Colorism and Skin Bleaching in the Black and Brown Community

Colorism is a term defined as a form of racial discrimination based on different shades of an individual's skin. This type of discrimination typically occurs in a specific ethnic group. Colorism has roots that traces as far back as the 1500’s when European colonist started appearing in regions such as Africa, the Americas, and Asia. European settlers and their offspring were often treated as if they had a higher status, all because their skin was lighter than those who were native to the country. The United States in particular has been poisoned with the deep roots of colorism due to its tragic history of slavery. Slave owners gave special treatment to slaves with fairer complexions because it was believed that they were superior due to their close relations to the white race. Slavery is something deeply engraved in the history of the United States, which is why places that have been greatly affected by the brutality of slavery also have associations with a result of colorism, skin bleaching. Nations such as Africa, and the Caribbean are notorious for their skin lightening techniques, women and men have been reported trying to whiten their skin tones due to society and how it views darker skinned people. Colorism can have damaging effects on self image and worth, can damage the health of the individuals who use skin bleaching creams, and can allow big companies to profit off of the insecurities of their target audience.

Social media is something that has a heavy influence on today's society. A study conducted by the Pew Research center found that in America alone, 90 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds had at least one social media account. If something as influential as social media was to be used to spread messages of hate, the results could be horrifying. Influencers on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, etc, tend to use skin tone as the punchline for their comedy skits. A very popular joke is one that involves being in a dark room and someone says “Oh, I can’t find so-and-so in this room because they’re too dark!”. Social media has made it so that these types of snide remarks become normalized. They target people of color who have darker shades and make it so that they are the butt of the jokes. Social media has also pinned the African American community against one another, specifically Twitter, with the #TeamLightSkin VS #Team DarkSkin. Post under this hashtag would feature pictures of very pretty fairer skinned woman against an unflattering photo of a woman with darker skin. This led to the community battling for which was better and ultimately people preferred the lighter skinned model over the darker one, especially the men. Social media isn’t the only platform that features the glorification of fairer skin, television shows, movies, and commercials are also a culprit. For many commercials, if an African American family is being portrayed they are more likely to be biracial. The West Georgian article titled “Colorism in Media” by Erin Grady states it pretty well, it says: “Black people in media often adhere and have to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards to be able to work in media”. This explains why the father is either black or white, the mother is either black or white, and the children are biracial when it comes to television. As far as the mother in the commercials go, if they are of a darker complexion they almost always have a loose curl pattern. Television has a way of morphing the image of what an African American male or female should look like by always showing their audience what they view as the “standard” of beauty. One example of this is in 2012 when Zoe Saldana was casted as Nina Simone in the biopic “Nina”. Critics were quick to hit back by saying the casting choice was insensitive due to Simone being a dark-skinned woman and having Saldana play the role whitewashed the character.

With the constant image of black men and women having fairer skin and loose, curly hair, it's no surprise that young people of today are struggling with self-esteem. A survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research saw the 9 out of 10 African Americans use the social media application Snapchat and one third of the African American teen population use Instagram. With this amount of young black youths using social media they also have access to the stereotypical comments about other people who have darker skin tones. Social media especially is a way people post derogatory comments without showing their true identity. Any young child can see post like these and instantly be sucked into the destruction. Black teens will look at these post of pretty mixed children who are often glorified in society and wish they possessed the same features as them. One 17-year-old girl from Nigeria named Chinemerem Nwuzi said: “Even the black women in the media were of lighter skin color and didn’t have natural curly hair.” This young girl comes for a place where skin bleaching is regular and even she can see the abomination that is colorism. The television business is no better than social media. They are quite similar when it comes to featuring mixed families but they don’t know the effect it can have on the young, darker skinned audience. Companies like to say that showing biracial couples increases diversity however they are ultimately deleting a whole other side of the African American shade spectrum. Society should display African American families of a darker skin and kinky hair tone just as much as they do with biracial families. Children shouldn’t have to grow up believing that only lighter skinned individuals can make it in Hollywood. An article titled “Why the Effects of Colorism Are So Damaging” says that “If a child is born with dark skin and learns that dark skin is not valued by her peers. community, or society. she may develop feelings of shame”. Children should grow up knowing that their dark skin is just as powerful and beautiful as the fairer skin.

Another heavy influence in today's modern world is celebrities. They dominate the social media and television industry by having a strong fan base to support them. With this heavy influence over their audience they can often coax them into alternating their appearance to look more like them. An example of this is Indian access, film producer, philanthropist , singer, and former Miss World 2000 pageant winner Priyanka Chopra Jonas who endorsed a product by the brand Garnier named “Garnier Light Fairness Moisturizer”. India is a place where skin bleaching is a very common practice and in an interview with The Guardian Chopra explained how she regretted ever endorsing the product in the first place. She was quoted stating, “I got swayed into doing it, but then I realized it made me feel like I did as a kid - I used to try all those products until I became Miss India.” In the same interview she also touched on how her family contributed to her low self esteem when it came to her being darker than other siblings, she says: “I was the darkest, so in jest my family called me kaali (black girl), an I never really understood how much that affected me until I was a teenager.” While she did explain how the industry pushed her to promote the product, she still used her large platform to broadcast a cream that alters your skin complexion. Another example of a celebrity that abused their status is a singer and entrepreneur from Cameroon named Reprudencia “Dencia” Sonkey. In 2014 she launched a skincare line that included a skin bleaching cream titles “Whitenicious”. As outrageous as it sounds, Dencia defended her cream by stating in a 2014 interview with Britain's Channel 4 that the word “white in Whitenicious means “pure”. She also insisted that her crew was only for dark spots and blemishes but her only advertisement for the product showed her entire body appearing several shades lighter. Very similar to Dencia is an American entrepreneur and model Blac Chyna who partnered with the brand “Whitenicious” in 2018. The launch of the product, that retails for $250, was held in Lagos, Nigeria where 77 percent of women use skin bleaching products.

