A Rationalize of Why People Use Skin Bleaching Products

1031 Words3 Pages

This paper looks at the way the guy I mean people rationalize their use of skin bleaching products. It also looks at the forces that have led to this predicament of shame and ugliness in any skin tone other than white skin. I have also looked into the psychological and physical effects of colorism on the people of Ghana. The idea of Colorism is not new. It is only recently that a name has been placed on it and it has been studied. Countries that have people with various skin tones have always practiced ways to lighten their skin. Due to the growth of technology, mass media and other ways of communication people who would not have been exposed to Western ideas of beauty are now being bombarded by the white beauty .Europeans ideology of attractiveness and power has taken every step to destroy non-whites image of them. This has allowed for people in what we considered Third World countries to relate color to access to resources and privilege (Hunter, 2011). European ideas of beauties has had a significant effect on is urban Ghana. The Ghanaian people have been brainwashed into forgetting who they are. They see themselves as ugly compared to Europeans. This is a mindset that is shared between some men and women in Ghana. The needed to be lighter is also shared between fair skinned and dark skinned Ghanaian. No matter how light a Ghanaian is they feel like they can always be lighter. Even though many of the beauty advertisements are aimed towards women, men still feel the need to lighten their skin. They are told by beauty and cosmetic advertisements that the bodies they were born with are not good enough. They are told repeatedly to change and/or modify their bodies as much as they can to image that is accepted globally (Hunter, 201... ... middle of paper ... ... chemically and surgically change themselves to achieve beauty and success, yet whites can use natural ways to “improve” their beauty. This is common in almost every advertisement geared towards nonwhites. They are repeatedly in directly and indirectly belittled by a society that keeps them from their history. Due to this, nonwhites are left vulnerable to low self-esteem, to now, depression and misguided beliefs. In a society that gives them a false sense of hope that by the manipulating their skin they have a chance to succeed in every way that matters, socially, politically, and family wise skin lightening in skin bleaching are realistic options. The problem that holds true is that beauty like a race is socially constructed and can change at any time. The idea that one can speak home white is misleading. It is not something that one can achieve but has to inherit.

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