The practice is as old as time: people engaging in beautification rituals. For example, kohl has been used around the eyes from around 3,100 BC, and the early predecessors to today’s lipstick was reportedly invented about 5,000 years ago. We also ought to consider the tattooing and scarification techniques that are still practised in many societies around the world, but their use is no longer only ritualistic with strong cultural references, or to represent status, but now have transcended into the world of beauty and self-expression.

Among People of Colour, and specifically those of African descent, the relationship with beauty and what is considered beautiful, has arguably become more complex. Based on what is currently seen in many societies, and is accepted as beautiful in mass media, some of the key features of today’s ‘beautiful black woman’ include:

• Wearing wigs, weaves and hair extensions, often in very long and straight styles
• Having paler or fairer skin complexion
• Wearing heavy makeup, which conceals the wearer’s skin completely, effectively creating a blank canvas, and thereafter, the desired features are drawn
• Wearing very long fake eyelashes
• Wearing very long fake nails.

Essentially, the representations of beauty no longer appear to be just an enhancement of an individual’s natural beauty. Instead, it seems to be based on creating an image that is far removed from the owner’s features and appearance, and to project a certain image.

For proponents of today’s current standard of beauty among black women, it could be argued that the look is for fun, that it is just a form of self-expression, and is temporary. True, the hair, makeup, lashes and nails can easily be removed and the person in their original form still exists. However, the more troublesome aspect is the lengths to which people go, in order to be lighter complected. And what might be the real reason behind that effort, especially when the short and long-term impact on their psyche and physical health are also considered.

 

Do Black People Inherently Want To Get Closer To Being White?

Growing up in the Caribbean region, and currently living in Jamaica, ‘skin bleaching’, as it is called locally, is prevalent among lower socio-economic groups. However, and although over 90% of Jamaicans are of African descent, culturally, lighter-complected people are considered more attractive.

This long-held attitude harkens back to slavery, when the class and power structure that existed was based on colour and shade. Caucasians being at the top of the pyramid were the most powerful, whilst the field slaves, who were dark skinned had little or no status, and were at the bottom. Moreover, and among slaves – all of whom had little or no power when compared to their white counterparts – the colour/power dynamic became even more entrenched, as it would seemingly give some an ‘edge’ over others.

Although the days of slavery are long behind us, its vestiges, including colourism, are alive and strong not only in Jamaica, but also across the Caribbean region and in countries that were part of that slave trade.

In a series of interviews conducted in Jamaica several years ago with people who regularly engaged in skin lightening, every one of them said that they loved their complexion, but they wanted their skin to be ‘brighter’, and being lighter complected was ‘better’. However, there seems to be an inherent disconnect between those two sentiments: to love your darker complexion, but still want to be lighter. It thus suggests that people, and in this instance Jamaica as a society, still may not yet have fully come to terms with the impact of its past, and is still to go through the healing needed to fully release current and future generations.

 

Health Versus Beauty

From a country perspective, addressing skin lightening and the impetus behind it, would be low on the totem pole of priorities. However, a recent development may at the very least, bring the issue front and centre, albeit for a moment, but hopefully will trigger some degree of self-reflection by individuals, and closer scrutiny by governments.

Within the past two weeks, reports have emerged about the widespread use of mercury in skin-lightening and anti-ageing creams. According to The Guardian, mercury is being used as “a skin whitening agent because it blocks production of melanin, which gives colour to skin, and it can be used to remove spots, freckles, blemishes and wrinkles”. However, the high contamination levels that have been found in beauty products have been raising alarms, as mercury can easily be absorbed by the skin, and its vapours inhaled. More importantly, mercury toxicity can cause a broad range of severe health effects: in the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as organs, such as lungs, kidney, skin and eyes (Source:  Pan American Health Organization).

To be clear, skin lightening products are not being used only by people of African descent, it is also prevalent in south and east Asia. It is also considered a very lucrative industry, with product sales projected to reach USD 12 billion by 2026, and so it will be challenging – if not near impossible – to properly regulate product quality and what gets sold in local and online markets.

 

Escaping Our Past 

When the health risks of skin lightening products are considered, it ought to have us question, why was it necessary for us (as People of Colour) to want to lighten our skin in the first place? Darker skinned people have been subjected to all kinds of prejudice, which is not only inherent in their societies, but is also evident in their communities and within their families. In many instances, it is not blatant racial oppression. Instead, it is conveyed in what is (or isn’t) considered beautiful or accepted… but the message is clear.

Finally, there is also something to be said about how much People of Colour, particularly those of African descent, spend on beauty. In the United States alone, African Americans were projected to have spent USD 1.5 trillion(!) on personal care products (Source:  Essence), and as a race of people, they buy the most beauty products.

However, if so much money is being spent on beauty, can it really all be just for fun? Or does It suggest that we trying to run away from something?

 

 

Image: Greta Hoffman (Pexels)