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Is it Okay to Lighten the Black skin or not?

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Is it Okay to Lighten the Black skin or not?

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Two models Irene Major - a model who has been lightning her skin for 10 years feels it is not a wrong thing to do so. She says due to being a model, she decided to lighten her skin just because she lives in a free world and decided to do what she felt like it and not because of the media.

On the other hand, AJ Odudu, feels women should be proud of their heritage and should not whiten their skin. During her conversation, she does mention reasons such as how the color black is related to class but she defends that by saying in Africa that might be true but not in other parts.

She feels black women should stand up, move forward and be the ones to make the beauty standards and not just go along with the beauty myth and standards that are already set by the media. Making use of the products to lighten the skin impact the women who are dark skinned and make them feel they need to be lighter in order to achieve something in life.

Watching the whole video, I feel it should be each persons own choice and one should be more accepting of who they are. Each person has their own personalities and uniqueness which could have a positive impact to the world we live in.

Skin bleaching and whitening have so many negative effects and the media using the technology by whitewashing the black models in ads (see image below) do have a negative impact on viewers.

However, in today's generation it is very important to explain to the youths about all the media scams and how they make the models look beautiful. Its all unreal and just use of technology. It is important to make it clear how media can have a negative impact on the mindset of potential buyers  of products in order to make money - simply a money making business.

Reference:
Black Model Defends Her Choice to Lighten Her Skin. AJ Odudu and Irene Major. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhuRtqzeqYk
Best Skin Lightening Creams for Dark Skin, African Americans.
https://pretoria-gt-za.global-free-classified-ads.com/listings/best-skin-lightening-creams-for-dark-skin-african-americans-it4905263.html.

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Black Model Defends Her Choice to Lighten Her Skin | This Morning

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The attached video has lots of before and after pictures especially of most of the celebrities that were talked about on the article called "10 Celebrities who shockingly is bleached their skin."

The video has small clips of different people explaining why they turned to using skin whitening creams to bleach their skin.

One of the clips is is about a 19 year old Candice who attends school in California and she explains why she is addicted to bleaching her skin.

She started bleaching her skin when she was in 10th grade and attended a predominantly white school and the darker one was in that school, the more mistreated they were by their colleagues. And so she decided to lighten her skin in order to avoid being mistreated by others.

She had to go through different lengths to achieve the light skin that she wanted. While being outside under the sun, she wore a hoodie so as to avoid getting darker and for her being dark was her being ugly.

Looking at the video, I feel it was not fair for what Candice had to go through. It is important for her to feel confident in her own skin and that the people around her need to be educated. Mistreating others who are dark skinned is being racist and bullying and actions should have been taken.

What Candice did in order to save herself from being mistreated by others wasn't a wrong thing to do. However, it comes with lots of issues. She lacked self confidence and she wasn't even free. She always needed to make sure she applied the cream 4 times a day and when she went out she was covered or had an umbrella to avoid being dark.

Reference:
Black Women Skin Bleaching. Perf. Candice. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAfhkngY44k.

Edl, Sasha. 10 Celebrities Who Shockingly Bleached Their Skin - The Richest. 21 February 2015.
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-celebrities-who-shockingly-bleached-their-skin/

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Skin Whitening Industry - Misleading Ads

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Skin Whitening Industry - Misleading Ads

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Skin whitening is a multi- billion dollar industry. All over the world, each one of us is fooled. There are billboard ads that have phrases such as " ways for women to achieve perfect white skin."

Sammy Sosa is one celebrity that has openly mentioned his use of a bleaching cream. His skin when he became a baseball player back when he was 21 years old (2009) and now, there is a vast difference (see picture below).

Looking at the picture below, it clearly misleads some of the youths who take him as a role model. It clearly coveys a message to the dark skinned youth that to be successful and to be part of the celebrity group, it is important to be light skinned. This brain washes the youths and makes them doubt themselves, they lose their self confidence and try to become someone else who they are not and adopted to other cultures and values that they think are ideal and more appealing than their own.

