Skin and bleaching: two words many would never associate together. Skin bleaching, skin lightening, or skin whitening, is the use of products to remove the melanin from the skin over a period of time. The reasons for this practise have been linked to self-hate and lowself-esteem. According to the World Health Organisation (PDF), in Nigeria 77% of women are reported to use skin lightening products on a regular basis, the highest amount in Africa. Being raised in a Nigerian community, this is a distressing truth and something I have been very aware of from a young age, but I could not understand.
To say the growing phenomenon of skin bleaching in the Nigerian community is a modern issue would be untrue. Skin bleaching can be seen as a result of colorism, a self-denying legacy of colonialism which can be seen amongst women of ethnic minorities. Colonialism plays an important role in understanding the reasons behind why women bleach their skin. In his study of skin bleaching Dr.Christopher Charles explains, “dark-skinned nonwhites lighten their complexion to access some of the societal benefits associated with lighter complexion”, such as spousal attraction, social mobility, and beauty. The importance of appearance and skin complexion is an issue that lies in deep historical colonial rule. Even after the end of slavery and colonialism, its effects were evident in African societies and it did not change the way black people were portrayed as inferior to Caucasians, which created further segregation. According to Nahomie Julien (PDF), the inequality black people faced “conditioned them to believe that only people of fair skin were permitted to success and happiness.” After many centuries of colonialism in Africa, Caucasian features were seen as the purest form and became the standard for beauty. A recent study in University of Cape Town found that over 1/3 of women (35%) in South Africa admitted to bleaching their skin because they wanted to have ‘white skin.’
As distressing as this sound, this is the reality for many Africans. While many suffered from colonialism, black women suffered further as a consequence of being seen as the weaker sex and by being part of a patriarchal society where some men within certain African communities have negative attitudes towards women of darker skin. As a result, more women bleach their skin than men. In most societies, women are already under pressure physically to meet society’s beauty standards, but as a black woman, beauty is often attached to having a lighter complexion skin.
While there are many health risks and dangers associated with skin bleaching, there is still a relentless pursuit to become whiter at any cost. The British Heart Foundation found that products such as Hydroquinone can cause “intense irritation, uneven bleaching of the skin and a distressing condition called cutaneous ochronosis, a bluish black discoloration of the skin.”
Even though skin bleaching products have been made illegal in the UK, under the counter transactions allow many people to gain access to these products, meaning a lack of regulation can lead to further danger for these women. This is even worse in developing countries where products are unregulated and still legal.
Perhaps the most damaging aspect of skin bleaching was seeing older women I looked up to slowly erasing the melanin from their skin it made me feel there must be something wrong with me. When I would ask some of the Nigerian women I was close to, why they used the products, they said they wanted to remove blemishes from their skin, but the use of the word skin bleaching was usually avoided and there was a reluctance to admit that they were bleaching their skin.
The media has created a platform in promoting Eurocentric standards of beauty, encouraging the idea that being ‘white’ is the most celebrated form of beauty. Eurocentric standards are reflected through the advertising of skin bleaching products, with products with labels such as, ‘White & Fair’ ‘Bright White”. These titles instantly condition black women to view light as the best form of beauty. This poses the issue for young black women or women of color not having a representation of themselves in the media, and poses the question: Who do they look up to?
The issue of skin bleaching amongst women in ethnic minority communities is a deep historical issue that cannot only be dealt with by education alone, but by changing the representation of beauty that is constantly portrayed in the media. If more girls see representations of themselves, they may realise that being lighter is not the only form of beauty.
Esther Oluga was born and raised in London and is of Nigerian descent. She is currently undertaking her Undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Essex and currently studying at California State University, Monterey Bay for the year. Her interests are in Human Rights and humanitarian aid work.
Very well written, Esther! Do you have any thoughts on why many pale women (and men) subject themselves to increased chances of skin cancer in tanning beds in order to get darker complexions? When considering that black women try to become lighter, while white women try to get darker, one might think that an in-between color is actually what is desired (the skin color of Hispanic people, perhaps). Or maybe all women, regardless of the skin color we are born with, are made to believe that their real skin color is not good enough, and that is why black and white women both try to alter their skin tones.
Hey Lauren,thanks for reading!
I feel in society women have so many pressures on beauty and how we should present ourselves and there is ‘always something wrong’ that we need to change something. A definitely feel that skin complexion seems to play a major role in beauty, it’s a crazy balance of not being too dark , but also not being too pale.
I mainly focused on black women simply because I used my experience which helped me come to an understanding, however, I found this article on The Guardian that may help to understand tanning I hope it helps to shed more light on the issue: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/19/history-of-tanning.
Thanks for the link! I hope to read more of your articles in the future!
I just came across a report that skin lightening creams have been banned in Ivory Coast. They do not expect the ban will stop many women from purchasing and using the creams.
Hi Katharine, I apologise for the late response. I actually read the article too and I do feel this is a great development, but I do feel it will just encourage higher rates of under the counter purchases of these products, hopefully, the government works on educating and raising awareness within Ivory Coast amongst the users to make them aware of the consequences. Thanks for reading!
Great article!!! I am especially interested in the longterm health effects which i wonder are occuring but are not being formally documented…it was interesting that the BHF mention those skin issues, i was expecting them to make some link to the impact on the heart instead….
I think identity is widely influenced by commercials. I have seen it in both parts of Asia and Africa, where they put bleach in to all beauty products and everybody use it to appear or become more successful.
http://www.redbubble.com/people/jonaskroyer/works/14928993-chasing-happiness