Skin Whitening Products

So I watched Vox's latest video regarding the growing market for skin whitening and I was shocked at the information they gave. The market for skin whitening products is set to triple by 2024 to a 3 billion dollar industry and in countries such as Nigeria 8/10 women use skin whitening products. Many skin problems can arise from using such creams and they can be very harmful. It's almost ingrained in society to view blackness as dirty and unlikekable. Here is the link by the way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjzvvgmg1NU

The point of discussion that I would like to ask is should the government get involved in trying to offset this? This could be banning skin whitening products or running campaigns which undo the damage caused by centuries of colorism. What, if anything, should society do about this?

I think there are strong grounds for many of the more harmful products to be outrightly banned, and for the government to sponsor propaganda and advertisement on television and in public to try and remove this deeply racist notion that is ingrained in society. Perhaps then minorities who have darker skin color won't be as discriminated against as a result and won't feel bad.

Reply 1

Trinculo

You haven't noticed we have an entire industry - not just individual products - based around making people's skin artificially darker? Like tanning? One method is literally spray painting oneself, the other is exposing the body to dangerously high intensities of ultraviolet radiation.

In what sense is that not much worse than skin lightening, but not on anyone's radar as anything other than a health concern?

Reply 2

sexilexi

Original post by Trinculo

Yes but the skin whitening industry as based around racist ideas

Reply 3

username2957542

why do u even wanna change ur skin colour?
u shud be happy of what u r

Reply 4

AperfectBalance

Original post by sexilexi

Yes but the skin whitening industry as based around racist ideas

"I want my skin to be whiter because I think I look more beautiful"
"I want my skin to be darker because I think I look more beautiful"

Sure they can be done for racist reasons but most just do it because they think it looks better.

Reply 5

sexilexi

Original post by AperfectBalance

Yes but why do they think it looks better? Why does that young girl in the video who is barely 6 years old by the looks of it think that her black skin looks nasty? This is as a result of generations of racism which is now ingrained in society

Reply 6

Anna1029

It’s really sad that people think they should change their skin colour to make themselves more beautiful, but is there any difference between that and teeth whitening, makeup, false eyelashes or even Botox?

Reply 7

AperfectBalance

Original post by sexilexi

Because people have a preference, I prefer Italian food to Turkish food, does not mean I am racist or I hate Turks.

I mean sure I bet there are people that will not eat X food because they hate X nationality but just like tanning they are the minority.

Reply 8

fallen_acorns

Original post by sexilexi

I asked the same question when I first moved to asia - where there are huge markets for skin whitening and where light skinned is highly desired.

The answer I saw did include modern ideals of beauty, but actually it went back far further.. before racial devisions of white/black and to a time when most people only mingled with those of their own race.

The key driver in this part of asia is that back hundreds of years ago the poor people would work the fields all day.. their skin would get dark and tanned.. The richer members of the society would shelter in their mansions, avoiding the sun, only moving around by carriage and under parasols and umbrellas. As a result light skin developed an association with wealth and became a status symbol. This all took place well before white people became involved with Asian societies, so to blame it on white people, misses the older context. Light skin has class roots that are far older.

Interestingly you see the same thing in western societies like the UK but in reverse. Light fair skin was always the desire throughout our history, for similar reasons to the asian societies above. Until the idea of holidaying and especially the idea of holidaying abroad became a phenomenon. Then in the 20th century you see a switch, and all of a sudden tanned skin becomes a class symbol for a while.. as it demonstrated your ability to lounge under the sun in nice resorts, whilst the poor toiled indoors in factories under artificial light.

Obviously there has now been a bit of a backlash against fake-tans, which should be expected.. anyone trying to fake something will always be called out by those who have paid and taken effort to achieve it for real.

My point is though, that yes these days there is an eliment of racial bias that can effect young people.. but the phenomenon of changing ones skin colour, especially lightening it, goes back thousands of years and is very very ingrained into many societies around the world, and would exist with our without the existence of white poeple.

Reply 9

nmudz_009

This is broad statement and probably glazes over a lot but it hasn’t been said yet. I’m Pakistani and many of my country (women) do want to look lighter but they don’t want to look Caucasian. In my experience many of them don’t look at Caucasians as a standard for beauty, it’s that they think their Asian features would just look better in white.

Reply 10

Napp

I still remember looking for sun cream in a pharmacy in Agra - no such luck. What i did find though was shelf after shelf of skin whitening creams, what really amused me was half of them were the same thing youd find in the UK just relabelled for lightening instead of darkening.

Reply 11

limetang

Original post by sexilexi

Do you have any evidence for this beyond your bold asserton?

Why does a 6 year old white girl think her pale skin looks nasty? Racism?

Further, In the countries where skin whitening is practiced the goal isn’t for people to try and look Caucasian, just as the goal of white people when they go to tanning salons etc. Isn’t to look black or Asian.