I personally feel using all these different skin products to lighten the skin makes one lose their charm and glow. It also in the long run attract criticism from others and that can have an negative impact on ones confidence and it can also lose ones image. I mean it makes you a whole new person that becomes hard to recognize (see picture below).

Reference:
- WIlliams, Janice. From Black to White: Why Sammy Sosa and others are bleaching their skin- Neewsweek. 13 July 2017.
https://www.newsweek.com/sammy-sosa-skin-bleaching-lightening-636516.
- Edl, Sasha. 10 Celebrities Who Shockingly Bleached Their Skin - The Richest. 21 February 2015.
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-celebrities-who-shockingly-bleached-their-skin/

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Sammy Sosa was a just a glowing brown-skinned boy when he first stepped on the baseball field as a new member of the Texas Rangers in 1989. The bright-eyed Dominican Republic native was barely 21-years-old when he came to the United States as a baseball rookie and probably didn't have a clue that his career would lead him to become one of the most prolific Major League Baseball players of all time.

Some 600 home runs, a shaky relationship with the Chicago Cubs-where he achieved the brunt of his baseball success-a retirement and a bunch of years later, Sosa looks a whole lot different from the vibrant and hazelnut-toned young man he came to America as.

Now, Sosa, who once donned a natural melanin-filled, sun-kissed, brown complexion, could be easily mistaken for a white man.

Sosa's skin color has become noticeably lighter over the last eight years since fans first questioned his seemingly different complexion in 2009. However, in his most recent appearance during an interview with ESPNDeportes at the Home Run Derby early this week, which was released Thursday, Sosa is almost unrecognizable, sporting not just a lighter skin but nearly a completely white complexion.

While his new appearance is puzzling-his complexion sparked a wave of astonishment from baffled fans on social media-it's no big secret as to how Sosa seemingly went from black to white: Skin Bleaching.

The former slugger first had fans scratching their heads over his lighter complexion when he attended a music awards show in 2009 appearing much lighter than he had when he retired just a year earlier. To quell rumors that his new skin tone was caused by a sickness or steroid use, Sosa addressed the matter during a TV appearance, explaining at the time that his lighter complexion was the result of a skin bleaching cream.

"It's a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin tone," Sosa said during an appearance on Univision's Primer Impacto show in 2009. "It's a cream that I have, that I use to soften [my skin], but has bleached me some. I'm not a racist, I live my life happily."

"What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don't think I look like Michael Jackson," he added.

Apparently, Sosa has kept up his use of the cream over the years, which has led him to appear even whiter than he did in 2009.

Not very many celebrities have been so open about their skin bleaching habits as Sosa, which is most likely because the controversial beauty trend is viewed as a form of racial self-loathing and has been considered to promote subliminal messages of white skin being the most beautiful skin.

However, plenty of them have been accused of using creams to lightening their complexion, including the aforementioned king of pop Jackson and his sister La Toya Jackson.

Back in December 2016, rapper Lil Kim fought off rumors of skin bleaching after a photo of her appearing lighter than usual surface online. The year before, Beyonce and Rihanna were targeted with skin whitening accusations, as well as Jennifer Lopez and Eva Longoria, after they all donned seemingly lighter skin in photos and during red carpet appearances.

Although the trend is rarely discussed openly in the U.S., skin whitening is a booming business in other countries where lighter skin tones are hailed as a beauty must-have sparked by years of colorism, racism and ideals of lighter complexions being more attractive.

In West and South Africa, where a 2016 New York Times report said some 70 percent of women used lightening cream, the world of skin lightening is a multi-billion dollar industry. Following years of billboard ads tagged with ways for women to achieve "perfect white" skin, Ghana's government banned lightening creams and lotions. However, the country has struggled to remove the products from shelves.

In Asia, the skin whitening industry is worth over $13 billion, according to a BBC report. Historically, milky white skin in many Asian countries has been a symbol of nobility, wealth and an aristocratic lifestyle.

