What Having Black Skin Means to the World of Beauty
Skin bleaching is also known as skin whitening and/or skin lightening and has been practiced from time immemorial by dark-skinned people around the globe. While the history of skin lightening dates back to the Elizabethan age of powder and paint, today it is practiced disproportionately among communities of color and especially among individuals of African origin (Rondilla 4). According to Blay, skin bleaching depicts a multifaceted phenomenon which is characterized by historical, sociopolitical, cultural as well as psychological forces which promote the practice (1). A majority of scholars who have investigated the subject of skin bleaching at various levels have generally agreed that historical colonialism and enslavement, White Supremacy concepts, media representation of beauty, and low self-esteem, among other factors, are principal penchants for skin whitening (Blay 4). The Practice of skin bleaching should be discouraged worldwide because it is damaging people‘s mental and physical health. The purpose of this paper is to examine different arguments for skin bleaching by outlining different reasons as to why people bleach their skin from ideological and political perspectives as well as discussing its ensuing endorsement and its relationship with historical and contemporary skin bleaching concepts from the world of beauty.
Socio-cultural and Psychological Perspectives
There are many interesting scholarly findings concerning skin lightening. ?Charles (2003) conducted a study to examine child psychology and perception of skin colour. In his study, black and white children were exposed to white and black dolls and asked to pick a doll of their preference. Notably, many black-skinned kids picked white dolls, thus showing how from childhood, people are conditioned to have preferences for white skin. As a global phenomenon, light skin tends to be connected to great job opportunities, good health, facial attractiveness as well as youthfulness (Rondilla 3). Many researchers on this subject have argued that the mass media has had a strong influence on skin bleaching as white-skinned people are portrayed as beautiful and successful thereby pushing many individuals to lighten their skin. Another study by ?Thompson & Keith as referenced by Blay (p.2) found that many women lighten their skin as a result of colourism; the fact that people are discriminated againist based on their skin colour. ?Hunter opined that because of colorism, individuals with certain skin colors have higher chances of getting higher-level jobs as well as enjoying favourable economic status compared to other people.
It is arguably evident to note that skin bleaching is a sociological as well as a psychological concept as skin bleachers believe that lightening their skin makes them white, beautiful, and European, which they deem attractive. For example, a study conducted in South Africa among black women revealed that more than a third of the study respondents felt that lighter skin would boost their self-esteem as they considered it to be more beautiful (Keakile 13). He further observed that these results were not surprising as the mass media has given greater preference to models who reflect Eurocentric principles of beauty to run advertisements in magazines and on television. On the contrary, blackness is seen to represent ugliness as attested by a study that was conducted among Shona women of Zimbabwe and revealed that respondents felt that skin whitening will improve their appearance and make them be more presentable as they deemed black skin to be “ embarrassing and humiliating” (Keakile 14). The result of this study can be taken to mean that black skin is perceived to be unappealing and unworthy hence, Black people may be persuaded to whiten their skin to free themselves from the stigma that has been attached to dark skin and specifically when they are in pursuit of life opportunities which often seem to be available to people who have Eurocentric attributes (Blay & Christopher 3).
Additionally, many women believe that whitening their skin would enable them to satisfy their partner and even attract male partners. According to Keakile, many people are motivated to bleach their skin due to the power which is associated with white skin in securing a romantic relationship. One study revealed that one 19-year-old young lady felt having light skin would enable her to keep her boyfriend and prevent him from being snatched away by other women and therefore, saw skin lightening as the only solution to achieve this objective. Another study conducted to explore the psychological and socio-cultural drivers that influence skin whitening among Jamaicans revealed that male participants felt that bleaching was great since girls love it as it makes their face look white and attractive (Toure). The findings of this study indicate that skin whitening is seen as a means to attract people of the opposite sex as it enables people seeking love to gain approval that would enable them to keep their relationships. Therefore, it is debatably important to note that many people bleach their skin with the hope to succeed in the mission of attracting a mate as well as to keep these relationships for longer. Additionally, skin bleaching proponents have revealed that the practice enables them to satisfy and impress their friends. Keakile observed that in a comparative study between skin bleachers and non-bleachers, participants bleached their skin because their peers were engaged in the practice thereby indicating that peer pressure is a key motivator for the act. In another study, it was found that skin bleachers engaged in the practice because their peers insisted that they should have a white complexion which they too deemed to be smooth and softer in texture.
Ideological Perspective on Gender vs. Beauty
Previous studies on beauty have concentrated on local dynamics to compare Eurocentric and non-Eurocentric perceptions of beauty. As referenced by Rondilla, one of the drives to be beautiful or for beauty according to Nancy Etcoff, a great scholar and author of Survival of Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, is that beauty is instinctual as it is a human desire and natural to be beautiful (12). Similar arguments are supported by Robin T. Lakoff and Raquel Scherr, authors of Face Value: The Politics of Beauty, who noted that the desire for beauty is in each individual’s mind as people consider their looks to be an integral part of their lives (Rondilla 12). The desire to lighten skin among communities of African descent became popular in the 1950s and currently is a widespread phenomenon. For example, studies conducted by different scholars among female populations in various parts of the African Continent showed that 75% of traders in Lagos, Nigeria, 52% in Dakar, Senegal, 50% in Bamako, Mali, and 35% in Pretoria, South Africa use skin lightening chemicals and cosmetics. Another study showed that eight out of every ten women in Cote d’Ivoire with fair-skin complexions use skin bleaching products regularly. Further, another study showed that about 60% of women aged between 30 and 39 years in Zambia reportedly used skin lightening products, while in Ghana, dermatologists believed that there will be an increased use of skin lightening agents by about 30% among women in the future (Blay & Christopher 5). Therefore, it is arguably evident that in many parts of Africa, skin lightening has become a way of life among the people despite the dangers associated with this practice.
