Blog 1: Skin lightening

I grew up in a very materialistic community. To me, a 13 year old girl going to Seattle Sun Tan and laying in a tanning bed is considered “normal”. It has become a societal norm in America that (in most peoples eyes) tanner is prettier, and has led people to risk significantly increasing their chances of skin cancer just to get that “perfect” beach body.This past week, my discussion group had a long talk about the trend of skin lightening, and on an even larger scale, changing skin color in general. Whether it’s a Caucasian woman using bronzer to look slightly tanner, or an Asian woman using toxic hydroquinone to acheiveve a creamy porcelain appearance, this trend highlights an unacknowledged difference in cultural beauty standards.

A study sourced by the  US National Library of Medicine researched the epidemic of harmful skin lightening practices by South African Women of African ans Indian ancestries. The study was done in the form of a cross-sectional survey two university hospitals in Durban, South Africa. Of 600 surveyed women, “32.7% reported using skin lightening products.” (Dermatol, BR J.). Although The government has regulated/prohibited advertising/selling “cosmetics containing mercury, hydroquinone and corticosteroids,” women have put their own health at risk to use these skin lighteners (Dermatol, BR J.). Though, their motivation for this does not prominently come from the simple desire for lighter skin but for the treatment of skin disorders and dark marks. I found this study to be very helpful in connecting skin lightening to globalization because most of what we talked about in class included aspects of Caucasian influence on skin lightening, so it was interesting to consider something new.

Another culture that is very conscious about skin lightening is the Chinese culture (among other Asian cultures). Although, their recent transition to skin lightening could be due to the rich history behind their culture, skin lightening dates back to ancient China. Previously with the goal of looking porcelain-like, I was researching what inspired Chinese women to begin lightening their skin again recently. In doing this I came across an Ad released by Dove, a popular lotion company, that put a derogatory and racist spin on the act of putting on lotion. When I found this ad, I was speechless. I have no clue what has to be going through somebody’s mind to publicly represent their company in this way. The ad was released in early October, 2017 depicting a woman of color appearing to turn white after applying Dove lotion. The ad was promptly removed after receiving heated criticism (with good reason), and the company released a public apology.

(twitter.com/nathimthethwaSA)

 

Finding this ad really opened my eyes to how easily something like a cultural beauty standard can be disrespected and turned into a racial/social injustice. Considering that, I also wonder if that could be a contribution to the globalization of lighter skin? I have never seen this real of public shame directed at people of color, and it would make sense if such a gesture pushed the people affected toward lightening their skin. If that is the case, I think this is less an example of globalization of beauty standards, but white people corrupting, discrediting and disrespecting other cultures.

Citations:

Dermatol, BR J. “Skin Lightening Practices: an Epidemiological Study of South African Women of African and Indian Ancestries.” PubMed.gov, July 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26207658.

Conor ARC Future Fellow, La Trobe University, Liz. “Dove, Real Beauty and the Racist History of Skin Whitening.” The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2018, theconversation.com/dove-real-beauty-and-the-racist-history-of-skin-whitening-85446.

48 thoughts on “Blog 1: Skin lightening

  1. I found you’re introduction to particularly interesting as it considered the negative health affects surrounding skin tone manipulation, something I myself had never given much thought to. Given the overall high usage of these products, such as your statistics from South Africa, the health issues surrounding them should be brought to more peoples attention. If these health affects were brought to more peoples attention then this might denture consumers from purchasing and using them. This would a positive step not only from a health perspective but reducing the allure of skin lightening products perpetuated by white beauty standards and amoral marketing companies.

  2. The idea of skin lightening could be disrespectful to another culture.
    Even if using toxic materials that are used in products of skin lightening is harmful to our body, people are still esteeming to get their skin lighter. The reason why they do so is related to our racism perspectives, and advertisements are intensifying those ideas.
    How can we diminish this racially charged image of beauty? If we can diminish these racist beauty qualities, we will be able to better see the beauty in ourselves and our own cultures.

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