Check out a few reactions to Sosa's new complexion below:

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Why are celebs like Sammy Sosa bleaching their skin?

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Sammy Sosa was a just a glowing brown-skinned boy when he first stepped on the baseball field as a new member of the Texas Rangers in 1989. The bright-eyed Dominican Republic native was barely 21-years-old when he came to the United States as a baseball rookie and probably didn't have a clue that his career would lead him to become one of the most prolific Major League Baseball players of all time.

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People who use it (bleaching cream) have an inferiority complex; they unconsciously want to immolate the people in Hollywood.
‐ Distributor Lindell's Beauty & Barber Supplies               1352 FLATBUSH AV BROOKLYN, NY 11210

There are many reasons to why people bleach their skin and one main reason is due to the influence of media and the beauty standards set out by the media. Another reason is racism as well as pressure to fit into the society.

I feel we are in an environment where each one is free to make personal choices. The use of technology is high and it is very easy to be mislead by media. It is very important to educate our youths to keep away from racism, explain to them what is right and how the media can play mind games. Each one needs to be accepting of each other and the people around them.

On the other hand, bleaching can be an addiction and it is not a good thing. There are many negative effects such as allergic reactions and skin cancer. Therefore, educating the younger generation so as to avoid all the health issues is important.

References:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr/pr008‐05.shtml http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365‐4362.2002.01335.x/full http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3040628/?tool=pubmed Introduction Do you see a difference in these celebrity? Products http://anniepaulose.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/the‐bleaching‐of‐the‐nation/

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Celebrities are often seen as role models. Looking at how perfect they look makes us want to be like them.

Many dark skinned celebrities have made use of bleaching in order to look better and beautiful.

Seeing celebrities use bleaching to lighten their skins and seeing how successful they become, the younger generation tend to follow their steps.

Attached is a picture of a Kenyan Model.  According to her,  she has  spent over $170,000 on bleaching cream. He reason for spending all this money on cosmetics is because she is simply following the trend set by other stars.

She also points out that Rihanna and Nicki Minaj lighten their skins so because they do it, she doesn't thing its a bad thing.

I feel spending so much money just to lighten ones skin is not an ideal thing. The cosmetic industry now makes use of technology such as photo shop and whitewashing to make celebrities look beautiful and brainwash the viewers. They do all that in order to make the population seem they are not good enough and they need to use all these different products in order to become "beautiful" and be accepted by the society just like the models and celebrities in the posters.

Reference:
Edl, Sasha. 10 Celebrities Who Shockingly Bleached Their Skin - The Richest. 21 February 2015.
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-celebrities-who-shockingly-bleached-their-skin/

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Beauty Norms - American Culture Values  

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Beauty Norms - American Culture Values  

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Beauty norms historically varied from culture to culture. America, is home to the most influential cultural norms and has spread its ideal of "beauty" into other cultures.

For many years, being dark skinned has always been seen and has been associated with poverty. The main reason for this mindset was being being poor means one has to do outdoor work and working under the harsh conditions of being outdoor, one tends to become darker.

“there’s a clear connection between skin color and socioeconomic status. It’s not some fantasy. There is prejudice against dark‐skinned people, especially women in the so‐called marriage market.”
‐ Dr. Glenn president of the American Sociological Association

For Dark skinned women leaving in America, they come across many hurdles. As part of the culture, being white is simply looked as being beautiful, wealthy and successful. Anyone who is not fair, is not seen as being beautiful and attractive. And if your are dark skinned, you are put under the category of being poor.

In the article attached, there is a list of 10 celebrities who have been signaled out for apparently lightening their skin. Some of these may just be a case of makeup and lighting, but many have admitted to the use of skin bleaching products.

One of the African Singers, Mshoza, mentions that she was tired of being ugly. She admitted that being dark skinned made her feel less beautiful and that is a reason why she decided to use the cream to bleach her skin to make it lighter.