Impact how does matter why
Historical and Political Perspective on Skin Bleaching
While it is debatable that skin lightening depicts multifaceted concepts which are with historical, socio-political and psychological in nature, a majority of scholars who have explored skin whitening have associated the practice to historical colonialism and enslavement and White Supremacy that have been attached to the white skin (Blay and Christopher, p.6). Historically, White Supremacy is attached to exploitation and oppression of people who were classified as non-White by continents and people who by virtue of white skin pigmentation and of European origin classified themselves as White. Blay and Christopher argued that history has illuminated the fabrication, contingencies and changeability of Whiteness as a critical influence to global power system not only to legitimize racial categorization but to maintain the system of power, wealth and privileges attached to it. As such, the construction of White Supremacy can be argued to be a way of defining economic and socio-political notions as so to control global political and influence critical economic decisions. Further, by use of this notion black skinned people have been compelled to believe that Whites are superior to them thus influencing many dark-skinned persons to bleach their skin in a bid to improve their beauty and associate themselves with the benefits that have been created and attached to White Supremacy.
Health Effects of Skin Bleaching
The health implications associated with skin bleaching have caught global attention, especially from the medical fraternity. Many skin experts argue that skin whitening agents are toxic substances and thus pose a serious physical harm to skin bleachers. Some of the toxic chemicals associated with these chemicals include futile chemical substances such as lead, mercury, hydroquinone, and corticosteroids among others (Dadzie and Petit 745). Studies have shown that the use of chemical substances such as hydroquinone is known to inhibit production of melanin that exposes users to sun damages leading to skin cancer. In addition, chemical agents such as mercury are known to cause impairment of the nervous systems as well as serious damages to the kidneys. According to Keakile, some of the serious consequences of skin bleaching include inter alia skin cancer, thinning of the skin, dermatophyte, acute cases of scabies, body odour, dyschromia, irritant dermatitis, eczema. Poor wound healing and therefore, force users to seek corrective surgical procedures (p.8). Other studies have shown that the severity of bleaching substances vary depending on the user's skin type, lifestyle, their chemical composition, tendency to use multiple substances as well as other medical conditions. A study referenced by Blay and Christopher (p.8) by Pitche et al (2005) found that extensive use of chemical substances with high content corticosteroids cause diabetes and hypertension among users. The research further indicated that prolonged exposure to skin lightening compounds cause serious damages on the kidneys and suppress of the human immune system thereby exposing the users to opportunistic infections like vulval warts and tuberculosis.
Further, skin bleaching results in hostile physical experiences making users to lose confidence with themselves as they don’t feel good with their appearances due to skin reactions occasioned by these chemical reagents. Similarly, to maintain the tone of their skin color, skin bleachers are forced to continually use skin bleaching agents in their lifetime hence they are forced to incur additional expenses to maintain their lifestyle as discontinuing use of these chemical may lead to unpleasant results including skin rash, dry skins and return to black skin than before (Keakile, p.18). Moreover, skin bleachers are stigmatized by families and societies they live as members of the society tend to believe that skin whitening is disgraceful as it indicates lack of morals and values as users are supposedly accused of hating themselves. A study referenced by Keakile (p.18), indicates that a 42-year-old lady perceived skin bleaching as a form of social evil that is commonly practised by prostitutes and divorcees who have constant tendency to snatch other women husbands. Another 50-year-old lady perceived skin lightening as an insult to God while another 32 years old lady perceived skin bleachers as very ugly and thus they seek it to make themselves attractive. While skin bleaching practices have been associated with serious health implications as discussed above, it evidently clear that skin bleaching agents can be used to boost ones’ self-esteem, beauty, social standing as well as romantic life. Additionally, some of the skin lightening compounds such as topical steroids are of great medicinal value as they can be used to treat certain dermatological conditions. For example, 4-18 methoxyphenol (MP), as well as monobenzyl ether of hydroquinone (MBEH), have been used to treat patients with depigmentation conditions like Vitiligo Universalis (AlGhamdi and Kumar, p.750). Further patients with vitiligo experience discomforts such as sun sensitivity, psychological distress as well as bodily disfigurement and thus depigmentation substances are used to them to overcome their tranquilities.
Conclusion
Skin bleaching practices are largely practised among communities of African descent. As discussed in this paper, there various factors that motivator skin bleachers to engage in the skin bleaching activities. While the motivating factors consist of a wide array of inspirations, there is a various philosophical perspective that skin lightening practices can be examined. Drawing from Socrates famous quote, “Every action has its pleasures and its price,” I as well believe that skin bleaching has its consequences that bleachers find pleasure in such as improving their attractiveness, beauty, attaining life chance opportunities, improving their sense of identity among others. On contrary, bleaching comes with some price which they have to pay such as health implications and expenses to maintain the newly acquired lifestyle. Thus, it worth noting that skin bleaching should be allowed to enable users to enjoy its merits while paying the prices that come with it.