Large companies know where their products will sell the best, this is a tactic that Dencia used to sell her skin bleaching cream “Whitenicious”. In 2017 the skin bleaching industry was worth between $13 and $17 billion dollars according to the Global Industry Analysts. Well known brands such as L’Oreal, Olay, Neutrogena, Fair & Lovely, and Lotus know to target predominately black/brown communities to make the most profit off of their skin whitening creams. According to the Global Industry Analysts, Africa, Asia, and The Middle East but isn’t just limited to this areas First we look at Africa, they have a high youth population and this makes it easier for companies to make money off of their products. In Nigeria alone more than 60 million people are using skin bleaching creams on a daily basis. In Togo 57% of the population use tase products and 27% in Senegal use it. Next we look at Asia from a market perspective, this is actually the bulk of the skin bleaching industry. According to studies conducted by the Future Market Insights, the Asia Pacific makes the most profit from the skin bleaching industry, earning a whopping $7.3 billion in 2017. To further break down profit China is responsive for 40% of sales in Asia, Japan 21% and Korea 18% of sales. In the East Asian culture they believe that “a white complexion is enough to hide seven faults”. This saying proves that colorism is something that isn’t just limited to the African American community. Lastly we look at the United States where colorism is something that, along with other countries, people of color face. Skin bleaching in the U.S isn’t has popular as in Asia or Africa and that is because they are often disguised. Companies use alternative names for skin bleaching products in order for them to continue to be sold. Many times you will see a U.S company label a product as a “dark spot remover” like Dencia did for her bleaching cream “Whitenicious”. By using this technique the U.S and European skin care industry was able to make $10 billion in 2015 according to a report by the Global Industry Analysts.

Skin bleaching doesn’t just damage the self-esteem of people who use them, it also has a wide range of health related risk. Skin lightening creams have been linked to causing leukemia, various cancers in the liver and kidneys, and nerve damage. These creams can also have a damaging effects on the outside of your body. A Japanese company named Kanebo had a whitening cream that contained a chemical called Rhododenol. This chemical led to 18,000 women developing chemical leukoderma which is white patches on the skin. The company released a statement on July 13, 2013 that advised customers to stop using their products and contact a dermatologist due to the 6,808 reports of irregular white blotches on their skin. Along with this, bleaching creams have been reported for causing ochronosis. In Africa, studies conducted by the University of Cape Town show that with a rising increase in skin lightening products, more patients have been too dermatologist trying to repair their damaged skin. Another risk associated with using skin lightening products is birth defects. These creams can potentially contain stereos that make it more likely for pregnant women to give birth to an underweight baby. Also, if a woman decides to breastfeed and she skin bleaches she increases the risk of her child consuming the harmful chemical hydroquinone. Researchers from around the globe have conducted studies on additional harmful chemicals found in skin whitening products that consumers may not know about. One researcher named Dr. Hermol Shroff of Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India, conducted a study on the side effects associated with skin bleaching. Dr. Shroff found that a majority of skin bleaching products contain hydroquinone, steroids, and mercury, which are known to cause a series of many health related problems.

As skin lightening products have relations to health issues, there are benefits of using lightning techniques safely. For people who suffer from acne they can use more natural remedies to help fix unwanted blemishes and dark spots. Lemons and potatoes in particular can be incorporated into face make that help treat hyperpigmentation. People shouldn’t use whitening products just to go with society idea that light skin is better. In today's society the black/brown community is pushing towards embracing darker skin complexions. Celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o use their large platforms to advocate for embracing your complexion. Movies and T.V shows are adapting and starting to feature a more diverse shade range of actors and actresses. Black Panther, Get Out, Blackish, and Moonlight are just a few examples of Hollywood casting people of multiple shade ranges. Social media is also trying to use their platform to make darker shades look more beautiful. More people are speaking out about the blatant discrimination they face all because they posses a darker skin complexion. One advocate for the recognition of dark colored females is a YouTube creator by the name of Jackie Aina. Ms. Aina is a make-up artist that continuously pushes for the inclusion of women with darker complexions in the beauty community. People of the black and brown community are slowly trying to destroy the wall that it colorism. As people who are the same race, time shouldn’t be spent fighting over who looks the best based on skin tone alone. It should be spent banding together and appreciating the uniqueness that comes with color.