Reference:
Edl, Sasha. 10 Celebrities Who Shockingly Bleached Their Skin - The Richest. 21 February 2015.
https://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-celebrities-who-shockingly-bleached-their-skin/

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Beauty norms historically varied from culture to culture. As migration and globalisation leads to homogenized international beauty standards internationally, however, various beauty trends have emerged to dominate. America, home to the most influential cultural norms, has spread its ideal of beauty into other cultures. Paler skin was historically associated with the bourgeoisie, and was thought to represent wealth and success. Darker skin was traditionally associated with menial labour and poverty, as skin was thought to darken under the harsh conditions of outdoor work.

It would be reasonable to believe that those preconceptions have long since disappeared. However, the beauty ideals established by these notions have endured. Women, in particular, feel the pressure to conform to a Western standard of beauty - and this can mean lighter skin.

While caucasian women and men often long for a tan, those born with dark skin see a preponderance of caucasian celebrities on TV and in film. This has led people, especially women, to go take drastic measures in order to conform to the generic, light-skinned conception of "beautiful". Hair relaxers, blonde dyes and skin lightening creams have become more and more prominent in the cosmetics industry.

This harmful trend, which often involves bleaching, has become worryingly common even among already wildly successful celebrities. The following celebrities have all been signaled out for apparently lightening their skin. Some of these may just be a case of makeup and lighting, but many have admitted to the use of skin bleaching products.

Mshoza, an African singer that has gained wide popularity, has openly admitted to bleaching her skin. She has said that it is not something she should be ashamed of though. "It is just something that I wanted to do. It has nothing to do with my esteem and issues with being black," she said.

The singer compared her skin bleaching with other aesthetic changes, such as wearing weaves. Mshoza also said that she was "tired of being ugly," admitting that being dark skinned made her feel less beautiful. Critics have said that her attitude toward her natural appearance is unhealthy and harmful for those who look up to her. Many have cited the singer as a source of negativity towards black empowerment.

Rapper Lil' Kim has definitely changed her skin tone over the years. Whether this is due to skin whitening or just makeup is up for debate though. She does not confirm or deny these rumors, though fans have noticed the change and have their own speculations. Her lightened skin may be caused by a combination of lighting changes and makeup to make her appear whiter, however, either way people have their concerns.

In addition to whitening rumors, there are also plastic surgery allegations floating around. In 2013 the singer made an appearance in West Hollywood with lighter skin and supposedly a smaller nose and fuller cheekbones.

8 Trina McGee

" Boy Meets World" actress Trina McGee made headlines when people began to notice her lighter complexion. Fans were speculating about her new appearance but the actress denies these allegations. She tweeted, "Black does not crack. The new look is still 100% ME" after the rumors came back to her.

Some buy it, others do not. If she has not used lightening cream, she has undeniably been using makeup to make her skin appear lighter. Her new look is apparently the result of a makeover she had done for a better and healthier life, however, fans across America are still arguing about it.

7 Vera Sidika

Vera Sidika is another celebrity who hasn't left fans guessing. The extremely popular Kenyan model openly admits to lightening her skin. Sidika became popular as a video model; she has been called the Kenyan Kim Kardashian. She gained even more fame though when she announced her skin whitening regime.

In total, she says that she spent over $170,000 on bleaching cream, and says that she is following the trend set by other stars. Who does she say lightens their skin? The model points out the both Rihanna and Nicki Minaj also whiten, and she does not think it is a bad thing. Whether this is true or not it open for debate.

6 Sammy Sosa

Former Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa says that he whitened his skin. Sosa had a much darker complexion previous to using whitening cream, and this has not gone unnoticed. On a trip to Panama Nairobi Dacosta, a TV personality, posted a photo of the slugger on Twitter.

She tweeted that he looked "downright vampiric." Originally, it was thought that Sosa had a condition that made his skin turn lighter, however, he later said it was not due to any condition. Long term use of "skin cream" caused his skin to lighten, he told reporters, not any kind of ailment. "It's a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some," he admitted in an interview.

