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Nick Mangwana View From The Diaspora
A couple of good friends asked for an opinion on people that bleach their skins. The response they got was that the topic was not within the regular range of this column. They argued that it is neo-colonialism and based on some hangover or emotional relic of self-hate from colonial days. This columnist thought that was quite an interesting way of looking at things. The urge to argue for and against became too strong to resist and so the loyal reader is asked to bear with the column today. Next week it will be back on usual territory.
There is an English idiomatic phrase called, “. . . comfortable in own skin”. In short it means one is contented and happy with the way they are.
The interesting thing is why was the skin chosen?
Were there or are there people out there who are not comfortable with their skin?
Or like everything else, skin is one of those things one is hardly ever contented with the way it is, thus always finding a need to change its texture, colour or tone? Is there anything wrong with this?
White people are always looking for a tan. Some stay long periods in the sun to get the tone they prefer. Some even spray fake tans while others spend money and time in tanning studios to get a darker tone to their skin shade. Some apply some foundation to give a slightly different tone to what they would get from water and normal lotions. Different shades of colour are applied to different parts of the face to make them look a bit better than they are normally, hence the term makeup. Some will never step out of the door without same.
Black women and some men have the same problem. The makeup industry for people of colour is a multi-billion dollar industry. Everyone has learnt to live with that and there is no longer stigma against women applying makeup like there used to be a few decades ago.
On those days there was a notion that any woman who applied these products was of ill repute. Things of course have moved on and there is now a notion in certain circles that women who do not apply makeup havageze (are of questionable hygienic habits). But in these efforts for women to look good a lot of people draw a line at skin whitening products. They think it’s a step too far. Interestingly, this is not a new thing. It has been there for well over a century.
But still some ask the question why people find nothing wrong with buying discarded Brazilian, Indian or Colombian hair and yet frown upon a change in skin shade. Isn’t it the same psychology that says Afro hair is inferior to other hair from those races, hence they spend a lot of money on them? And if that hair could be permanently transplanted onto their scalps how many would go for it?
There was a generation of ladies that were at their prime in the ‘70s and maybe earlier. They have these burn marks on their faces from the “beauty” creams they used to wear then. There is one that was called Ambi Special. The Ambi brand remains on the market to this day but of course there is variation in the product. They have another one they call Ambi Fade Cream. “Fading” being the idea of making one’s pigmentation disappear. So you see this idea of black women trying to make their skins fairer is not a new thing. It has always been there. It might morph in its style and of course the technology but the psychology is basically the same.
The other difference is that what is being witnessed on the street now. What is being witnessed on the street these days is a peculiar orange skin tone and extreme cases a big disparity between the colour shade of someone’s hands and one’s face and the rest of the body. There are people that have been described unkindly as gorgons on the street. This being mean and should be discouraged. Some say with good but expensive products the outcome can be outstanding.
But with some run of the mill product one then gets the unblending knuckles and all other tell-tale blemishes which look like someone had their skin peeled off with some boiling water and a scrapper (ganda rakaibva). But like everything else which is not illegal, it’s a choice people have to make.
Countries like Ivory Coast have banned these products for health and moral reasons. The health reasons of course are based on that a lot of them have agents like mercury and steroids and some have been known to make one infertile. But that’s not the focus of this piece. We are dealing with whether it is anyone’s business what one does with their skin?
But then is it really a question of “my body, my choice” when clearly there are more underlying issues around the psychology of race and other racial insecurities. Again, if it’s a simple question of your body, your choice, why do a lot of the bleachers always deny it when asked about it? Is it because one is suddenly confronted by the reality that they have a sense of self-loathing or some kind of racial complexes which lean on inferiority?
Is there really a case of colonial mentality that there is a race superior to all others? Is there some racial psychology involved here? Studies have shown that there is a clear trend where people from former colonies bleach more than all others. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only black people that do that. Indians, Arabs and most other Asians do that as well and the public response is the same.
There is a suggestion that the media has a role in that it bombards the people with these prejudices that they end up believing that voluptuous women are not beautiful and on the other hand pale and skinny is more beautiful.
There have been many experiments with dolls on this subject. The one that stands out is one where 21 black children were put in a room full of an equal number of black dolls and white dolls. They were asked to choose a doll each. The interesting thing is 15 out of the 21 children chose a white doll saying because it was prettier.
These results can be interpreted in so many different ways, but one way of looking at this is to conclude that the sense of beauty has been tampered with by the media to a point where there is a belief that White is better than Black.
One can understand this view when one thinks of the colonial days of racial hierarchy, which had White at the top then mixed race and Indians following with the Blacks at the bottom. Those type of prejudices have remained wired in the people, hence, the subconscious efforts to aspire for the next social status that come with a lighter skin. Unfortunately, when done wrongly bleaching can make some end up looking like strange animals. One person who wrote a lot about this, called Dr Margaret Hunter says people that do this are trying to buy “racial capital” through body manipulation.
A UN study says Nigerians are the biggest bleachers with 75 percent of their women bleaching. Surprisingly South Africa is on third with 35 percent of its women bleaching. That really was a surprise to many because a lot of South Africans are fair. But some say because of the apartheid history there is really no surprises there. There are no figures for Zimbabwe. But everyone knows how big on fads Zimbabweans are, it’s a sure case that de-pigmentation and all its health hazards is catching on.
One hopes that once the Ministry of Heath has come to a position based on scientific evidence then a decision made on health imperatives will be arrived at. Not just levying or taxing the products. If the health of a nation is threatened then banning altogether should be considered. Whilst all progressive minds do not want a “Nanny State” prescribing people’s lifestyles, there is no doubt that every government owes its citizens a duty of care.
One also has to note that big corporations hardly owned or run by Blacks like Unilever are the major producers of this cash cow in the beauty industry. Are black people now victims of this industry that promotes self-stigmatisation, low self efficacy as well as low self-esteem? Those that support the notion ask why a different race has found it necessary to create and market a product specifically for Black people?
Did they see a need they are fulfilling or they just created the need themselves and are now laughing all the way to the bank?
It’s granted that vanity is one of the most expensive indulgences this life offers to people. Of course if one’s sense of self-worthy is zero and bleaching skins helps it climb up a few notches without much prejudice to their health, then by all means, why not? But has the Government of Zimbabwe fully engaged with the issue?
Online Reporter