me as being so sad, almost a form of child abuse.
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Tyra’s show is often staged.
Lynette,
You actually know of blacks who bleach their skin?! Wow. I thought that practice was nearly absolute among American blacks.
I’ve only known of one case of someone using skin lighteners. My mother used to work with this black Jamaican woman who was bleaching her skin. Let’s just say that it wasn’t to cure vitiligo (like Michael or the Detroit news anchor Lee Thomas)…
All of this Jamaician woman’s black co-workers looked down on her for using these destructive products.
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I didn’t know too many Black Americans use skin lightening too mynameismyname
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I just don’t understand why women want to lighten their skin, unless it is medical. The most beautiful thing about women of color is their rich, deep tones.
It’s great that Indians are finally embracing their color. There is no reason that a race of people with such beautiful hues be so self-hating.
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Skin bleaching scares me. The words “bleach” and “skin” together just give me mental images of having a bucket of bleach tossed into my eyes.
That being said, I used a bleaching product before without even knowing it. I used Ambi…now I’ve forgotten what it’s called (“Even & Smooth” or something?) to get rid of acne scars on my temples. It’s marketed as an “evener”, but do they actually make people lighter? I saw that Tyra epi, and one of the lady’s just looked really gray. It was unfortunate, because her original color was fine, and she was really pretty (she reminded me of my younger sister).
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Hydroquinone, by the way, is also used to develop photographs.
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I’m one of those that believed Micheal Jackson wanted to be White, fine he had a skin condition but that doesn’t explain slicing up his face.
And yeah, I remember that Tyra episode, I wanted to smack that woman, thankfully the kids didn’t like what was being done to them. It’s a really messed up gig, what’s even more disturbing is that some take it to another level by actively seeking out pale skinned people as mates for the sole purpose of having fair skinned offspring (with of course “good hair”, talk about killing two birds with one stone).
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That’s very unfortunate, Lynette. Is skin color a really big issue in your current location?
I have the same question as Jasmin. Do skin lighteners actually work? It didn’t seem to do its job judging by all the examples I’ve seen of people who used them. Their skin just looked blotchy, uneven and grey-ish (like Jasmin noted). Not lighter.
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@mynameismyname…
Yes they work, they just don’t work in the way they promise to work… hence the blotchy, uneven skin tone of those who use it.
There are certain areas of the body that are darker.. knuckles. knees, elbows, ear tips e.t.c, these areas are usually not too noticable on unbleached skin, cos the creator in his/her infinite wisdom tends to be able to blend skin properly in all it’s various shades.
Bleaching cream is already mixed so it’s the same strength all over, some women use different creams for different parts of their body.
One also has to watch out for ‘skin toners, skin cleansers’ e.t.c. Some of the ingredients has a ‘bleaching effect’ on black skin.
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Mynameismyname:
I don’t think so. It got rid of the dark spot, but my skin wasn’t any lighter (which obviously wasn’t the goal). My guess is that something in it enhances cell turnover, so in my case, the scarred cells were sloughed off, revealing my natural skin tone. However, you can’t “turnover” lighter skin, because the cells underneath are the same color as the ones on top, just not damaged. I’ve heard of (no one I’ve personally met) Indian women who swear by them, but I’ve never heard of a Black person being successful…I’m off to do some “research” on Google.
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@Jasmin…
Yeah… I remember Ambi. It looked like a regular soap but had a dark skinned woman on the cover.
My uncles girlfriend used to use it and she used to tell me that it evened out her tone. Now she was very light skinned but had horrible acne, I remember even back then, I thought she just needed to stop using all the multitude of stuff on her skin, good clean water and some breathing space would do her pores wonders.
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i have been using ambi for a couple of years, and it does not lighten my natural skin tone, it fades my acne scars. works very well, i surely wouldnt use it if it lightened my skin though…
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That’s so unfortunate Lynette.
My sisters and I come in a variety of skin colors, from the youngest, who are much lighter than both of my parents, to the oldest and my sister right under me, who are much darker than both of my parents, so we were never raised to see one color as better than another. Also, I’ve never had people make negative comments about my skin color, so though I can sympathize with people who’ve faced that, I am unable to truly empathize. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up hearing that from peers, and, at times, family members.
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Wow, I really thought being color-struck was a thing of the past.
However, it is now resurfacing with Usher’s ex-wife (forgot her name) and some of the horrible comments that she endures, some of which Lynette described.
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Jasmin, our gene pool is so mixed that you never know how children with look. There’s really know way to predict.
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Islandgirl,
I agree, and that’s the ultimate irony in colorism. A girl in one of my classes said that a friend of hers (he is 1/2 Black, 1/2 White) is insistent upon dating and marrying a White woman because he wants his kids to be light-skinned. She said he has a White girlfriend, and he says that he “knows all the Black girls here hate him” (um, no….but that’s another story) because he only dates White girls. I responded to her that I would be offended by that if I were a White girl, because if his “ultimate goal” is light-skinned kids then he views White women as a means to an end, not as individuals. I posed to question to her, there’s still a chance his kids will be brown-skinned; if that happens will he divorce his wife and go find another White girl (I guess anyone will do) to make some light kids?
Long-winded way to say, I don’t understand why some people feel they benefit under the colorist system. It’s just another form of fetishism.
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The skin lightening/whitening issue hits very close to home for me. I’m a Filipina-Canadian (SEAsian), and I know quite a few relatives who apply these various products to achieve a lighter/whiter skin tone.
Plenty of these skin products are from the Philippines and a lot of it contains kojic acid, papaya (as mentioned above in abagond’s blog), and licorice. It’s supposed thought of as healthier for the body, but what does that say about the mind? That lighter/whiter is better? I think not.
I had one cousin who whitened her face daily with a special cream called Amira. Let’s just say she looks quite odd with the much lighter face, and tanned body.
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Another thing I’d like to add, besides creams, lotions, and toners, etc., glutathione skin whitening pills are very popular as well.
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But none of that seems to apply to China and Japan. There it seems to be the old thing of poor people being darker because of having to work outside in the fields. In White America it is now the opposite: only the well-to-do have the time and money to lay in the sun in the tropics.
In many parts of Asia, the lighter/whiter concept is still a reflection of social standing. Supposedly, the brown/tanned Asians who worked outdoors revealed their low social status (peasants if you will)while the lighter/whiter Asians were supposedly from the upper class or more privileged…that is, they lead a life that allowed them to stay indoors. I know this may sound odd to Westerners, but umbrellas also serve another function besides protect you from the rain. It also helps shield you from the sun’s rays to avoid tanning. It can be quite a common sight across Asia.
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Jasmin said:
That’s so unfortunate Lynette.
My sisters and I come in a variety of skin colors, from the youngest, who are much lighter than both of my parents, to the oldest and my sister right under me, who are much darker than both of my parents, so we were never raised to see one color as better than another. Also, I’ve never had people make negative comments about my skin color, so though I can sympathize with people who’ve faced that, I am unable to truly empathize. I can’t imagine what it would be like to grow up hearing that from peers, and, at times, family members.
I co-sign your comment. I have never undergone the treatment of being degraded of my skin color, however, keep in mind there is a hidden hierachy of acceptable dark skin women lol. Judging from your avatar, you and I benefit from it. Women like Gabrielle Union tends to be the poster child of “pretty for a dark skin girl” she is dark skin but not that dark. Her features are not that broad and she has a babyish face. If she has naturally long hair she is totally in! If you darker than Gabby and you bald -headed with broad feautures, you get talked about. I noticed that darker complexion Black women like Gabby get a pass for their face being babyish because it doesn’t look manly like some people tend to presume dark skin Black women of being. It’s horrible.
I’ve heard Black men tell me you a cutie because you have long hair and you are not darker than me *rollseyes* I even heard some Black women tell me I’m pretty because of that as if its a damn a rarity that dark skin women can be pretty. I mean it’s true colorism is crazy! So even though I’ve not been degraded from my color, but I have been treated as an exception unbelievable!
Lynette said:
Jasmin,
I believe colorism is a greater problem in southern states. My sisters and I are also different shades. My younger sister is lighter like my mother, but we never placed emphasis on color in my family, at least not negatively. My mother would ask me when I was a little girl, “Can I take a bite of your chocolate?” and I would reply, “Can I take a bite of your “Vanilla?” My parents taught all three of us to love our blackness.
