Fifty Shades of African Lightness: A Bio-psychosocial Review of the Global Phenomenon of Skin Lightening Practices (original) (raw)
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The 'sedimented meanings and compounded politics' of skin lighteners
The 'sedimented meanings and compounded politics' of skin lighteners, 2019
Beneath the surface: A transnational history of skin lighteners. Durham: Duke University Press, 2020, 368 pp, 28.95PBBeneaththesurfaceprovidesoneofthefirstin−depthhistoriesofskinlighteners−′compounds,creamsandlotions′thatremovethetoplayersoftheepidermis,typicallyirritatingandexfoliatingblemishedordarkenedskin(8−9).LynnM.Thomasuncovershowskinlightenersbecamea′fixture′withinSouthAfricanpopularmediafromthe1930sonwardsuntilbeingbannedin1990,aftertheanti−Apartheidmovement.SouthAfricawas′thefirst−andremainstheonlycountryintheworldtobanalldepigmentingagentsfromcosmeticsandprohibitcosmeticclaimstobleaching,lighteningorwhitening′(215).Fromthisvantagepoint,Thomas′historylooksoutward,primarilytotheUSAandEastAfrica(2).Yetshealsosituatesherbookwithinaglobalhistoryofskinlighteners,consumedacrossAsia,theAmericas,theMiddleEastandEuropelongbeforethetwentiethcentury.Thomas′deephistoryisstillpertinent;industryinsidersexpectthis′boomingglobalbusiness′toreach′US28.95 PB Beneath the surface provides one of the first in-depth histories of skin lighteners-'compounds, creams and lotions' that remove the top layers of the epidermis, typically irritating and exfoliating blemished or darkened skin (8-9). Lynn M. Thomas uncovers how skin lighteners became a 'fixture' within South African popular media from the 1930s onwards until being banned in 1990, after the anti-Apartheid movement. South Africa was 'the first-and remains the only country in the world to ban all depigmenting agents from cosmetics and prohibit cosmetic claims to bleaching, lightening or whitening' (215). From this vantage point, Thomas' history looks outward, primarily to the USA and East Africa (2). Yet she also situates her book within a global history of skin lighteners, consumed across Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe long before the twentieth century. Thomas' deep history is still pertinent; industry insiders expect this 'booming global business' to reach 'US28.95PBBeneaththesurfaceprovidesoneofthefirstin−depthhistoriesofskinlighteners−′compounds,creamsandlotions′thatremovethetoplayersoftheepidermis,typicallyirritatingandexfoliatingblemishedordarkenedskin(8−9).LynnM.Thomasuncovershowskinlightenersbecamea′fixture′withinSouthAfricanpopularmediafromthe1930sonwardsuntilbeingbannedin1990,aftertheanti−Apartheidmovement.SouthAfricawas′thefirst−andremainstheonlycountryintheworldtobanalldepigmentingagentsfromcosmeticsandprohibitcosmeticclaimstobleaching,lighteningorwhitening′(215).Fromthisvantagepoint,Thomas′historylooksoutward,primarilytotheUSAandEastAfrica(2).Yetshealsosituatesherbookwithinaglobalhistoryofskinlighteners,consumedacrossAsia,theAmericas,theMiddleEastandEuropelongbeforethetwentiethcentury.Thomas′deephistoryisstillpertinent;industryinsidersexpectthis′boomingglobalbusiness′toreach′US31.2 billion by 2024' (1). This book examines skin lighteners, not skin whiteners-powders and paints that contain light-coloured material and conceal the skin (8). Skin lighteners have contained botanical, household and toxic ingredients. As skin lighteners were created, purchased and consumed within medical and commercial spaces, these caustic poisons were also perceived as 'treatments' and 'common beauty preparations'. Skin lighteners are still used to cure dermatological disorders (9) yet regular applications can cause permanent health issues and even fatalities. Beneath the surface demonstrates how skin lightening is bound up in political, economic, medical and socio-cultural structures. The affective and aesthetic dimensions of skin lightening are historicised: everyday experiences of skin colour were not only influenced by institutions of slavery, colonialism and segregation, but also by 'consumer capitalism, visual media, techno-medical innovations and political...
‘Trans-skin’: Analyzing the practice of skin bleaching among middle-class women in Dar es Salaam
Ethnicities, 2017
This essay analyses skin bleaching among middle-class Tanzanian women as performative practice. It draws on empirical material from interviews with middle-class Tanzanian women as well as from advertisements in Dar es Salaam. Skin bleaching is situated at a ‘site of ambivalence’ (Butler), revolving around ‘light beauty’ as postcolonial regulatory ideal. Thus on the one hand, skin bleaching is analyzed as a practice of ‘passing for light(- skinned), embodying urban ‘modern’ forms of subjectivation. On the other hand, the decolonizing potential of skin bleaching becomes apparent as the interviewed women’s forms of embodiment renegotiate postcolonial Blackness putting forward notions of ‘browning’ (Tate). However, ‘light beauty’ then also appears as norm, according to which forms of embodiment can only ‘fail’. In this regard, skin bleaching challenges essentialized notions of Blackness, embodied in the color of one’s skin, while it also illustrates the performativity of racialized embodiment and its intersections with other structural categories.
YEARNING FOR LIGHTNESS Transnational Circuits in the Marketing and Consumption of Skin Lighteners
With the breakdown of traditional racial boundaries in many areas of the world, the widespread and growing consumption of skin-lightening products testifies to the increasing significance of colorism—social hierarchy based on gradations of skin tone within and between racial/ethnic groups. Light skin operates as a form of symbolic capital, one that is especially critical for women because of the connection between skin tone and attractiveness and desirability. Far from being an outmoded practice or legacy of past colonialism, the use of skin lighteners is growing fastest among young, urban, educated women in the global South. Although global in scope, the skin-lightening market is highly segmented by nation, culture, race, and class. This article examines the " yearning for lightness " and skin-lightening practices in various societies and communities and the role of transnational pharmaceutical and cosmetic corporations in fueling the desire for lighter skin through print, Internet, and television ads that link light skin with modernity, social mobility, and youth.
