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The skin lightening cream business is booming despite its health risks, as women of African and Hispanic descent seek to lighten up their darker hues, a paradox that has plagued people of color seemingly since time immemorial.
Sammy Sosa, the former Chicago Cub, turned heads in November when he showed up at the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony considerably lighter. And a Brooklyn woman recently told The New York Times that she uses skin lightening creams "to be more accepted by society.'' Now, after applying the creams with names like Hyprogel and Fair & White, her skin became so thin that a touch would bruise her face. Her capillaries became visible, and she developed stubborn acne -- all side effects of the prescription-strength steroids in some of the creams, some of which she bought over the counter in beauty supply stores, the story says.
Herein lies the problem: a sociologist said in the article there is a clear connection between skin color and socioeconomic status. "There is prejudice against dark-skinned people, especially women in the so-called marriage market.''
The point was driven home recently with the revelation that Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader, once predicted that Barack Obama could become the country's first black president because he is "light-skinned.''
Sen. Reid's comment was debated by political pundits near and far and was generally agreed upon. Still, people should not put their health at risk to change their natural born features, or buy into stereotypes. A doctor interviewed in the article said the creams ingredients could damage the nervous system.
Comments: (11)
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By: STERLING gray on 1/21/2010 1:30PM
YOU FOOLS BETTER WAKE UP THOSE CHEMICALS ARE DEADLY STUPID YOUR NATURAL COLOR IS GODS
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By: Sus7637 on 1/21/2010 2:55PM
Stupid,learn how to write correctly before you call anybody stupid!
secondly: not all minorities buy into all that stereotypical society bullshit, so dont have the nerve to judge anybody.... when you dont have a clue! "idiot"
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By: eazy on 1/21/2010 6:11PM
This skin lighting is being done mainly by Blacks from the Carribean and South America who believe they can't make it in America unless their white. It is a mentallity that is rampant in their cultures. The only thing they succeed at is looking like a side show freak.
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By: Mookm988 on 1/21/2010 2:56PM
Dark skinned blacks can't help how they feel about their skin since light skinned blacks are the reason why they feel like their dark skin isn't acceptable. You have to remember that light skin blacks where the first ones to call them black, I know because my experience was with one. Light skin blacks feel like they own the black race and that dark skinn blacks need to be like them. I don't see the bleaching of the skin ever going away as long as blacks feel this way towards one another. Once we accept each other, dark skin will always be a curse.
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By: Mimi on 1/21/2010 4:28PM
I AM A LIGHT SKINNED BLACK PERSON AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE I OWN THE BLACK RACE...WHY WOULD I? AS A LIGHT SKINNED BLACK PERSON...I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE DARKER THAN I SHOULD LIGHTEN THEIR SKIN TO LOOK LIKE ME....WHY WOULD I? I DON'T AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS.
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By: Mookm988 on 1/21/2010 7:36PM
Mimi, it's okay to disagree with what I said but you are one person and you being light skinned, you know that you wouldn't want to be dark skinned. Hoorah for you if you haven't made any darker skinned person feel less then you but I don't believe you haven't. If you get upset with a dark skinned person you want to say something to hurt them so you right away call them black or blackie. Why? Simply because we have been taught through the generations that if your skin is dark you are ugly. This isn't to attack you personally but when you are up against any dark skin person whether it be for a job or even a man, you will think that you should be the winner because after all, I am light skinned, isn't that the famous line they use and even if you haven't, you have heard other people,women use it. You just know that if you are ever in that situation that thought will enter tour mind. You may have never thought that person should lighten their skin to look like you, no because they won't be looking like you, they will be light skinned like you and can fit in with people like you. I have never thought of lighening my skin because I have the smmothest pretty black skin any woman would want but all dark skinned people don't have this type of skin. Me personally I don't care what blacks say about my skin complexion because I have been told by the person who opinion matters the most to me, A WHITE WOMAN. she said my skin was as close to perfection as you can get. It just makes a person angry when people like you try to pretend it don't make a difference or that it don't exsist.
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By: Angela on 1/22/2010 1:21AM
Mook, you have a serious problem. You sound like you have a problem with your own dark skin, you justified it yourself by saying that you had to be validated by a white woman. A white woman had to tell you that you had pretty skin for you to accept it. Colorism exist because of attitudes like yours. You sound very angry. I am a lighter skinned sista, I don't think my skin makes me better than anyone. In fact, I can'y wait till summer to get my darker hued tan. I married dark skinned. Been attracted to dark men all my life. Got 4 kids by him and only one of the four came out with a dark complexion and he is the most beautiful. Girl, get off that dark skin, light skin stuff, it's immature and keeps the hate going. Let it go...
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By: sandy374 on 1/21/2010 11:29PM
Why are we turning on ourselves and each other?
Any reference to skin color initially came from whites during slavery which ended in 1863.
My maternal greatmother was born in 1887 and a small dark-skinned women with long black hair, which we hardly ever saw because she always wore a scarf or head rag. My grandmother (her child) was a very small light skinned woman part chinese but to white people she was colored. My mother's father was a tall dark skinned handsome man. My mother was fair. 2 of her siblings were brown, one was light. My mother was light, my father, brown. My 5 siblings are all more brown than me. This is the way it works in our families and that is fine. Recognize that negative thoughts about our skin color is unproductive and unhealthy. These thoughts of hating our color are thoughts that come from white supremacists. They do not care whether we are light, brown, or dark. Why would we accept their thinking? Racism is a state of mind. There is nothing wrong with the color of your skin no matter what hue.
Creamy vanilla, warm yellow, exotic brown, luscious
chocolate, or blackberry are all beautiful. White people have one shade-pale white. Personally that does not not work for me. I like that fact that we have a variety of colors among our race to choose from. I love them all. Love yourself. Celebrate yourself . You are all beautiful.
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By: Gerald A Whitt on 1/22/2010 1:36PM
Most intelligent people know that skin color should not be a determinating factor as to one's beauty. Unfortunately, there are the mean spirited evil few that think that the word black should always be combined with ugly. Growing up my siblings knew that if they really wanted to make me mad they would always call me "black & ugly". I began to believe that being dark meant I was automatically ugly. Today the only time that I feel this is true is when a I see a person who was not very attractive and just happened to be very dark. Many very dark people have been made to think that they are ugly mostly by black people and quite a few whites. I can understand why the risk factor is known and ignored and not a detterent for some dark skinned blacks. White people take the same risk by lying in tanning booths for too long. I love what Sandy374 said: "Love yourself!Celebrate yourself.You are all beutiful." I do believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Hopefully one day skin color will be irrelevant.
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