Me too! My family’s skin complexion varies and we never treat anyone differently from skin complexion. I agree that in south it’s more blantlanty expressed. My cousin is dark skin and told me that she wanted to commit suicide because of it. The boys down there are very blantant about disrespecting the dark skin women. My friend who is light skin tells her me the crazy stuff that some of the men tell her. She says that some of the men talk bad about the dark skin girls in favor light skin girls and she gets offended.
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Leigh said:
“I know this may sound odd to Westerners, but umbrellas also serve another function besides protect you from the rain. It also helps shield you from the sun’s rays to avoid tanning. It can be quite a common sight across Asia.”
Excellent point. Umbrellas were invented by the Chinese and were invented for just that purpose.
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Oh, and I have known some fellow Asians wear gloves in the hot summer while driving!
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Lynette said:
Dani,
It is really sad that your cousin has been made to feel this way about her skin. Where does your cousin live?
She use to live in Mississippi but now she is in the army based in California.
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i think this whole skin lightening is sad because it seems we’re teaching people that being dark or even brown is ugly. and as far as michael, he said many times that he had vitiligo but people choose not to believe him simply because most want to assume he wanted to be white. they are pictures of him with the diseases so he had to wear a lot of make up to cover the spots. now a lot of people want to believe him when he’s been saying this since the 90s. i don’t think bleaching your skin makes you that white, in my opinion. he couldn’t help what he had. there were times i felt bad about my skin tone and wanted to be lighter because i am a brown skin girl. what you see on t.v. is light skin women, period and not enough of brown or darker women to look up to. and i hate the comment “she’s pretty for a dark skin girl?” i mean what the hell? can’t she be beautiful? there are plenty of beautiful brown skin women in hollywood, gabrielle or nia long, just to name a few, are talented actresses but don’t get the same recognition as lighter actresses. i remember watching the tyra episode and how the mom bleach their kids so they won’t be dark. staged or not, i thought that was sick. the fact you bring your kids into it is sad because they may end up growing up feeling they’re not beautiful or not worthy because of their skin tone. it’s sad that as black people, we still have this problem in 2009. we can sit up here and blame the white man for what he did and yes he did start this but we also kept this going instead of trying to find a solution. all skin tones are beautiful and we should embrace and show it instead of tearing each other apart because all we’re doing is dividing ourselves from each other.
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@lil’vina:
Great post! When I was younger, I had some relatives tell me to avoid the sun like the plague. You may look at my avatar and think, “What is this AW talking about?” I take after my mom and she’s considered light-skinned for a Filipina. If you see Filipinos, we tend to be quite tanned/brown.
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, my relatives were quite insistent that I refrain from any sun exposure. I was told, “You’re lucky. Others buy creams to have what you have.” I didn’t care what they thought. I happily played outside, and I would always have this nice color. Of course, these certain relatives would shake their heads and tsk-tsk away thinking I was a nutcase. I love having color. The only gripe I had about having color was when I would have a farmer’s tan. A two-toned look is not a good look imho.
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Dani,
You are right–maybe some people think that narrow features and long hair “balance out” the dark skin?
I also think being slender is a factor, because of that whole “thin, cute, cheerleader look.” I don’t know why that’s associated with being White though, because most of the White girls I know are bigger than I am and definitely not skinny (they seem to have a harder time achieving that “thick but not fat” look, so it’s more…fleshy?). Maybe there’s just a stereotype that all Black women are fat so seeing one who isn’t is automatically viewed as “special?”
One thing I think we “benefit” from (if you want to call it that) is youth. (I’ll be 21 next month, and I would guess we are about the same age. Please correct me if I’m wrong!) Being younger means we don’t feel the brunt of colorism as much as people older than us do (with the exclusion of the South, to an extent), so we can go into situations with fewer hangups from past bad experiences. Also, things like the 70% single rate of Black women (which I think is somewhat propaganda, but I digress), don’t affect people in our age group, IMO, because we are young, sexy (:-P) not likely to be actively pursuing marriage right now, more likely to be more open to interracial relationships, etc. So if someone does make a negative skin comment, it is less likely, due to youth, to be a comment in a long line of comments or a matter of dispair, because we have time on our side. I hope this sort of makes sense, I feel I’m all over the place!
Leigh,
It’s so funny, but in your avatar you look just like a girl I go to school with (who is Black), but in your other picture (wasn’t it a head-on shot?) you don’t resemble her at all, so I think it might just be the angle. Just wanted to share. 🙂
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thanks leigh and i understand where you come from. as i got older i just learn to love who i am and try not to pay attention to what people or society has to say. i’m from oakland and there are a lot of asians there and i do see some are light and some are dark but i don’t make a big deal of it. and that is true, i do see a lot of filipinos that are quite darker than most asians. i wish all races should embrace who they are but until we stop what we’re doing then i guess it won’t be happening.
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@Jasmin:
Leigh,
It’s so funny, but in your avatar you look just like a girl I go to school with (who is Black), but in your other picture (wasn’t it a head-on shot?) you don’t resemble her at all, so I think it might just be the angle. Just wanted to share. 🙂
I get this all the time. lol! In the first pic I posted, it was indeed head-on. And when I smile broadly, I get all squinty-eyed. Oh, and I had side-swept bangs, too. Since then, my bangs have grown out a bit so I’m considering having it chopped again. 🙂
@lil’vina:
thanks leigh and i understand where you come from. as i got older i just learn to love who i am and try not to pay attention to what people or society has to say. i’m from oakland and there are a lot of asians there and i do see some are light and some are dark but i don’t make a big deal of it. and that is true, i do see a lot of filipinos that are quite darker than most asians. i wish all races should embrace who they are but until we stop what we’re doing then i guess it won’t be happening.
Filipinos are just like other Southeast Asians (Cambodians, Laotians, Thai, etc.) with darker skin tones. And it really bothers me that there are many people of color still brainwashed with the “Light is right” mentality.
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I can believe that colorism among black Americans is a bigger deal in the South than in other regions. From what I’ve gathered, it also is a big deal in the Midwest. I think that the racial demographics in these regions (mostly black and white with little non-black-“minority” presence) plays a big part.
Now Dani & Islandgirl,
You gotta school me. LOL. Gabby and Tameka look like every other black woman. You guys talk about them as if they have a specific, specialized look for a black woman. They don’t. They look like the general black American female, not a “certain type”. So, if blacks criticize their looks, it’s a comment on most black women. Not black women of a specific hue.
These blacks you guys are referring to have assimiliated the common idea that black women are unattractive…unless, of course, they look white or “other”.
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My skin complexion has been an issue my entire life. I am dark skinned black woman who was constantly made to feel inferior because of my skin tone. The only reason why I was acceptable in some circles was because of my long thick hair and petite (but made like a black woman curves) figure. I come from a large family where I was the darkest one and I grew up being called every negative black name you can imagine. My sister who was one year older and fair complexioned would get all of the compliments and attention. I would be shown pity as being the least attractive because of my skin color.
I believe the most hurtful was the rejection I experienced from my father. He was not dark and neither is my mom, but as we all know, genes are tricky. I would not be surprised if God played on trick on my father (my mother is color struck too, but not as bad as father) and made me dark for a reason. At any rate, I suffered because his family, who are all fair with long hair (hey I took something from them — oh and by the way, the irony is that we look a LOT alike except for our skin complexions). It got so bad that my father would not even bring me around and would only bring my sister because she was more acceptable.
I had years of problems of low self-esteem and bad relationships because of this and I am just now after 40 some years beginning to love myself. I LOVE my chocolate skin, coarse hair and my black woman body. I have been told that I look at least 20 years younger than my actual age and I still get carded when I go to clubs. I can also get any man I want! Success is the best revenge!
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Obviously the people who lighten their skin think it will improve their quality of life, or they wouldn’t do it. It’s quite ironic to me though, because as a light-skinned woman I still experience racism. I’ve received the racial slurs, the offensive comments, the racist treatment; I’ve been promptly turned away from an establishment because “you can’t afford it here”, etc.
I love this blog because it addresses the many aspects and complexities of being black in this world. I can appreciate that we’re all different in how we experience and live out our black identity. But to me, resorting to skin lightening is very sad, very misguided.