This next celeb is open about her endorsement and use of whitening cream. The Nigerian pop star even launched a cream called "Whitenicious," that is supposed to lighten complexions. Critics of the star have called it an "abomination," and outed her for endorsing an unhealthy and dangerous trend in beauty.

According to Dencia, the cream is only intended for dark spots, however, she also said that it could be used to whiten other areas. The star herself was much darker in skin tone previous to using the product, or others like it, but she says she doesn't care what others think of her or her beauty practices.

4 Nicki Minaj

Does pop sensation Nicki Minaj lighten her skin? It is still unclear, however, many fans and bloggers have noticed that her skin has been getting lighter over the years. These critics point to pictures of the star years apart and point to a drastic change in complexion.

Makeup and lighting have been used as an explanation for Minaj's change, however, others explain that this can only do so much. In 2010, when Nicki first began world famous, her skin is much darker than what it is now. Whether that's due to skin creams or just makeup is still debatable.

3 Keri Hilson

Keri Hilson has been accused of lightening her skin over the years, but has yet to speak out on these rumors. The singer and actress made waves when she appeared in public with a seemingly whiter complexion. Since then, fans have tweeted and debated on whether or not she has used any lightening products.

As always, some say it is just makeup and lighting, while others argue that this cannot account for so much of a drastic change in appearance. Hilson's songs often explore notions of womanhood and love, leading many to question her choices in terms of her appearance.

Rihanna is one Hollywood celebrity that Vera Sidika accused of lightening her skin, along with Nicki Minaj. Sidika used the singer as an example of beauty trends and as an excuse for whitening her own skin. Others have noticed Rihanna's change in appearance over the years as well.

The star has not commented on whether or not she whitens her skin, but fans became concerned when images surfaced showing Rihanna with her current complexion and her previous one. Critics who noticed have accused Rihanna of buying into Eurocentric ideas of beauty and womanhood. Whether or not Rihanna uses these products or not cannot be confirmed or denied at this time.

Beyonce has topped the list of hottest and most beautiful in Hollywood for years now. She has won dozens of awards for her music and is one of the wealthiest women in the world. But has she bought into a narrow idea of beauty? Has she whitened her skin? She has definitely dyed her hair blonde and followed other European beauty trends.

It is unclear whether or not the music sensation bleaches her skin, but fans have noticed that it has gotten progressively whiter as time goes on. She is called a confident and successful woman by people all over the world, but critics have pointed out that this image conflicts with the image of a woman who lightens her skin to conform to white beauty images.

Sources jezebel.com, huffingtonpost.com, dailymail.co.uk, usmagazine.com

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10 Celebrities Who Shockingly Bleached Their Skin

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Beauty norms historically varied from culture to culture. As migration and globalisation leads to homogenized international beauty standards internationally, however, various beauty trends have emerged to dominate. America, home to the most influential cultural norms, has spread its ideal of beauty into other cultures.

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The term "bleach" is a verb which simply means to remove color or to make something white.

The whole idea about "bleaching syndrome" came from the olden times where the African-Americans used beauty creams to make their skin lighter in order to fit into the society and keep up with the beauty myth.

In the last 10 years, a new form of skin bleaching product has been developed. Steroid creams are being used by a large number of people with the main aim of becoming white or lighter.

Skin bleaching is like an addiction and this needs to be cured because skin bleaching comes with its own issues and risks.

Attached, a video was was hosted by Oprah Winfrey in 2011. The video tries to portray the pain and the suffering of dark-skinned black women.

The video highlights different women expressing their feelings about being dark. A man is interviewed in this video and he says he doesn't like dark skinned women just because he thinks they look "funny" beside him. This is another reason why dark skinned women take steps to make their skin lighter in order to be seen as attractive and preferred by the opposite sex.

References:
- Dark Girls (2011) Movie Trailer HD - TIFF. Dir. Bill Duke. 2011
- Hall, Ronald. Who counts as black? - The Conversation. 16 February 2017.
https://theconversation.com/who-counts-as-black-71443

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Dark Girls (2011) Movie Trailer HD - TIFF