Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Fair and Lovely, AHA Lightening Gel, Fair and Handsome, HQ Lightening Gel and Bionic Skin Lightening Gel. Fairness creams are available today in multiple shapes and forms, price ranges, iterations of which are well under development to include acne control, dark spot suppressants and so on. The list is endless and so is its demand, well represented in its target audience of young adults to those well into their middle ages.
Although fairness creams have been penetrating markets since the mid-1900s, only in the past 15 years have we noticed any resistance at all towards their production and racist advertisement. Multiple movie castings, awards shows, documentaries and other media sources have continued to glorify the fair-skinned and hence, have established a not-so-invisible precedence in the society – that of fairer skin being “better” than darker skin.
In recent years, we have finally seen a leisurely shift towards appreciating other skin types and ethnicities. There is finally backlash against celebrities endorsing such products and there has been more representation of previously underrepresented members of our society. The pre-established norms of “attractive” and “beautiful” have thus, finally, evolved to become appreciative of differences and have finally strayed from stereotypical bonds. Needless to say, fairness creams, pardon the pun, have left their mark in our societies.
In fact, in addition to fairness creams being a toxic ingredient to our society, it also actually consists of various toxic products that bring about sensitivity to sunlight, increased hyperpigmentation, contact dermatitis and skin irritation amongst other symptoms. Due to this and other factors, many creams have also since been banned.
In conclusion, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of “being comfortable in your own skin.” You are beautiful. You are imperfectly perfect. You are unique. And you are you.