But the people doing it aren’t arriving at their logic in a vacuum. Sometimes commenters say there is no more racism. When in fact racist views run so deep in our world that masses of brown/black people see value and sense in lightening their skin. It’s sad, disturbing NONsense.
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Color is always good. This Filipino actress looked so much healthier here…check out this before pic.
After the skin whitening, she has this deathly pallor. How is that attractive?
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Also,
I agree with Lynette. If Tameka looked more like say, Vanessa L. Williams or Beyonce, he would gotten the same amount of flack. I remember once visiting this one black female-patronized forum and these ladies “flamed” a few select NBA players and their light skinned trophy wives.
I also agree with Jasmine. In a black ennui, no one really benefits from a colorist mentality. It’s a lose/lose situation, no matter how you look at it.
How come people think broad features are a must for every “real” black person to have. I know way too many West and Central Africans who have slender (even pointy) features. Where do they fit into this notion?
Leigh, I know that colorism and the desire for light skin is huge in the Philippines. But I didn’t know that pills were being taken in this pursuit. That’s crazy.
Finally, to elaborate on my previous post, I think Dani and Jasmin didn’t suffer too much color discrimination in a black environment, because like Gabby/Tameka, they look like every other black woman. If they looked whiter or lighter than usual or extremely dark-skinned, they would’ve stood out. Whether their racial appearance would’ve stood out as an asset or a tincture would have been determined by whoever they were around.
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@G-Ball:
I appreciate what you shared. I also received negative race-related messages in my family; for me it would be mocking my broad nose or my thick lips. I can’t say I look 20 years younger than my actual age! But like you, I am just now beginning to love myself as I get a little bit older.
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@G-Ball & Susan:
Thank you ladies for sharing your experinces. I applaud your strength and tenacity despite what you’ve been through with certain members of your family.
@mnimn:
Leigh, I know that colorism and the desire for light skin is huge in the Philippines. But I didn’t know that pills were being taken in this pursuit. That’s crazy.
I hear ya! Although I’ve heard there are supposedly no adverse effects of taking glutathione pills even in prolonged use, but you never know what’s going to happen. It’s not worth the risk.
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Mnimn,
I wouldn’t say Tameka does, but Gabrielle Union definitely has a “pixie” look to her, and she’s like the poster child for the All-American (Black) girl. She was on Abagond’s list for “Black Women White Men Like” and I think he described her as having a cutie-pie face?
I agree the comparison depends on the environment. If there are a bunch of light-skinned girls, anyone darker than that is automatically dark-skinned, along with the negative connotations that come with it. If there are a bunch of very dark-skinned girls, the former dark-skinned girls get bumped up to medium and fall into the “somewhat acceptable” category.
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g-ball, i agree with what you said. i think sometimes you need to look at yourself and see that you are beautiful. it took me some time to see that and now i like what i see. yeah i’m brown skin, have big lips, thick, nappy hair, thin and petite but hey that’s who i am. you can’t help the way look and i could’ve tried to change myself drastically but would i be happy on the inside as much on the outside? no. i see it’s not even worth because there are someone they’re for you. plus if usher did date a woman who’s lighter than his ex, then he still would’ve gotten flack and accuse of self hating simply because he’s dating a light skin woman. so no matter who he would’ve dated or anyone dates, there is always someone saying something negative about them simply because they have nothing better else to do.
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Lol Lynette, “burnt biscuits”. That reminded me of when my husband came back from the Philippines, man he was crispyyyyy, and he knows how much I abhor colorism and he sometimes uses it to make fun of me, so we were walking in the mall with our arms locked and he looked down, looked at me, then looked around, leaned in and whispered “Hey, don’t panic but right now we’re reinforcing a stereotype, so I’m gonna head to the food court and you make a run for it!”.
Leigh, there are pills? Wow, learn something new everyday. That actress did herself a disservice, she was indeed very pretty. And what you said made me chuckle a bit as it reminded me of when I was a kid. No kid wants to stay crunched up in a house. Many of the other little girls were told to stay out of the sun, I was running around with my dog, helping my dad with the horses, climbing mango trees, riding bikes, in and out of caves (yes caves lol, it was a tiny Caribbean island ok >.>) It was seven miles to my favorite beach but I walked/cycled there pretty much everyday at 4pm on the dot. I’m brown skinned with red undertones and I love what the sun does to it /shrug
Pretty skin, imho is clean, smooth, and radiant and its watching your stress/activity levels and diet that will give you that, not whats in a tube or bottle.
Also, I thought that China’s and Japan’s colorism wasn’t completely influenced by aristocracy/peasantry. There was European occupancy for a while which upped the ante and added pale eyes and hair to the mix. Lol ah I think I’m rambling, shutting up now 😡
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what the ..? why does : x give me an angry smilie? lol
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You should’ve mentioned the Dominican Republic, the only country in the world where just about 90% of the population can claim African ascendancy, yet that 90% tends to be in utter denial. The DR has the densest concentration of hair salons in the world, mainly because women go to such great lengths to “whiten” themselves, and this starts with straightening their hair.
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@mynameismyname,
“You gotta school me. LOL. Gabby and Tameka look like every other black woman.”
Exactly! So, I don’t understand what the issue is. I think maybe because she was with “Usher”, people expected the typical model look and was upset when he chose someone more average.
Before her when he was dating Eisha Brightwell, a model is a light biracial woman, it was more acceptable but people still had something to say. As Lynette stated, people always find a reason to complain.
Before I read all of the negative comments about Tomeka, I thought she was very pretty and had no idea that others did not.
As for Gabby, I have never heard anything negative about her. Maybe it’s because of her “all-american” looks.
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@Dani
“My cousin is dark skin and told me that she wanted to commit suicide because of it. The boys down there are very blantant about disrespecting the dark skin women.”
Wow! I had NO idea that it was that deep. Is your cousin younger? Like Jasmin said, it is generational.
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@Dan
Well given the history of the country that’s not surprising. When you’re slaughtering thousands upon thousands of people because they are black and encouraging Europeans to come settle down, the future dark skinned occupants will want to be anything but.
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As far as Black women go, I think most people will agree that Gabrielle Union is more medium then dark skinned, like say, Alek Wek, I guess its because Gabby is the darkest the media usually allows (as far as women anyways). Of course, I think the mainstream will be far less accepting of her if she didn’t keep a shoulder length straight do.
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I’ve only heard Gabby being referred to as “dark skinned” on the internet. Alek Wek, is a terrible example, though. She’s a Dinka, next to Southern Indians and Aboriginals, they are the darkest skinned people in the world. That’s not a fair comparison.
Again, Gabby, Tameka and the female posters on this site reflect the vast majority of black women in terms of ethnic appearance.
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I don’t get that reasoning.I’ve seen many women from the Caribbean who are of similar shades. So they don’t count, how is that not a fair comparison? Wait, where is this going? Lol
Anyways,
We shouldn’t bleach our skin, cuz bleaching is bad mmmk. Bad for your mind and body, so let’s all just like what we have mmmk. 🙂
Ack! I’m trying to stay awake here.
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@Dan
I agree 100%. It makes me sad.
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Lightnning products are not supossed to make your skin whiter.
There’s so much misinformation, people use these products inappropriately, those are limited in their utilisation, generally 6 weeks to 3 months not forever.
Working in beauty industry , lightenning products is very common for women in all races, White women also use lightenning products, like black women using taning products(I am Of them).
Some well-known brands like Estee-Lauder, Dior, l’Oreal, Neutrogena,Clinique, La Roche Posay, Clarins,Shiseido etc….
All them make lightening products.
those are made to reduce birth marks, old scars, skin discoloration, the appearance of dark circles under their eyes, freckles age spots and the problem of the hyperpigmentation is very common among Asian, African and African descent.
the thing which mostly bothers me is the utilisation of words to market this type of product:
White, light, bright etc…again misinformation, misconception of product.
they don’t use the words dark, brown etc… to sell and market taning products.
Island girl says,
Jasmin, our gene pool is so mixed that you never know how children with look. There’s really know way to predict.
Pure race African also can’t never know as well!
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@Gen:
Leigh, there are pills? Wow, learn something new everyday. That actress did herself a disservice, she was indeed very pretty.
