Opinion on Beauty (Skin color)

Beauty Has No Skin Tone

Source of photo: vexels

Few areas on earth do not stigmatise people with dark complexion. These differences in skin tones created an implicit hierarchy in America. The media influence the strong misconception in the African America women to believe that their skin color are not beautiful. This kind of concept also influence other country such as in Asia has experienced the most extended and harshest level of stigma against people with dark skin. Dark-skinned Dalits in India were stigmatised as "untouchables" for thousands of years. They continue to be ostracised today.

 

Until today, many people still ask and look for ways to whiten their skin on different platforms.

 

Source of photo: Quora

“ It's Time To Change Our Mindsets ” 

“     Beauty Has No Skin Tone    ”     

In the end, it all comes down to the reality that it is best to give up unhealthful beauty standards and concentrate on having a positive body image. People should be happy, healthy, and vivacious instead of what the media dictates. The general rule should be that one's character and texture are more appealing when there is a greater variety of colour. Teach women and society to be authentic and to not place such a high value on fitting in that it begins to affect how they see themselves.

 

In research from Hall (2018), "Black is Beautiful" was a political phrase that gained popularity at the end of the 1960s and intended to dispel the prejudices that many Americans, including many African-Americans, had against all things black. 

 

A political statement called "Back to Black," which pays homage to the "Black is Beautiful" movement, might address the urge that many people have to bleach their black skin. It might change people's attitude toward people with such skin and other characteristics. By repeating the phrase and giving homage to the many dark-skinned beauties whose attractiveness is rarely acknowledged, even black celebrities with fair complexion could help glamorise dark skin: Janelle Monae, Gabrielle Union, and Lupita Nyong'o.

Gabrielle Union

Janelle Monae

Lupita Nyong'o

A growing number of young Africans are taking pride in their complexions after the phenomenal success of the global blockbuster film Black Panther, which had a cast that was largely made up of people of colour. They have created hashtags like #melaninpoppin and #blackgirlmagic to celebrate their dark skin tones (Rao, 2019).

 

In an interview with Vogue, a US fashion and lifestyle publication, the critically renowned Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o, who appeared in Black Panther, says, "I cannot run away from who I am and my complexion or the greater society, and how they may interpret that." She observes that a successful life required self-acceptance and contentment.

In Malaysia 

Thousands of women around the world, including thousands of women in Malaysia, are speaking out against products that whiten the skin.Not only are they sending a strong message to the multi-billion dollar skincare industry, which has been whitewashed for decades with models and products that promote fairer skin, but these women are also calling them out for promoting biassed beauty standards and colorism while selling products that could be harmful to health.

The rise of dark beauty in Malaysia is a result of whitening treatments becoming blatantly uncool globally as more businesses seek to highlight different skin tones. Conglomerates Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, and Amazon have all joined Fair and Lovely creator Unilever in renouncing their support for fair skin.

In January 2020, nearly 3,000 Malaysians joined the Brown girls of Malaysia Facebook group to support the #UnfairandLovely movement. They shared photos of local brown women to "empower girls to stop bleaching and whitening their faces to please society".

 Also, 

More brown women in the media

there have been more brown women in Malaysian media. For example, the local coffee brand Wonda Coffee recently ran a TV ad with at least three dark-skinned people.

source of GIF: 

BuzzFeed

To end this colour bias, the media needs to show different varieties of beauty outside the Western ideal.🎥

🔗References 🔗

Hall, R. (2018, February 2). Black America’s ‘bleaching syndrome.’ The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/black-americas-bleaching-syndrome-82200 

Rao. (2019, April 10). Paying a high price for skin bleaching. Africa Renewal. https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/paying-high-price-skin-bleaching