Skin-whitening creams: worthy of anger?

[Brenus]

No need to see racism in this.
To have a whiter skin means you are not working in the fields. Suntan is still in some countries equals to peasants, as in the 16Th 17th Century Europe.
Let them have their pale skin and ours have their suntan you can only get in going in Spain, if you have the means to go of course…

[HoreTore]

White skin ain't what people want.

The ideal is "tanned", which is quite a long way from northern european white.

Anyway.... The rich always make the fashion trends. Everyone else wants to look like them, act like them and do what they do. All rich people are tanned europeans. You do the math....

[Rhyfelwyr]

We're looking at this through our own western perspective when we presume that something about skin colour must automatically be about race.

These Indians trying to look whiter are not acting this way because they think they are racially inferior to white people, they just want to look more like the other ethnic Indians (ok these are a lot of ethnicities in India, but you know what I mean) with whiter skin. As Brenus pointed out this is purely a cultural thing within India, whiter skin means less time out in the sun doing manual labour, hence higher social status etc.

So maybe you could make a case for saying it's classism, but not racism.

[Furunculus]

The three responses above are all excellent.

"nothing to see hear, please carry on"

the article is a farce that panders to people who dimly aware of their own inadequacy attempt to compensate by finding a 'noble' cause to crusade for.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Well of course it isn't racist, what's being argued I suppose is that it is reflective of a racist society. But it just seems like one of the personal appearance trends cultures have. The unhealthy ones are objectionable on that ground.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

White skin ain't what people want.

The ideal is "tanned", which is quite a long way from northern european white.

This isn't really true, certainly not for women, while a lot of people today are pushing "tanned = hot" the idea of beauty is still stubbornly at the "alabaster skin with rosy cheeks and full red lips" end of the spectrum.

Being tanned means you are active and healthy, but a pale complexion shows you are wealthy enough to not need to work, and will show up any imperfections as well. So overall a fair and clear complexion is still prefferred by many people.

In India:

All the above, plus traditional class-backed racism. the Higher Indian castes have a high proportion of Greco-Iranian nobility in their bloodlines, this is what gives them their finer features, green or even blue eyes and pale skin. Essentially, in India they have bred-in the charactaristics we associate with nobility and wealth.

[tibilicus]

Saw a documentary on this a while back and it isn't really to do with Indian/Asians whitening their skin to be "white" in our western sense, it's more to do with the culture of the Asian sub-continent. Generally speaking, the lighter ones skin is, the more it suggests he/she is of a higher caste (class). Many Bollywood stars have lighter skin and it is generally seen within Indian culture that to have lighter skin makes one more aesthetically beautiful and a person with lighter skin is of a higher social class.

The skin whitening within the UK Asian community, as shown in this documentary, was mainly for aesthetic purposes. A person also has the choice as to whether they want to lighten their skin so it isn't really racist. Their is simply a market of "skin lighteners" as the demand is there.

[PanzerJaeger]

It worked out pretty well for Michael Jackson... at least for a while.

[Fragony]

Don't see any harm in it, do see harm in possible moral outrage over it, a light skin isn't necessarily a western skin, such projection is much more racist imho.

[Askthepizzaguy]

Don't see any harm in it, do see harm in possible moral outrage over it, a light skin isn't necessarily a western skin, such projection is much more racist imho.

I agree, the "moral" outrage over it is more divisive to our society than just accepting people, even if they want to paint up their skin, or shove a bone or a piece of jewelry through their nose. Whatever makes them happy.

[Louis VI the Fat]

It worked out pretty well for Michael Jackson... at least for a while.

MJ had a serious hang-up. He got the palest woman he could find to mother his kids, to have himself a white family. Either that, or Lamarck was right. This is MJ's child:

[Reenk Roink]

MJ had a serious hang-up. He got the palest woman he could find to mother his kids, to have himself a white family. Either that, or Lamarck was right. This is MJ's child:

MJ had always gone on record as saying he was proud to be black. His skin diseases contributed to his lightening tone and the subsequent treatments made this worse, not to mention the makeup to cover the uneven color and blotches made him look paler.