Yes, there are pills or supplements, as it is termed, that is taken every day. It boggles my mind the products sold out there. Oh, and another thing. I stand corrected on the glutathione pills. It’s actually referred to as L-glutathione. What’s the difference you say? Apparently, the L-glutathione is the reduced form of glutathione and is readily absorbed into the body.
Here’s an example of the L-glutathione pills. Even the name Beau Oxi White conjures up images of good clean whiteness.
And what you said made me chuckle a bit as it reminded me of when I was a kid. No kid wants to stay crunched up in a house. Many of the other little girls were told to stay out of the sun, I was running around with my dog, helping my dad with the horses, climbing mango trees, riding bikes, in and out of caves (yes caves lol, it was a tiny Caribbean island ok >.>) It was seven miles to my favorite beach but I walked/cycled there pretty much everyday at 4pm on the dot. I’m brown skinned with red undertones and I love what the sun does to it /shrug
I had one zealous aunt chase me back into the house (with a stick, mind you! lol!) when I dared to play outside during the sun’s highest peak levels. It didn’t matter what she did as I would find ways to sneak out of the house. Haha!
Pretty skin, imho is clean, smooth, and radiant and its watching your stress/activity levels and diet that will give you that, not whats in a tube or bottle.
Amen!
Also, I thought that China’s and Japan’s colorism wasn’t completely influenced by aristocracy/peasantry. There was European occupancy for a while which upped the ante and added pale eyes and hair to the mix.
Before the Western influences came to the East, the light/dark skin social standing was about aristocracy and peasanty. And as you mentioned, the pale eyes, hence, the colored contacts and dyed hair have now come into play.
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Thanks Agabond for this post, as you already know i come from Congo (DRC) and a lot of women (and men too) use different techniques to bleach their skins…
DAMN IT GIVE CANCER FOOLS!!!
It is ugly, the result is quite pretty ugly, i know a beautiful girl who had a so superb dark skin and know she almost look like a banana with ugly black spots on her skin..ugh!
Please black women, don’t do that, you are beautiful with an even black tone!
Stop being so desperate to look like white women (most will say that they don’t want to be like white women, but for me its all in the subconscious).
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Omigoodness. I just chatted online with my cousin…the one I mentioned in an earlier post about having the light face and tanned body. I told her about abagond’s skin lightening thread and she freely admitted to using another product to lighten her…please excuse me… brown nipples to pink! Wth?!
Here’s the product she was talking about:
Also, I’d like to add *nsfw*
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I’ve seen women with mesed up faces caused by skin bleaching thank god colourism was never a huge issue in my family, My niece came to stay over and she was going on about how she wanted to be light skin with a loose texture of hair like her mixed raced friends and by brothers (her uncles) started yelling at her saying stop being white washed looking that way won’t make everything in your life better then her mother (my sister) found out and it was not good.
what i hate seeing in the UK is advertising for the creams in Indian shops and I saw the TV ads on youtube of the lightening cream for men it sickens me you could get cancer. Colourism effects every race and as long as people keep those views of the lighter and brighter and whiter you are the better than then the future looks fucked up.
I remeber in high school there was this girl who is afro carribean (jamaican and dominican) and she would go on about how everyone who was darker than her was beneath her and how she was prettier I will never forget the day when my friend defended me and told her that she was so ugly inside and out and how her light skin was not going to save her. Now he is mixed race half white english and black jamaican and has green eyes his mother is my complexion (gabby Union colour)and he usually goes for girls that are darker than him.
I don’t care if someone has a preferance that is cool just as long as they don’t have to justify it or go on about how the only reason they like lights is coz darks are…..
it get’s so annoying I always cut people off and say fine whatever and what is it with some men who tell light/dark women that they are better than dark/light women I mean is that supposed to make them feel better if you can’t compliment someone without putting someone else done then get back.
Oh and as for Micheal Jackson I belived him when he said he had vitiligo all those years ago(i think it has something to do with one of my neigbours who also had vitiligo and she looked up to him) personally I think the whole “wanting to be white” thing was played up to make him look wierd and deluded.
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leigh204,
Yeah I heard about that on a blog about a black guy living in Japan and apparently dark nipples mean you are a harlot, it’s an old wives tale in Japan
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my friend uses likas papaya soap 4 her acne scarring, not to dye her skin white
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ERE,
Everyone has strech marks. I do know that there is a Palmers’ Cocoa Butter made exclusively to weaken their presence. Many pregnant women and bodybuilders swear by it. There’s also good ol’ Vitamin E.
Dan,
You have good points. I just thought Gabby was a poor example of supposed “dark skinned beauty”. First, she’s a celebrity. Second, she looks like every other black woman. She represents a very pretty version of the general black woman. Not one of a specific hue. That’s what I meant. Alek Wek is an extreme, in terms of skin color. You know that.
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“You gotta school me. LOL. Gabby and Tameka look like every other black woman.”
tameka is cute, she might not be the most photogenic shes’s cute though
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MNIMN,
I think (I scrolled up and I couldn’t find where Dan talked about Gabrielle Union, maybe you are referring to Dani’s points?) the point is that GU is the media’s poster child for dark-skinned beauty, because she’s at the end of the spectrum of skin-tone acceptability, per the MSM’s standards. When you say that “she looks like every other Black woman”, that isn’t clear, even though I am assuming that you are talking about “in terms of skin tone” (since you mentioned Alek Wek). In terms of features, I think her nose is considered more “button” and less broad than the average Black person’s, and her lips can be considered smaller too. When people hear terms like “light-skinned” and “dark-skinned” in relation to certain individuals repeatedly, I think they absorb that and take it as truth, regardless of what the person actually looks like. Case in point: Halle Berry, who has been held up as the epitome of light-skinned women, when she’s not nearly as light as, for instance, Alicia Keys, who struck me as positively pale when she first debuted.
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i didn’t know halle was mixed till a few years ago, she is quite brown, not light at all, so i did not understand people referring to her as light, i see non-biracial blacks her shade all the time and they’re not considered “light-skinned.” that makes me wonder is light skinned actually referring to the shade or is more an attempt to claim mixed ancestry or something?
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my mother is her shade and she is not remotely considered light-skinned, most people are brown or chocolate, een the alek colored women are dark brown, een most white people i think are actually a light light brown or peach
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i aint know alicia keys was mixed either…yeah i didn’t know till a few years ago again. my idea of who is black must be warped, cause i know and see blacks her shade too
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@Aiyo:
“Yeah I heard about that on a blog about a black guy living in Japan and apparently dark nipples mean you are a harlot, it’s an old wives tale in Japan”
That must mean I’m a harlot, too. I know…I know…tmi!!! 😛
@peanut:
“my friend uses likas papaya soap 4 her acne scarring, not to dye her skin white”
Yeah, Likas (pronounced lee-cuss)is a very popular brand in the Philippines. It’s also used for removing blotches due to acne scarring.
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mynameismyname said:
Now Dani & Islandgirl,
You gotta school me. LOL. Gabby and Tameka look like every other black woman. You guys talk about them as if they have a specific, specialized look for a black woman. They don’t. They look like the general black American female, not a “certain type”. So, if blacks criticize their looks, it’s a comment on most black women. Not black women of a specific hue.
These blacks you guys are referring to have assimiliated the common idea that black women are unattractive…unless, of course, they look white or “other”.
I see what you are saying maybe that’s in your opinion but I have heard Gabby be used as an exception. When I ask some men, particularly Black men, what Black women they find attractive most are considered to be light skin. When ask dark skin Black women they almost always choose Gabby lol or sometimes Nia Long and Kelly Rowland. These women aren’t that dark to me but it makes you wonder though. If these women are not that dark, then why are they considered the pretty dark women? lol But then maybe you right these people probably have bought into the assimilated idea that Black women aren’t attractive unless they look close to White lol
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Jasmin,
I have features like Gabby. So, do MANY, MANY blacks. Her features are almost stereotypically West African. I don’t know if the “media” anoints Gabby as a “dark skinned beauty”. It seems like some people just threw that on her. It perplexes me that they do since again, in terms of skin color and features, she doesn’t look that different from the general black American woman. She’s just a Hollywood-pretty version of one.
Halle has never been light skinned to me. And I’m judging this by candid photos, I’ve seen of her. But it’s all subjective.
