First of all, I would like to apologize for my days missed on my blog BUT I am BACK! So, the other day I was skimming through magazines for an ad assignment we had to do and I found an ad that was quite interesting. It was in Vogue India and it was an ad on skin whitening.
Now it may seem very odd to North Americans as to; 'why would someone want to whiten there skin, when tanning and having that bronzy look is so prominent'. Well... in India and even in North America many asian women whiten there skin because it is more 'appealing' to the eyes, just as many caucasians darken their skin.
I will admit, along time ago I bleached my skin because I thought it gave me a 'brighter' look. But I was wrong, it actually made my skin spotty and irritated that I had to stop using it. I know I am not the only one who has felt or feels that way. Many of my friends struggled with that feeling that they are 'darker' and think being 'light' is more beautiful. That is why we all get pulled into buying these BLOODY products that hide our beauty. UGH!
Honestly, we need to remove ourselves from spending so much of our time on looking 'beautiful' and wasting SO much of our money on products that hide our beauty. EMBRACE is the word of the day! Embrace your beauty, your skin color, your body, your intelligence and everything that you have!!
Now it may seem very odd to North Americans as to; 'why would someone want to whiten there skin, when tanning and having that bronzy look is so prominent'. Well... in India and even in North America many asian women whiten there skin because it is more 'appealing' to the eyes, just as many caucasians darken their skin.
I will admit, along time ago I bleached my skin because I thought it gave me a 'brighter' look. But I was wrong, it actually made my skin spotty and irritated that I had to stop using it. I know I am not the only one who has felt or feels that way. Many of my friends struggled with that feeling that they are 'darker' and think being 'light' is more beautiful. That is why we all get pulled into buying these BLOODY products that hide our beauty. UGH!
Honestly, we need to remove ourselves from spending so much of our time on looking 'beautiful' and wasting SO much of our money on products that hide our beauty. EMBRACE is the word of the day! Embrace your beauty, your skin color, your body, your intelligence and everything that you have!!
I love it! This whole lighter skin- darker skin issue is something that should have been left in the eighteenth century, when the colour of your skin was a tell-all to your place in society. If you were darker skinned, it meant that you worked outdoors in the fields all day whereas those that leisured indoors all day had paler skin. Nowadays (at least in north american culture) darker skin insinuates that you have the time to leisure outdoors on beaches and in parks, and can produce a glowing tan. If you're a office man that works indoors all day, then your skin typically lacks that sun-kissed appeal. Everyone should just chill out on the skin-tone products and rituals because we all know well by now that a colour of a person's skin is no intel to their lifestyle or personality.
ReplyDeleteyeah i agree and to add; a color of a person's skin does not define their beauty whatsoever. Also i was doing a bit of research and skin whitening is a billion dollar corporation. In india when I often go I would see creams such as 'fair and lovely' and even in our Indian stores, here in winnipeg you can still find them. People buy these products... sucks.
ReplyDeleteI think the worst part is that this still exists and we try our best to create awareness to our generation but also the younger ones to not get influenced by such things... but yet they still do. It's a WAY bigger issue that will take DECADES to solve.
Having pale skin is not that great, anyway.
ReplyDeleteTake sunburn, for example.
I can't.
Ahh now I see why Duncan recommended you speak to me. I'm glad you pulled this ad up. I'm launching my IPP in a couple weeks and the first chunk of it regards Eurocentric definitions of beauty in ethnic communities. That's skin-whitening, eyelid surgery, nose-jobs and all.
ReplyDeleteI hope you guys join the discussion forums on lost-histories.com once I start posting my stories and interviews. I found an extra ridiculous TV ad that compliments my story on skin-whitening. Most people don't believe the kind of damaging rhetoric it uses.
looking forward to the forum!
ReplyDeleteand yes it is a disappointment to see how damaging it is, subconsciously. It is sad that many of us blindly go into things and buy products without even thinking anymore! As I said before it is a WAY bigger issue..
When I was traveling in China a few years ago, I noticed women who had "strange" light yellow skin - a colour that made them look "sickly". I was told this was due to lightening products and expensive trips to skin lightening spas. It wasn't attractive.
ReplyDeleteI had my skin whitened, so I could look pastier. It worked!
ReplyDeletehahaha that was funny Kenton!
ReplyDeleteThose products are everyone in Asia.. Everyone wants what they don't have.
ReplyDeleteI wanted a tan while I was there and locals would constantly compliment me on my pasty white skin. Haha