Honestly one could make a MUCH better case that MJ had problems with his appearance (the plastic surgey on his nose and chin) than try to pass him of as wanting to be white.

Edit: As to the picture of his daughter, have you seen his sister Latoya, not only in pictures but in video? And she has two black parents...

[HoreTore]

This isn't really true, certainly not for women, while a lot of people today are pushing "tanned = hot" the idea of beauty is still stubbornly at the "alabaster skin with rosy cheeks and full red lips" end of the spectrum.

Being tanned means you are active and healthy, but a pale complexion shows you are wealthy enough to not need to work, and will show up any imperfections as well. So overall a fair and clear complexion is still prefferred by many people.

That was true a hundred years ago, but fashion changes. All stock brokers, CEO's, politicians, etc are tanned, just look 'em up and you'll see. Same goes for the trophy wives, every single one of them has a tan.

EDIT: If you want proof, simply buy a copy of FHM and work out the pale/tanned ratio.

[Beskar]

Also, around the Tutor and Georgian period, women used to paint their faces white. Even Elizabeth the 1st did.

Though, the lead poisoning from it was very harmful.

[Slyspy]

That was true a hundred years ago, but fashion changes. All stock brokers, CEO's, politicians, etc are tanned, just look 'em up and you'll see. Same goes for the trophy wives, every single one of them has a tan.

EDIT: If you want proof, simply buy a copy of FHM and work out the pale/tanned ratio.

There is still some distinction between sexy and beautiful, which are not necessarily the same thing. FHM certainly goes for the former, though in general I agree with you.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

That was true a hundred years ago, but fashion changes. All stock brokers, CEO's, politicians, etc are tanned, just look 'em up and you'll see. Same goes for the trophy wives, every single one of them has a tan.

EDIT: If you want proof, simply buy a copy of FHM and work out the pale/tanned ratio.

Eh? In Britain out politicians are not very tanned, nor are our CEO's.

In any case, neither they nor their "Tophy wives" are considered beautiful.

How many Hollywood actresses cultivate a tan in winter? Not many.

In fact, even UK glamour models are paler than they were even ten years ago.

The vogue for being tanned was a relatively brief fetish, and it seems to be over.

[Beskar]

The vogue for being tanned was a relatively brief fetish, and it seems to be over.

Quite the opposite, it is still here by the plenty.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Quite the opposite, it is still here by the plenty.

Much less though. Look at the glamour girls in the cheap rags thse days.

Fake boobs also seem to be on the way out, as well.

[HoreTore]

Eh? In Britain out politicians are not very tanned, nor are our CEO's.

In any case, neither they nor their "Tophy wives" are considered beautiful.

How many Hollywood actresses cultivate a tan in winter? Not many.

In fact, even UK glamour models are paler than they were even ten years ago.

The vogue for being tanned was a relatively brief fetish, and it seems to be over.

In what alternate universe is Britain a relevant source when the topic of beauty is discussed? Puh-lease.


Now.... Which group in our society has pale skin? Nerds. Computer geeks. Math teachers.

I can't honestly say that group is famous for their womanizing. But they may be in that alternate universe where Britain is relevant to a discussion on beauty....

And finally, irrefutable proof that everyone looks better with a proper tan. Victoria Beckham would be the exception there, but she doesn't look good in any situation....

[Slyspy]

Ah, Horetore, to be honest with you most of those peole look better in the "pale" pics. Many of the women look older and especially scraggy in the "tanned" pics. I'm always wary of such celeb pics though due to the editing of the pics and the selection process involved.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

In what alternate universe is Britain a relevant source when the topic of beauty is discussed? Puh-lease.

The same universe where Norway is considered a polite and civilised society?

Britain has a very large number of attractive women, the difference is we don't insist all less than perfect people hide in Fjords where outlanders can't ever see them.