" CARO, PLEASE, MAKE ME LIGHTER " : SKIN BLEACHING IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA COMMUNITY
Bleaching of skin is the action in which person(s) apply chemical substances on their body to chemically alter (e.g., in this case, lighten) their skin pigmentation. The purpose of the study is to gain ground in understanding, how and why this phenomenon of skin bleaching is occurring in the African Community in the U.S., as well as how skin bleaching affects them. In person interviews are conducted to collect qualitative data on women and men of color in the African diaspora, in the United States who decide to engage in the bleaching of their skin. Previous prominent research in skin bleaching is used to understand the phenomenon of skin bleaching in a global perspective, in terms of its roots in colonial past and how it has manifested in the 21st century.
Understanding the Rationale behind Skin lightening amongst Nigerians – challenges and repercussion
2019
Year 2019 Pages 60 The purpose of this thesis is to enable us understanding the rationale behind skin lightening amongst Nigerians in the light of its challenges and repercussion. Skin lightening literally put, is the practice of chemically distorting the colour of the skin through inhibition of the natural process of pigmentation. The practice calls for urgency taking into cognizance the extend young ladies have invested to purportedly achieve their ideal body image for reasons such as aesthetic preferences, finding a partner, career prospect, social statues, self-confidence and many more underlying characteristics as we shall examine in this thesis. Most ladies are ignorant of the repercussion this practice may have on their overall wellbeing and that of their family while some knowingly undermine the health risk associated with skin lightening; in as much as they achieve their mark. In the course of our report, we hope to examine the various frontages that have directly and indirectly influence this practice amongst women of Nigerian origin while proffering solutions emanating from drafted State legislations, change of attitude and mentality, campaigns, education along with others. The empirical data was gathered through qualitative methods while the interview which was conducted amongst Nigerian women both in Nigeria and Finland and was semi-structured in context. This thesis was conducted based on the recommendation of the staffs and services users of The Association of Women Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, ASWHAN. ASWHAN is the umbrella organization that devotes its energy to support women living with HIV/AIDS. The staffs comprising nurses, social workers and a psychology were keen in understanding the motive behind skin lightening amongst Nigerian women. Only a handful of research has been conducted on the motivating factors that prompted such an enormous surge in the practice of skin lightening over the years. Recommendations for future research should include an in-depth analysis on the impact this practice may have had on the skin and general wellbeing of those consuming bleaching cream. Finally, the consequence of exposure of both children and unborn ones to these dangerous chemicals such as mercury, used in these products has been downplayed thereon worthy of further studies.
Lighten up: Exploring Skin Lightening Practices among Canadian South Asian Woman
2016
This thesis examines how and why South Asian women decide to engage in the beauty practice of skin lightening within Canada. Skin lightening involves the use of products, treatments and procedures to lighten, whiten and brighten ones skin tone. In particular, I examine this practice through the lens of shadeism, which is discrimination against darker skin tones. Through conducting qualitative interviews with South Asian women and South Asian women who work as beauticians, I uncover the ways in which light/er skin operates as a form of social capital with potential to improve life chances. In this thesis I trace the historical and ongoing impact of shadeism within the South Asian context by examining the legacies of the caste system, colonialism and the contemporary globalizing white beauty ideal. iii Acknowledgements: I would like to dedicate this to all of my brown sisters who opened their hearts, lives and minds with me. Family, you encouraged me to follow this passion. Sim and Dad, your daily check ins and texts mean the world to me. Friends who have patiently listened to my thoughts on "lightening, whitening and brightening" over the years, you helped make this possible.
Skin Bleaching and Global White Supremacy: By Way of Introduction
The cosmetic use of chemical agents to lighten the complexion of one’s skin, also referred to as skin whitening, skin lightening, and/or skin bleaching, is currently a widespread global phenomenon. While the history of skin bleaching can be traced to the Elizabethan age of powder and paint, in its current manifestations, skin bleaching is practiced disproportionately within communities “of color” and exceedingly among people of African descent. While it is true that skin bleaching represents a multifaceted phenomenon, with a complexity of historical, cultural, sociopolitical, and psychological forces motivating the practice, the large majority of scholars who examine skin bleaching at the very least acknowledge the institutions of colonialism and enslavement historically, and global White supremacy contemporarily, as dominant and culpable instigators of the penchant for skin bleaching. As an introduction to this Special Issue of the Journal of Pan African Studies focusing on skin bleaching and global White supremacy, the purpose of this paper is to critically examine the symbolic significance of whiteness, particularly for and among African people, by outlining the history of global White supremacy, both politically and ideologically, discussing its subsequent promulgation, and further investigating its relationship to the historical and contemporary skin bleaching phenomenon.
Skin Bleaching Narratives Responses from Women Bleaches and Stakeholders in Ghana (1950s – 2015)
Ethnologia Actualis
Based on a qualitative design and a qualitative analysis of responses from primary informants and secondary sources we present a narrative on the attitudes and perception of the Ghanaian on skin bleaching. Based on retrospective and thematic analyses the authors conclude that there is the need for education and enforcement of laws that protect the consumer from patronizing cosmetics that bleach the skin. The study further highlights the role of institutions that are responsible for legislating, regulating, preventing and educating the general public. It is envisaged that this article shall reinvigorate the need for further research and discourses on skin bleaching in Africa and Ghana in particular. Policy makers and policy implementers should be spurred on to make a difference.
International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 2021
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