Skin Lightner

Here is the link youtu.be/tSN80k1BlJs

I agree, but apparently many black/brown people think a lighter skin is desirable in partner. Yes, it is sad, and there are stories of people, mostly women, suffering severe burns from using bleach.

People, particularly women, have always done all sorts of things, some of them extremely dangerous, to change their appearance for a variety of reasons. Bleaching dark skin seems drastic and it is sad that some people feel a need to do it. However, I can see no reason to be proud of being black any more than being proud of being tall – it's not something you have achieved.

In some cases I guess one might feel proud that one's ancestors had survived slavery and see their colour as a badge of honour. Bit like some people feel about a scar. But I guess people sometimes feel ashamed of black skin (and therefore feel it should be lighter) rather than accepting and confident about how they look, so proud is shorthand for that?

JessM Not all black people are the descendants of slaves. Skin lightener is also very popular in India where lighter skinned women are thought, by some, to be more beautiful than their darker skinned sisters. Maybe that's a relic of colonialism.

My pale skin was admired in Thailand. Thailand has never been colonised but the Thais are very colour prejudiced. Often heard disparaging comments about darker-skinned people, especially Tamils, of whom there were plenty in the southern Thai city I worked in.

Actually, my suntanned arms were the same colour as the paler Thais' arms. I faded though, and they didn't

in the souther Thai city where I worked

Prejudice about skin colour is sad, whatever the reasons for it.

Bags The old name for Thailand was Siam. Dating from the twelfth century, Siam was used pejoratively to describe the migrating "brown people" who eventually settled in Thailand.

Weren't the Siamese a Chinese 'race'? Interestingly, where I lived, many of the most visible businesses were owned and run by Chinese rather than Thais.

PS Thais still call their country Siam quite a lot, but they also use Land of the Thai.

Same in India and China i believe - pale skin is seen as more attractive. I have seen a Chinese colleague standing inside a scorching hot foyer while waiting for a lift on a summer afternoon rather than standing outside and risking a tan.

When my daughter lived in Malaysia, the locals could not understand why she allowed her very fair skin to get tanned and her little girl, a blue-eyed blonde, attracted a great deal of attention in the little town of Kohta Baru. She was quite surprised when they got back to Kent to find nobody made a fuss of her in Tescos.

And white people risk skin cancer trying to get a tan on a sunbed - mad old wolrd!

I always keep covered up - even when snorkeling in tropical waters I wear long cotton pants and a tee-shirt over my swimming costume - but I can't avoid getting lightly tanned when walking in the mountains. I have some hats with peaks which embarrass my family.

Women all over the world have been coerced into thinking that physical 'beauty' is important enough to do all sorts of things to their skin/ hair/ body to try to fit a particular 'beauty' look. I suspect each of us has done at least one thing to try to conform to someone else's perception of beauty. Some are more insidious than others. There was once a rumour that Jane Fonda had ribs removed to improve her body shape..never knew if was true but drastic if it was!

It's just so sad that we women can't love ourselves the way we are

Many of my nieces and nephews are mixed race, chinese, japanese, italian!
none of them have any skin related issues. Maybe its coz they are surrounded with love and confidence. They are proud of their heritage, although i must say none of them have been exposed to racism at school or work. Maybe my family just has good genes, they are all beautiful.

Laidback , what a lovely post .

My niece is mixed race and she is gorgeous .

And so is my senior GD. She is coming back from Florida tomorrow and I am sure she will have been out in the sun without much protection. She is light-skinned and would like to be darker. There's no pleasing some people. My pupils in Kenya used skin-lightening creams and I pinned up and article on the classroom notice board, warning of their dangers. Did they take note? Not likely, the article disappeared never to be seen again!

Anno , you must be excited about seeing her .

I agree about not using sunscreen , it SO important , okay when young as the skin has loads of elasticity , but can cause deep seated damage .

Do they listen to Gran though , like heck .

I am, Nonu. When I was in my 20s, I once fell asleep on a beach in Kenya and burnt my back so badly I couldn't wear a bra for a week. Eight years ago I had a melanoma removed from the back of my neck. It can take many years to show up the damage. Nowadays I go out of my way to seek shade and wear a light cotton cover-up.

When we lived in Jamaica my husband was a manager in an insurance company. He got a lot of stick from the women when he wanted the woman with the darkest complexion on the front desk. They were very shocked with him. He did get his way I am glad to say.

It was a leftover from colonialism I presume.

I will tell you a story , when DH and I were young we sunbathed on a beach at Clacton , which is not the hottest place on planet earth .

Lovely , lovely , next day day and night we had the most awful sunstroke .
We sweated , were sick , the whole nine yards , but of course we had not used sunscreen , I think in those days we didn"t so much , didn"t feel the need .

Tell you what though , when wed go on our hot weather holidays , even though he tans easily , it is the highest factor , gradually working down .

I myself stay out most of the time , still come home with a good colour .

All good fun , isn"t it .