Skip to main content

BORN (TOO BLACK) THIS WAY



By Faith Blakey 

My nighttime routine consists of scrolling through my Facebook timeline. More recently, it has been filled with social issues that are both domestic and international; from fashion, politics, to personality tests. One of the most striking posts that I have come across recently was a clip from a documentary; “So when you bleach it makes you look more nicer, look more sexier, and look more cuter than you once was”. These words from a middle aged Jamaican women describes the sentiments that are sold with the global trend of skin bleaching. Her opinions towards skin bleaching, or “bleaching”  as they call it in Jamaica, are common. This 2012 Vice documentary explores the idea that skin bleaching and colorism are practices that have  become well known and respected in popular Jamaican culture. Although this documentary reveals the deep seated colorism that is prominent in Jamaica, it seems as if colorism has developed into a worldwide epidemic. This midnight scroll through Facebook has allowed to me to question the ideas that are sold worldwide such as skin bleaching, as a unique technique to perpetuate what colorism is all about.

 As a background, colorism refers to the discrimination or prejudice towards individuals with darker skin tones. This discrimination and prejudice is often times sold to women and men around the world, in the popular form of skin bleaching/ skin lightening. This refers to the process by which strong chemicals (mostly harmful) in the form of creams, serums, and peels are used to lessen the melanin in the skin.  Margaret Hunt explores this exchange in; Buying Racial Capital: Skin Bleaching and Cosmetic Surgery in a Globalized World.  Hunt deconstructs colorism by asserting that the modern practice of skin bleaching enables consumers to “buy” or “‘purchase” racial capital. This can be described as the role that white/ Anglo bodies (phenotypically) play in the status hierarchy, as it is connected to the larger systems of racism and colorism (Hunt, 2012). 

Thus, preserving the idea that lighter, whiter skin is better, more beautiful, provides social capital, symbolic capital, and economic capital. Not only do we see this in Jamaica, but other countries such as Ghana, Japan, India, and the United States have produced skin lightening/ whitening creams for consumers to purchase. Cosmetic companies and websites such as: L’Oréal, Unilever, Shiseido, Lighterskin.org, skinwhiteningexperts.com, and whiterskin.com have  cleverly projected the image of beauty as becoming “more white” in these countries and have put their products up for sale.  (Hunt, 2012). Hunt has helped me recognized that those who wanted to bleach their skin were seemingly buying so much more than a cream or a serum. They were essentially purchasing the idea that transforming into to any form of whiteness is better. The longing for whiteness has become so prevalent in our modern world that it has stirred discourses that have questioned beauty and the cosmetic surgery industry. 

This  work invokes innovative thought about colorism and its ability to insurrect concepts such as “racial capital". I was able to observe this in the short clip with the Jamaican woman, she put in colloquial terms the suggested meaning of skin bleaching. To look “more” nice,  “more” sexy, “more” cute, than what you did in the past resonates with the concept of purchasing the perfect product that could possibly give you an opportunity achieve the beauty, privileges, and immunities of being white. Being white gives “more” to this woman, and it is clear that this influence spreads far beyond this. A more recent example of this is found almost 6,00 miles away in Nigeria. An American celebrity Blac Chyna, is selling skin lightening and whitening creams (via social media outlets); seemingly advocating for those with darker skin to get “more” out of life by buying the benefits of whiteness. She is appealing to the “yearn for whiteness” and perpetuating colorism across the globe. 
Colorism has no bounds and continues to terrorize every aspect of life, for many people it is the very skin they are in. 


References 

Duboc, Charlet (Director). (2012, October 12). Caribbean fashion week-dance hall and skin bleaching [Video File] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLNIX_iki0A&t=641s.
Hunt, M. (2011). Buying racial capital: Skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery in a globalized world. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(4),1-23.


Word Count: 665
 





Labels:

Comments

  1. KHDecember 3, 2018 at 6:40 PM

    Faith,

    Bit of a mixed bag here. For the most part, however, this shows real promise.

    You've located helpful sources, most notably Hunt's work on racial capitalism in the global economy. The transnational dimensions of this none too subtle form of colorism merits attention, especially given our concerns with media, popular culture and identity this semester.

    Equally important, you've applied some of Hunt's thinking and analysis to a relevant cultural object: the Vice doc. Here's where you could refine your effort.

    That is, clearly (but succinctly) describe your object of study, including the name and date of this report. Then bring Hunt's analysis to bear on this film and the cultural critique it takes up.

    While you are at it, please work on your punctation. You've got far too many good things to say without undermining your argument with errors that could be fixed rather easily.

    Finally, there are a few issues with your word choice that likewise require some attention. For instance, toward the end of your post you write: "... colorism and its ability to insurrect concepts such as “racial capital".

    Two things: Not sure what you mean by "insurrect" here. Second, note the punctuation problems around the phrase "racial capital."

    In short, Faith, this is a fine post. With just a bit more care and attention to detail, you've got the makings of a thoughtful cultural critic.

    27 pts.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POLITICAL COMEDY: A DETERRENT IN THE ELECTION

By Griffin Spurgin Late night talk shows play a big role in today’s society. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart are two reasons why the outcome of the 2016 election came out with the results landing in favor of Republican Donald Trump. Both these shows are a great watch for those that love comedy, but they also provide as good news sources for politics and elections. However, they can pose a negative satirical threat to their viewers. The past election was a heated and important one to say the least. The two candidates, to most, were unqualified for the job. Dean Flannery writes in his research article, “How Satire Failed,” that, “Just 24 hours before Donald Trump was elected the next president of the United States, Americans were still in the mood to laugh about their volatile political climate—or rather, late-night hosts were still trying to make them laugh about it”(Flannery, 2016). Elections should not be laughing mat...
4 comments
Read more

ARTISTRY WITHIN ACTIVISM

By: Sarah Selzer When armchair theorizing political activism, pop-culture has been noted as the driving force of political change. However, this notion truly comes to life when we look at the history of how hip-hop could be considered the voice of our generation, specifically containing the critical area for the emergence of hip-hop feminism. Concerning political movements that stemming from the base of hip-hop music influence, female artists not only used their platform as a form of sexual and artistic expression but to highlight problems within Grassroots- Black Community politics (Collins, 2014). Primarily Black and Latino youth were denied access to basic education, decent housing, recreational activities, and music lessons stemming from the early to mid-1900’s (Collins, 2014). Instead of feeling defeated, young-female black youths took the time to create new art forms of music that challenged the stereotypes of being born into poverty which ultimately gave them opportunit...
4 comments
Read more

NO MORE DAISY DUKES

By Colleen Kelly This thematic series has begun to establish that female sexuality is an aspect of the music industry capable of crossing genre barriers. Country music has traditionally been labeled the genre with the least emphasis on female sexuality because of its socially conservative themes (Aubrey & Frisby, 2011, p. 477). I challenge this notion with my assertion that sexuality has always been present in country music but has undergone a change from a form of feminist liberation to a tool to objectify women. In the history of country music, particularly visible in the 1990s, there is a long-standing tradition of female artists using their music to advance feminist ideals and reclaim their sexuality (Berlatsky, 2014). Let me be clear that I am not asserting that these musicians are the long-awaited saviors of women. Rather, these female artists utilized the media to challenge societal norms surrounding gender and sexuality. Shania Twain was not only one of the biggest ...
6 comments
Read more