‘Light-skinned privilege’ is a thing! Many black women believe fairer skin could be their ticket to a better life. In many parts of Africa, light-skinned women are considered more beautiful and therefore more likely to succeed in some fields, such as in the modeling and movie industries.
So they spend their savings on cheap concoctions that promise to lighten their skin. Someone I recently met told me. “Bleaching just makes me feel special like I’m walking around in a spotlight. I am not seeking to be totally white, I just want to look beautiful, cannot stop using lightening agents.”
“I just want to look beautiful” stood out to me. This is the idea that has been ingrained in the minds of black people. That light skin is more beautiful than dark skin. So a number of black people have turned to bleach products to make them more beautiful.
Nigeria remains a huge market for bleaching products. According to a 2011 estimate from the World Health Organization, 76 million Nigerians, mostly women, use lightening products regularly.
A Nigerian man in Abuja made the following statement: “Yes this is Nigeria, fair skin is a business. In the movie industry, most times the director wants you to like glow, in fact, you should be camera friendly. You know most times dark people tend to…will I say resist? But they are more beautiful and catchy when they come in contact with the camera.”
Skin bleaching comes with hazardous health consequences. The dangers associated with the use of toxic compounds for skin bleaching include blood cancers such as leukemia and cancers of the liver and kidneys as well as severe skin conditions
