Women in America slather on self-tanner and gorge themselves in the sun to get tan, while women in Eastern countries such as India slather on "lightening" cream to make their dark skin
lighter.
Grass is always greener, right? But where do we draw the line when it comes to what we should do in the name of beauty? This Sunday's
New York Times addressed the growing competition among beauty companies to dominate the "skin lightening" market: 60-65% of Indian women use a lightening product, and a Unilever company called Fair and Lovely dominates the Indian roobal. Fair and Lovely's sales have skyrocketed each year, which explains why western companies like Avon, Loreal, Garnier and Jolen want in. Their marketing department hit a home run here; their packaging features a sad, dark woman morphing into a happy, light-skinned woman. Really, skin whitening has been a trend in our culture since the colonial era when women powdered their faces and wigs (yes wigs, white), and again in the Victorian age when tan skin was a sign of low class. The civil rights era also drew a deep line between white and dark skin, providing a slew of human and civil rights issues. In the 50's and 60's,
Ebony magazine ran ads for "skin brightening" or "whitening" creams; in the 70's (and still today) these products shifted to
blemish removers and radiating creams that promise to brighten "spots and dullness." I can see how someone would want to reduce sunspots on their face, but not to make their face lighter. Then again, tanning itself is a staple in American culture and isn't that changing our natural skin color?
Women in America slather on self-tanner and gorge themselves in the sun to get tan, while women in Eastern countries such as India slather on "lightening" cream to make their dark skin lighter. Grass is always greener, right? But where do we draw the line when it comes to what we should do in the name of beauty? This Sunday's New York Times addressed the growing competition among beauty companies to dominate the "skin lightening" market: 60-65% of Indian women use a lightening product, and a Unilever company called Fair and Lovely dominates the Indian roobal. Fair and Lovely's sales have skyrocketed each year, which explains why western companies like Avon, Loreal, Garnier and Jolen want in. Their marketing department hit a home run here; their packaging features a sad, dark woman morphing into a happy, light-skinned woman. Really, skin whitening has been a trend in our culture since the colonial era when women powdered their faces and wigs (yes wigs, white), and again in the Victorian age when tan skin was a sign of low class. The civil rights era also drew a deep line between white and dark skin, providing a slew of human and civil rights issues. In the 50's and 60's, Ebony magazine ran ads for "skin brightening" or "whitening" creams; in the 70's (and still today) these products shifted to blemish removers and radiating creams that promise to brighten "spots and dullness." I can see how someone would want to reduce sunspots on their face, but not to make their face lighter. Then again, tanning itself is a staple in American culture and isn't that changing our natural skin color?
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