All in all, what I’ve been trying to suggest with my assertions that the likes of Gabby, Tameka, even posters Dani and Jasmine (judging by their avatar photos) look like everyday black women (which they most certainly do) is that the vasy majority of black women are hardly light skinned and/or “white looking”. So, a preference for such a look (for blacks) seems like an insult towards the great majority of black women. Does that make sense?
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Jasmin,
I have features like Gabby. MANY, MANY blacks the world over do. Her features are almost stereotypically West African. I don’t know if the “media” anoints Gabby as some type of “dark skinned beauty” (as opposed to a “black” one). It seems like some people just threw that on her. It perplexes me that they do since again, in terms of skin color and features, she doesn’t look that different from the general black American woman. She’s just a Hollywood-pretty version of one.
Halle has never been light skinned to me. And I’m judging this by candid photos, I’ve seen of her. But it’s all very subjective and relative.
All in all, what I’ve been trying to suggest with my assertions that the likes of Gabby, Tameka, even posters Dani and Jasmine (judging by their avatar photos) look like everyday black women (which they most certainly do) is that the vast majority of black women are hardly light skinned and/or “white looking”. So, a preference for such a look (for blacks) seems like an insult towards the great majority of black women. Does that make sense?
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Jasmin said:
I think (I scrolled up and I couldn’t find where Dan talked about Gabrielle Union, maybe you are referring to Dani’s points?) the point is that GU is the media’s poster child for dark-skinned beauty, because she’s at the end of the spectrum of skin-tone acceptability, per the MSM’s standards. When you say that “she looks like every other Black woman”, that isn’t clear, even though I am assuming that you are talking about “in terms of skin tone” (since you mentioned Alek Wek). In terms of features, I think her nose is considered more “button” and less broad than the average Black person’s, and her lips can be considered smaller too. When people hear terms like “light-skinned” and “dark-skinned” in relation to certain individuals repeatedly, I think they absorb that and take it as truth, regardless of what the person actually looks like. Case in point: Halle Berry, who has been held up as the epitome of light-skinned women, when she’s not nearly as light as, for instance, Alicia Keys, who struck me as positively pale when she first debuted.
Co-sign! I never really thought that Halle was that light neither. However, she gets a pass of being one. Gabby does have a button nose and dimples with a slender figure so that probably helps her appeal. When we think of “light skin” and “dark skin” its stereotpyes that links to was is considred attractive or unattractive in features and hair. Dark skin girls usually have the stereotypes of having “bad hair” (whatever the hell that means) “broad features” and most times get linked to be called a man. Light skin girls “Good hair” (whatever the hell that means) slender features and are their look is considered to be more feminine. If you are light skin person with broad features and with “bad hair” you might still benefit from being light skin. If you are dark skin, then you might benefit from “good hair” and slender features and is treated as an exception. Most cases it’s features and hair textures but at the same time skin complexion does play into what’s considered feminine and masculine.
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mynameismyname said:
All in all, what I’ve been trying to suggest with my assertions that the likes of Gabby, Tameka, even posters Dani and Jasmine (judging by their avatar photos) look like everyday black women (which they most certainly do) is that the vast majority of black women are hardly light skinned and/or “white looking”. So, a preference for such a look (for blacks) seems like an insult towards the great majority of black women. Does that make sense?
I see what you are saying but Gabby for some reason tends to be put on this pedestal of being the pretty dark girl though lol
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Lynette,
I hear of that scenario happening so much! I’ve never truly saw it before my eyes but it’s extremely believable. It sucks that colorism is something that’s so visible yet rarely discussed in a black American context.
Are these men darker skinned, like the majority of black men, themselves?
Dani,
See, you’re stereotyping!;) Again, the vast majority of black Americans are hardly ‘light skinned’. But the segment who could be described as such usually don’t have straight hair or “non-broad” features. Actually, quite the opposite. Most light skinned blacks are no more mixed than the remaining majority of black Americans. That’s all a major misconception. Don’t fall for it!
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Dani,
The fact that you refer to “bad hair” and “good hair” shows that you actually have a concept of which features are “good” and what features are “bad”. It may be subconscious but it’s very revealing nonetheless.
(BTW, no BS, I have no clue what consitutes “good hair”. Seriously. Good hair to me is NO HAIR! Nothing to worry about when you’re bald. But then again, I’m a guy. LOL)
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Overall what I’m trying to say is that if a black person says that a female is “pretty for a dark skinned girl”, they are essentially saying “She’s pretty for a black woman.” They have assimiliated the idea of black women being less (or not) attractive.
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Okay let me break it down
Hierarchy of beauty of black women in America:
1) biracial (Ideal beauty)
2) light skinned with “non-broad” features
3) light skinned with “broad” features
4) dark skinned with “non broad” features
5) dark skinned with “broad” features
I can’t leave out that fact that hair plays an important role in the hierarchy. “Good hair” (curls, waves or even long relaxed hair can bump you up in ranking)
“Bad hair” can knock you down.
Also darker skinned women are held to a higher standard than lighter skinned women.
A darkskinned woman has to be drop dead gorgeous like kenya Moore, Naomi Campbell and the like to get a mention. When Usher was dating Chilli people really loved them as a couple and she was dark kinned. What made the difference? (Take her celebrity out of the equation and then see my list to figure it out)
Light skinned women who are average or a bit above average have men tripping over themselves. But a dark skinned girl has to be a 10 for that to happen.
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Yaz,
What’s the difference between “biracial” and “light skinned” in your definition?
Do all “biracial” women look alike? What if she’s darker skinned? “Biracial”? What two races?
Again, most black women are hardly light skinned so where does that leave them?
Chili, like Gabby/Tameka, is NO DARKER THAN THE AVERAGE BLACK WOMAN.
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mynameismyname said:
Dani,
See, you’re stereotyping!;) Again, the vast majority of black Americans are hardly ‘light skinned’. But the segment who could be described as such usually don’t have straight hair or “non-broad” features. Actually, quite the opposite. Most light skinned blacks are no more mixed than the remaining majority of black Americans. That’s all a major misconception. Don’t fall for it!,
I think we all can agree with this that lighter skin Blacks are no more Black than darker ones however, but for some reason in the Black community and other people of color tend to want to seperate the “good looking” and “bad looking” people of color and feautures and skin tone is passing test on how well you are going to be treated. I have to to disagree with you on that colorism is rarely discussed. It’s dicussed quite often but the question is have we become more progressive in speaking on the issue? My answer is no. Everytime when I speak on the issue, it gets shut down and people start to get defensive. Very similar to discussing racism with a White person lol. The whole “blaming the victim” crap starts to surface when discussed.
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mynameismyname said:
What’s the difference between “biracial” and “light skinned” in your definition?
Do all “biracial” women look alike? What if she’s darker skinned? “Biracial”? What two races?
Again, most black women are hardly light skinned so where does that leave them?
Chili, like Gabby/Tameka, is NO DARKER THAN THE AVERAGE BLACK WOMAN.
To me there really isn’t much difference. The only difference is that they have two different parents of a different race or ethnicity. There are “bi-racial” b/w people I know look like someone in my family.
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I think to sum up what Yaz is trying to say is that to be particularly strikingly beautiful is to look other than Black lol
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Dani,
(I’m currently at a laundromat hence the instant reponses. LOL).
In response to #84: I agree. Except on the frequency of colorism being discussed. From my experiences, it is a topic that blacks are usually uncomfortable dicussing. I don’t blame them. There’s pain there. But you do have a point. When you call out a black person on racial ignorance, they turn white! All denials and justifications! LOL
#85: Most black/white offspring don’t look too distinguishable from traditional black Americans. This truth hit home with me just recently with one young lady who I spoke with on this very subject.
#86: Exactly. It’s like a woman, of any race, is pretty as long as she doesn’t look black. Speaks to the persistent anti-black sentiment in this country. It’s unfortunate.
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mynameismyname said
What’s the difference between “biracial” and “light skinned” in your definition?
Don’t get me wrong I know that not all biracial people look alike. What I am refering to is that general “biracial look” that usually comes with so called “good hair” You know when a black person say that someone looks “mixed”. Because not all light skinned people are taught of having a “biracial” look. Hope that makes some kind of sense.
dani said
“I think to sum up what Yaz is trying to say is that to be particularly strikingly beautiful is to look other than Black”
This is so true it seems like today in America more than ever a black woman is seen as not exotic enough. You have to have something eurocentric about you to be seen as striking. The more eurocentric, the more “exotic” you are. A non-black woman who may be average or below is still seen as beign somewhat “exotic”.
