Now that Big Brother Africa is over, the spotlight has moved from Beverly Osu back to Tonto Dikeh. Here's the video where she admits to skin bleaching:
First off, I really appreciate her honesty but I find it hilarious when she says that skin bleaching can be done right because she sounds like a scientist. Apparently, there are some bleaching creams out there that don't have hydroquinone, who knows? I highly doubt it that she does not use hydroquinone because her skin is just so much lighter. I also find it problematic because I feel that many people out there will get the message that bleaching is okay, because it can be done "right".
Self-hate?
Self-hate is usually believed to be the cause of the bleaching phenomenon. Tonto obviously thinks that being light-skinned is so much more preferable than dark-skin, and she alludes to this by proudly saying "Don't get me wrong, I've always been light skinned". I disagree with the self-hate thesis, and I DO NOT think that people bleach their skin because of low self-esteem either.
Charles (2003) defines low self-esteem as "a persons overall positive or negative attitude toward him or herself". A skin bleacher is obviously concerned with their body image, particularly their skin. We all know the politics of black skin, especially as it relates to the black female body. If you had a positive attitude toward your dark (or darker skin), why would you feel the need to make it lighter?
Charles study indicates that 9 respondents surveyed for the level of self esteem scored a median of 23/30. 7/9 respondents had self esteem scores over 20. Charles explains that the survey was carried out on adolescents who may be bleaching due to environmental influences rather than low self-esteem. Four of the respondents said they bleached because it prevented pimples. He writes that this is a very small sample of the Jamaican population, and there certainly are some skin bleachers who suffer from self-hate, however, this is not the entire story. He brings up an interesting point, that thousands of white tourists who flood tanning salons are not deemed to be suffering from self-hate. Double standards, anyone?
Decolonizing our minds
We need to decolonize our minds and re-teach ourselves that our standards of beauty should not be defined by European ideals. Black is beautiful! We say it so much but do we actually believe it and practice it?
Self-hate?
Self-hate is usually believed to be the cause of the bleaching phenomenon. Tonto obviously thinks that being light-skinned is so much more preferable than dark-skin, and she alludes to this by proudly saying "Don't get me wrong, I've always been light skinned". I disagree with the self-hate thesis, and I DO NOT think that people bleach their skin because of low self-esteem either.
Charles (2003) defines low self-esteem as "a persons overall positive or negative attitude toward him or herself". A skin bleacher is obviously concerned with their body image, particularly their skin. We all know the politics of black skin, especially as it relates to the black female body. If you had a positive attitude toward your dark (or darker skin), why would you feel the need to make it lighter?
Charles study indicates that 9 respondents surveyed for the level of self esteem scored a median of 23/30. 7/9 respondents had self esteem scores over 20. Charles explains that the survey was carried out on adolescents who may be bleaching due to environmental influences rather than low self-esteem. Four of the respondents said they bleached because it prevented pimples. He writes that this is a very small sample of the Jamaican population, and there certainly are some skin bleachers who suffer from self-hate, however, this is not the entire story. He brings up an interesting point, that thousands of white tourists who flood tanning salons are not deemed to be suffering from self-hate. Double standards, anyone?
Decolonizing our minds
We need to decolonize our minds and re-teach ourselves that our standards of beauty should not be defined by European ideals. Black is beautiful! We say it so much but do we actually believe it and practice it?
