Blog #1

Skin lightening is something I did not realize even existed. I learned about this phenomenon in the "Yearning for lightness: Transnational circuits in the marketing and consumption of skin lighteners by Evelyn Nakano Glenn" within Chapter 6 of the E&Z book. Racism, as everyone knows, has been around for a very long time and still exists today. I believe the reason I have not heard of this new trend is because, as you may have guessed it, I am white. I am also a woman, so I do know the pressures of society to be beautiful are daunting.

It was said in the book that "women's worth is judged heavily on the basis of appearance" (Glenn). It is sad just how much this quote is true. The trend of skin lightening stemmed from a long history of racism, where being of a lighter color has many advantages. These advantages still persist today. In the African American community, "mulattos" are people who are mixed in color between black and white. These people were treated with more respect than people with darker skin back when slavery was very prevalent. It is interesting how a person could be treated like dirt or a peer based solely on the color of their skin. Skin lightening now is a fad because of this history.

All over the world, "white privilege" has been for a long time. Within Chapter 6 in the E&Z book, Evelyn Glenn said “the ideology of white supremacy … included the association of blackness with primitiveness, lack of civilization, unrestrained sexuality, and dirt” (Glenn). This ideology is why skin lightening exists today, those of color want opportunity. Skin lightening is very dangerous and has been banned in many places, including Southern Africa. These products are banned for good reason, “containing mercury, corticosteroids, and high doses of hydroquinone” (Glenn). Even though the people using these products are aware of the dangerous, life threatening side effects it means more to them to live a short life of being beautiful and having opportunity than a long one full of experiencing injustices done to them and an overall unfair life.

There have been many effects of the harsh racism that once existed, one being that it still exists today, in a different form. Also, the beauty ideology has been formed through this part of our past, with most wanting to be “lighter.” Even those who obtain the most power in the world are white, and this was influenced by the ideology that “white supremacy” is fact. Overall, this trend is sad to see but is just one of the horrible things that have stemmed from a long tension between those of color and those not.