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Lynette,
I take it darker skinned means the “darkest black men” or “dark brown”-complexioned? Funny, the black men who I’ve heard had a color complex weren’t the darkest. Believe it or not. Like I was saying earlier in this post, it appears that blacks who are “medium”-complexioned seem the most well-adjusted when it comes to shade madness. The lightest and the darkest tend to have the most problems. That’s what I found out while talking to black Americans of varying shades of dark skin and genders.
Yaz,
Yes, most light skinned blacks don’t look particulary “mixed with white”. But neither do the majority of black/white offspring. Again, like Dani, you appear to have a concept of “good” and “bad” features. Very revealing. That doesn’t make you a bad person or self-hating. It just shows that you’re not immune to adopting the anti-black ideas that we all encounter everyday.
“Exotic” equals “beautiful”??? Why can’t a black woman just be beautiful? Why does her alleged level of African ancestry and her physical proximity to a white woman have be assessed? Does the Western world hate blackness that much???
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Where do we put Lauren Hill in this equation? She is definitely dark with African features but I have only heard one person (my friend is only dates light complexion) say she is not beautiful?
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G-Ball,
No one fits perfectly into one box. I can understand where Yaz and the others are coming from but it doesn’t truly match up with reality. Yet, for these ladies to have these perceptions, there must be something to it.
Can we please lay off the celebrities? Lauryn, Gabby, Tameka and all of the other entertainers mentioned live in a whole different world and are judged by a whole different standard than the average woman.
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@mynameismyname
I don’t think there are good and bad features. I think that “broader” features and “keen” features are equally beautiful.
I don’t believe in that good hair and bad hair nonsense either. To me skin color does not determine attractiveness. As black women our looks are so diverse and all of it, not just one kind should be celebrated.
When I talk about colorism and black women’s beauty I talk about it from what I have experienced, what people say, and what they experienced. I talk about the way black women are percieved in a very matter of fact and unsugarcoated way. I guess it is easy for one to think that these are my beliefs from reading my earlier posts. Infact I am constantly challenging and confronting people who have these beliefs.
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MNIMN,
We definitely aren’t disagreeing (I think when writing it is difficult to distinguish one’s own beliefs from stereotypical/mainstream beliefs without being repetitive). I actually wrote a paper on colorism last year, and the estimated percentage of Blacks who are light-skinned (either in the “light-skinned” or “very light-skinned category) is 10% total. Your perceptions line up with research, which has the vast majority of Blacks falling in the medium category. However, as far as universal access to Blackness, that is where celebrities come into account. Ask a random sample of Black people to name Black female celebrities in 10 seconds and you can guess which names will come up: Halle and Beyonce are more likely to be named than Nia or Regina (King). Thus, what people have in the forefront of their minds, in terms of Blackness, is a reflection of Hollywood standards, regardless of the fact that it’s unlikely that the color makeup of those closest to them probably doesn’t match what’s put out by the media. Just as Yaz mentions, there is a stereotype of a general biracial look (with the White mom and Black dad to match :-P) that is very pervasive, even though the majority of biracial people, in reality, look like other Black people. I know I never would’ve guessed that light-skinned people only make up 10% of Blacks given their presence in the media–for every Alicia Keys, there should be 9 women ranging in skin tone from Gabrielle Union to Alek Wek.
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Yaz and Jasmin,
That’s the thing: I wasn’t disagreeing with you guys! I agreed with a lot of it. Although, Jasmin, I gotta say that the typical black women who I see in the media are more Gabby/Nia than Alicia/Beyonce. Although the Alicia/Beyonces tend to get more hype. A lot of that has to do with society’s attitudes towards black women. Perhaps the Alicia/Beyonces appear “less black”, which a positive to many. This means that blackness is seen as a disqualifying factor.
Until I moved to VA, I rarely saw light skinned blacks. (And I lived in several other states, in different regions). Some here and there but they were hardly the norm. They’re still not the norm but I see more of them. So, the 10% sounds like the most accurate percentage.
The overwhelming majority of blacks appear to be “medium brown” (more women) to “dark brown” (more men). The “Alicia Keys” (white looking) and “Alek Weks” (jet black-complexioned) are the least common extremes. (Ironically, both ladies benefitted from their ‘less-common’ black appearance.)
So, a “light skinned” vs. “dark skinned” convo in reality seems to be saying, “light skinned mixies vs. ‘normal black people’. That what it sounds like to me under the surface.
But again, all of this pyschological damage shouldn’t drive anyone to alter the color of their skin.
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Lynette,
I’m going to have to heavily disagree there. The darkest blacks and the lightest blacks had the equal amount of issues. That was very clear to me during my “research”. Many of the darkest black men were very well-adjusted, actually. Matter of fact, they seemed to have less of a color preference than their lighter brethen. I think the negative connotations towards black men leads many to think the worst of them.
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@lynette: i agree with your assessment in re: colorism amongst black men. the ones who–in my experience, have been so quick to call dark skinned women “ugly” or only give them passes if there was something “traditionally white” about them have all been dark.
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Lynette,
I don’t doubt you at all. In some ways, you may know more on that topic on me as you are a woman who has dated men. LOL. I can only observe, talk and research. I never had the experience of being a woman in the dating pool.
You are right on about lighter-skinned black men being more drawn to darker- skinned women. I’ve always noticed that as well. Same is true with their female counterparts. Yet, is it any fault of their own? They’re minorities in the black community, so they have no choice but to go darker for a mate.
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I was shocked when several of my Black co-workers stated that they use bleaching cream to wash their faces each morning. I just believe that practice is an extreme form of self-hate.
How crazy is that. I know growing up I had relatives who used skin bleaching creme. For years I thought Ambi was a skin bleaching cream to make one lighter, not to eliminate discolorations as indicated because of this. I also had relatives who were scared to get too dark in the summer. I on the other hand would get as my mother called it “black as smut” during the summer without a care. I was the only black person in my neighborhood, I already was the darkest thing the kids in my neighborhood had ever seen, a few shades wasn’t going to make a difference.
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“I wonder what these men think about their mothers.”
Lynette,
I wonder the same exact thing when I hear stories of some black men behaving this way or making such ignorant remarks. What do they think of their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, etc.? More so, what do they think of themselves?
I have also heard several lighter complexioned black males state their attraction to dark-brown black women. Yet, I have heard many “darker” black males state that attraction as well. One very dark skinned black man recently told me that he loved and desired to marry and procreate with a “dark woman” because he wanted his children to be “dark chocolate” like him. LOL.
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Abagond, the caste system in India isn’t based on skin color. A lot of elites might be light skinned now but that’s true of other post-colonial societies around the world. Europeans made all cultures hierarchy correlate with the lightest at the top. Caste might pre-date Western Imperialism but we don’t know if or how it was manipulated by European rule.
leigh204 Says: in many parts of Asia, the lighter/whiter concept is still a reflection of social standing. Supposedly, the brown/tanned Asians who worked outdoors revealed their low social status (peasants if you will)while the lighter/whiter Asians were supposedly from the upper class or more privileged…
@leigh204. The real reason why the elites in Southeast Asia are lighter skinned is because they’re not full-blooded like the common people of the area. They’re usually mixed with European like Spanish in the Philippines’ case or Chinese. So it’s really boils down to racism because lighter skin is no more “original” than dark skin. Nor does class automatically rank people by skin color. Humans do that and it can go the other way around.
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@liz:
I agree with you regarding the racist aspect of the SE Asian elite i.e. Philippines having a mixed European/Chinese heritage. I was referring in general because most light-skinned East Asians look down on darker-skinned SE Asians. Who farms the rice fields? Who performs the manual labor over there? Definitely not the elite. They can afford to stay out of the sun.
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hello there.. you got me hooked with how you defined white skin. Really amazing and i never new that females are at their whitest form during fertility.. hmmm.. very interesting..
Good to hear that India started out the “black is beautiful” concept. Unfortunately here in the philippines, everyone is still trying to get lighter skin. Regardless of gender, both male and female are using skin whitening products..
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@stephaniefrancisco:
I’m guessing by your name that you’re a Filipina like yours truly.:) Are you from the Philippines? I also find it unfortunate that many Filipinos ascribe to the notion of lighter skin being prettier/better. I’m really disgusted by those skin whitening commercials prevalent in the Philippines. I despise how lighter skinned or half-Asian actors/actresses are used for the whitening commercials when they’re already “white” to begin with. Why, the most beautiful women, I’ve encountered had the most lustrous, enviable bronze skin. Why should people feel ashamed or looked down on because their skin isn’t considered “right” in the eyes of others?
I hate this commercial. Grr.
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hi leigh.. yup, i am a proud pinoy.. 😀
I guess its the mentality of our fellow filipinos already that you’d look much prettier or better if you have light skin.
And let’s say, the lighter your skin is the richer you are maybe?
and the notion that a person with white complexion seems to be neat or clean? maybe? hahaha.. am i making any sense.. Well, you know how pinoys are.. stereotyping that you should always have this good image in the eyes of other people.. even if they dont know you personally..
Btw, are you still here in the philippines?
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Leigh,
I didn’t watch the commercial but that guy right there is fine! 😛
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@stephaniefrancisco:
Sat 7 Nov 2009 at 04:05:36
hi leigh.. yup, i am a proud pinoy.. 😀
I guess its the mentality of our fellow filipinos already that you’d look much prettier or better if you have light skin.
And let’s say, the lighter your skin is the richer you are maybe?
and the notion that a person with white complexion seems to be neat or clean? maybe? hahaha.. am i making any sense.. Well, you know how pinoys are.. stereotyping that you should always have this good image in the eyes of other people.. even if they dont know you personally..
Btw, are you still here in the philippines?
Oh, I don’t live in the Philippines, Stephanie. My parents immigrated to Canada a few years before I was born. I’ve lived in Canada all my life. Btw, where in the Philippines do you reside?
Personally, I’ve noticed a lot of North American raised Filipinos embrace their natural skintone. Not so much the Filipinos back home. Do you find that to be true?
@Jasmin:
Leigh,
I didn’t watch the commercial but that guy right there is fine! 😛
Jasmin, that guy is Filipino actor, John Lloyd Cruz.:) I know plenty of Filipino ladies swoon over him, but honestly, he’s okay. Besides, there are way better looking guys than this guy. 🙂
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oh.. so you haven’t been here to the PH?
I stay in Mandaluyong.. Just near Makati.. so its pretty much near my ofc..
Yeah, I agree. Not all filipinos embraces their natural color. That’s why whitening products became such a hit.. and still is..
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@stephaniefrancisco:
I haven’t been back to the Philippines in years. My mom is from Obando, Bulacan, and my dad is from Ballesteros, Cagayan.
The brainwashing the Spanish did in the past caused so much damage. Why should I embrace the former colonizers’ superiority color complex. It was foisted upon our people to make us feel bad about ourselves. Besides, I embrace the color of my skin. This is what makes me ME. 🙂
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“I embrace the color of my skin. This is what makes me ME.”–I LOVE WHAT YOU SAID.. i can feel the conviction. 😀
I haven’t been to Obando neither to Cagayan.. But friends say its really superb there.. hmmm.. now you got me wanting to travel.. ;p
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Not only facial skin, and nipples are lightened, but any darkened area on the body such as armpits.
This is so embarrassing and full of bs! Thank goodness I don’t buy into this crap.
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Sammy Sosa has bleached his skin he looks horrible
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^ Oh, definitely. He looks as if he was ill.
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Holy hell! Oh Sammy you screwed the pooch. That made my stomach lurch, he looks terminally ill. It says a lot about his wife too.
Leigh you’re bringing me down man, you’re bringing me down lol. Those commercials are so nakedly and shameless promoting self hate it’s just crazy, I’ve never seen anything like that. “Defy Color”??
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Leigh: OMG! (about the Sammy Sosa pictures)
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Here is an ad for the biggest skin lightening cream in India if not the world, Fair & Lovely. Not in English but you will get the point:
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^^^
Lynette, who are you telling!
Sosa’s “reps” have tried to explain his sudden depigmentation by saying that he’s overgoing some type of “skin rejuvenation”. They are also saying that he is not as pale as he is in the photos.
Those dismissals would be easier to believe if Sosa didn’t have his hair relaxed, wasn’t rocking color contacts and didn’t have such a white-looking woman on his arm.
Sadly, there’s many Sosa-minded people in his native Dominican Republic. The famous DR leader, Trujilo, famously bleached his skin. Sadly, another DR icon is following suit. Heartbreaking.
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I condemn the “white worship” (and DENIAL of Black and Indigenous blood) evident, NOT JUST IN THE DR, but in ALL Latin American nations with MIXED RACE (Black and Indigenous)people that leads to SELF HATING, SKIN LIGHTENING behavior as in Sammy Sosa’s case.
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mynsmeismyname said:
Those dismissals would be easier to believe if Sosa didn’t have his hair relaxed, wasn’t rocking color contacts and didn’t have such a white-looking woman on his arm.
co-sign! Didn’t he say on record that he is Black? He is Afro-Latino and needs to own it!
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*that he is NOT Black
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@abagond:
Regarding that Fair & Lovely ad from India, I’m dismayed and, yet, not surprised, at how close to whiteness enables a person to get a job. In the Philippines, it’s common to see darker-complected people play maids, the poor, or comedians while their light-complected counterparts are portrayed as rich, beautiful, and classy. Of course, that goes without saying as this happens in many countries where darker skinned people are placed in a negative light.
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Gen Says:
Leigh you’re bringing me down man, you’re bringing me down lol. Those commercials are so nakedly and shameless promoting self hate it’s just crazy, I’ve never seen anything like that. “Defy Color”??
I know! Tell me about it!! It’s also more than to “defy color”. Did you know skin whitening in Asia is more than simply whitening the skin? I know of products not only whitening the yellow/olive tones in Asian skin, but about achieving a rosy, white glow. Think pink here.
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yes Leigh I saw some of those skin lightening ads from Asia on Youtube. Everytime i watch any of them, from anywhere, I find myself sitting there watching with my mouth hanging wide open. 😦
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To Leigh:
I’ve been made aware of the creams for the nips and I’m hoping it stops there lol. I’m just appalled by how blunt these ads are about discrimination, it’s sick. Maybe I’m idealistic but if someone doesn’t like me because my skin is brown, they can go f*ck themselves. I stopped using Garnier Shampoo because now I know they make skin bleach, so yeah no thanks.
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L’Oreal owns Garnier, the L’Oreal that did this:
Both L’Oreal in California and Garnier in France prefers hiring blondes over black women. More on that and L’Oreal in general from Siditty here:
http://siditty.blogspot.com/2009/06/do-i-need-to-quit-buying-loreal-yeah-i.html
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Damn, I just saw that Sammy Sosa picture!
WTF?
Why are many afro dominicans in such denial about their race!
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Thanks for those links Aba, *sigh* another company’s products I will avoid.
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Gen Says:
Gen Says:
To Leigh:
I’ve been made aware of the creams for the nips and I’m hoping it stops there lol. I’m just appalled by how blunt these ads are about discrimination, it’s sick. Maybe I’m idealistic but if someone doesn’t like me because my skin is brown, they can go f*ck themselves. I stopped using Garnier Shampoo because now I know they make skin bleach, so yeah no thanks.
It boggles the mind, doesn’t it? I really despise those ads. It’s as if something is wrong with you or your life is crap because you don’t possess light skin. There is NOTHING wrong with the color you were born with.
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Here are a series of commercials promoted in Thailand. The message it sends out is painfully clear. Basically, the premise of these ads is that you’re only marriage material if you’re light skinned.
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Cont’d….
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The prevalence of skin lightening and thus the valuing of light skin all over the world (even in majority non-white countries) may be an indication that the colorism problem is intractable.
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What about white people tanning themselves? Do white people self-hate themselves? I don’t think so.
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Here are recent pics of Sammy Sosa. Oh, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy.
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Did he have plastic surgery as well?
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I can’t imagine people doing this to their skin. Bleaching the skin seems to damage the skin considerably. What is the point of lightening your skin, if it leaves your skin will all kinds of scars as a result? So sad! I guess some people really have issues. Well, we live in a world where people are constantly told that light skin is beautiful. I think the media is one of the biggest culprits. Most of the time, the “beautiful” black girl on tv is lighter skinned. I don’t have a problem with lighterskinned women. I see them as my sisters just like darker skinned women. But it is sad that lighter skinned women are portrayed as being the only ones that are considered beautiful black women. You don’t often see darker women in positive, non-stereotypical roles and you don’t see darker women that would be considered beautiful on tv.You often see the mammy or sapphire types. There are millions of beautiful, classy, darkskinned women in this country but they don’t get a chance to be seen on television or in the modeling industry, unless they are showing off their behinds or half naked. We as a people have to take control of the media, somehow, someway. We have to control how we are presented to give hope and confidence to our people and other groups that are people of color( such as Asians and latinos)
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Has anyone seen recent pics of Vybz Kartel?
He looks like a an extra off The Walking Dead. He does not look good at all and his excuses for why he is bleaching is laughable and he says he wants to endorse whatever product he used.
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Here is a recent pic of Vybz
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I can not understand bleaching, plastic surgery (unless it is reconstructive, after accident etc.), chopping, hacking, torturing etc oneself. This is sick indeed. Its like these teen girls who put silicon implants and “make their downstairs pretty” with their mothers supporting them. Zeesus almighty how sick times we live in!!
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@Calculator
“…What about white people tanning themselves? Do white people self-hate themselves? I don’t think so.
Well. I know if you ask the white people who are doing this they will tell you it is not for the love of their pale bleached skin!!!
So what else is it?
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This is a fascinating topic.
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The issue of skin color modification is not so much about racialism but wealthism. People want to look like the rich.
Asia is less industrialized than the west, so darker skin is an indication of outdoor labor, and thus lower class. In the west, tanned skin has become a marker of the leisure class, and thus indicative of greater wealth.
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This is an interesting sub-conscious admission from you Randy. You seem to be saying darker skin is better associated with wealth and richness.
This is in spite of all the glaring physical, medical and anecdotal evidence presented here that skin lightening and sun tanning can have detrimental effects on Black and white skins respectively.
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Kwamla,
The association of tanning with a wealthier western leisure class appears to have emerged towards the beginning of the 20th century.
This blog post explores the history of intentional tanning in the west: http://thepaintedwoman.blogspot.com/2009/07/suntans-in-1920s-30s.html
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When Sosa lightened his skin, seeing him for the first time actually hurt. It’s not that he offended me, but I can’t imagine what was going through his head when he made those changes.
My family is from the Caribbean, but I thank God they didn’t raise me with a colour complex. I don ‘t see why they would as most of them are dark skinned. What’s difficult for me to understand is why people continue to embrace to a standard that devalues them.
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Even if MJ truly had vitiligo (and I still doubt that, personally), then why the facial butchery? Why did he ‘father’ not one, not two, but THREE children with a white woman? If he didn’t want to be white, he certainly moved mountains to appear so! I guess this means that LaToya and Janet also have it, while the rest of the siblings don’t? Genetics are fascinating…I need to take a refresher course, methinks!
😎
The whole skin-bleaching thing is nonsense, perpetuated by our racist (and colorist) society. Li’l Kim sure bought into it!
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I have seen some white people who have been tanning themselves to dark brown. And that, ladies and gentelmen, is ridicilous as it sounds. Just as it is to do michaeljacksons for a black person. Ok, I understand if you are an albino, but if you are black, whattheheck???????
What is going on? Whites want to be brown and brown white and asians europeans and europeans exotique etc.? Am I the only one who feels that somebody is making a lot of money out of this circus??
It was in USA back in 1940’s when they found out that frustrated individual is the best consumer. You only need to keep people frustrated and the will go on consuming what ever is offered to them. Even whitening or browning lotions. How stupid is that??
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@sepultura13
“Even if MJ truly had vitiligo (and I still doubt that, personally), then why the facial butchery?”
1) Michael Jackson did, in fact, suffer from vitiligo–people know he did from the autopsy. Plus, many people of all ethnicities undergo plastic surgery.
“Why did he ‘father’ not one, not two, but THREE children with a white woman?”
2) So what if he had children with a white woman. That doesn’t mean that he has self-hate. Perhaps Michael Jackson just preferred white women. There’s nothing wrong with a preference. Many people have them.
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I think Sammy Sosa has self-hate issues. Andruw Jones might also perhaps.
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On a side note, there are supposedly “safe” skin whitening products without the toxic ingredients such as mercury or hydroquinine. However, I heard the effect takes longer.
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i don’t know what mirror some of them are looking in but i would rather be as black as midnight than look like a corpse.
if you white and ugly your ugly
if you black and ugly your ugly
if you light and ugly your ugly
bleaching don’ take away ugliness
it just make them twice as ugly
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One of my relatives returned from the Philippines recently and she showed me the stuff she brought back. This roll-on, underarm, anti-perspirant/deodorant caught my eye. Oh, yes, dark underarms are whitened as well.
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Black people and non white people who do things like skin bleaching… just need to learn to love themselves and their own beauty. It’s really degrading.
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It is so sad to bleach your skin. It just shows self hatred. I am brown/dark skinned girl and it took me years to like myself and my skin because I wasn’t the light skin video model type. Now I like myself and I want little Black girls knowing that they are beautiful.
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Dan, while 90% of the population in the Dominican Republic can claim African ancestry, 98% of this very same population you speak of can also just as easily claim European. That’s because most inhabitants of the country are of mixed descent and not just of African. It seems people have the bad habit of enforcing their racial perspectives upon those of mixed ancestry, and taking the authority in telling them how they should view themselves. So now you’re claiming that hair straightening, something the many do regardless of race or ethnic group, is a sign of denial? So if a White woman wants to become darker and deliberately gets a tan, is this women in denial as well? After all, this is something that many whites do.
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Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs?
I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you
share some stories/information. I know my readers would value your work.
If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot
me an e-mail.
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skin whitening is just sad. I wonder does Latoya Jackson bleach her skin and why? I believe Michael Jackson ruined his skin with bleaching. Never bought into him having vitaligo. When Nene Leaks referred to Latoya Jackson as Casper the Ghost that was too sad. Joseph made Michael hate his beautiful Black features. To the point of not wanting to have Black children and have sperm donors provide him with Caucasian children. Loved him but he was so dysfunctional. In Jamaica this rapper called Vybes looks like the walking dead. The people in India bleach their skin as well. Nobody likes the skin the creator blessed them with, Everything he made was good.
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And Black people taking baths in chlorine bleach to lighten their skin is sick too.
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@Mary
Michael Jackson really did destroy his beautiful chocolate brown skin with bleaching. It is sad that he wanted to have kids with no Black features that he had a sperm donator produce these White kids. Paris and Prince aren’t biologically related to the Jackson family and it is not possible that they are.
Many Black people hate their dark skin so much that they would bleach their skin. Same goes for Indians and Southeast Asians who are dark skin.
I really think all of this has to do with White supremacist ideas brainwashing non Whites to hate themselves and their features and elevate Whiteness and White features. It is sad but true.
These days, I like my chocolate brown color. I know I wouldn’t age as badly as a White woman either since my melanin keeps me from getting sun spots and doesn’t show age as much as White skin. However I know I have to take good care of myself too.
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@ Adeen: Yes it hass to do with the brainwashing by this evil system of white supremacy. Love your beautiful brown chocolate skin.
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@Mary
True. All Black kids should learn to love their skin and features. Black is beautiful.
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@ Adeen: Left you comments on open thread.
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In the Philippines, there are new ways to lighten skin. Glutathione and Vitamin C IV drips is one of them. Can you believe it?
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When I see some of the celebrities from tv shows in the Philippines, there are telltale signs of skin lightening. The skin tends to have this unnatural pallor to it as well as the knees and elbows look a bit ashy.
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Wth happened to Lil’ Kim?
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@leigh204
Wow! quite a lot.
I saw this article with photos that shows her at different stages:
http://starcasm.net/archives/348341
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@Leigh and Afrofem
Her body looks worse. To think she was hot as hell to scary as hell.
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Just wondering which of these videos is the most offensive:
A centuries-old ‘joke’: Racist Chinese detergent ad a rip-off of Italian commercial
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/05/27/a-century-old-joke-racist-chinese-detergent-ad-a-rip-off-of-italian-commercial/
The articles says that the trope has a history dating back over 2,000 years. It is still here in 2016.
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