A dangerous desire to have fairer skin

Since it emerged in the US in the 1960s, the practice of skin-whitening has worked its way
across the world. If certain African, Asian and atino societies consider fair skin a sym!ol of
!ea"ty and higher social standing, then the s"ccess of lighter skinned stars in the media has only
confirmed their !eliefs.
Skin-whitening in#ol#es the application of prod"cts made with strong to$ins, which rarely carry
a health warning. Increasingly pop"lar, the ha%ardo"s &!ea"ty sol"tion& is posing a serio"s
pro!lem in many co"ntries in Africa and elsewhere. 'n ("esday )*o#. +,, a -rench ./
la"nched a nationwide awareness campaign a!o"t the dangers of skin whitening.
While its a problem in France, its a question of public health in Africa
0hadi Sy 1i%et is a /aris doctor specialised in the dermatological aesthetics of !lack skin. She
wrote a !ook on the s"!2ect, &(he !ook of !lack !ea"ty&.
"(here are two e$treme ways of whitening the skin. 1oth are highly dangero"s. (he first
employs cortisone 3a steroid hormone4, which destroys the epidermis 3o"ter layer of the skin4.
(he prod"ct passes into the !loodstream and the "ser de#elops a strong dependence on it. .ost
women who ha#e "sed this prod"ct descri!e feelings of depression, not to mention serio"s
physical pro!lems with the skin itself.
(he other method is to apply a hydro5"inone !ased prod"ct. (his is a carcinogenic compo"nd
and !anned in -rance 3it was !anned !y the entire 6"ropean Union in 70014. 8o" can only find it
on the !lack market.
(he story goes that men prefer women with fairer skin, !"t it9s not tr"e. :hile it9s a pro!lem in
-rance, it9s a 5"estion of p"!lic health in Africa, where e#ery co"ntry is affected. It started in
;hana, where prostit"tes were the first to whiten their skin.
/rod"cts sold legally in -rance don9t really work. It m"st !e "nderstood that changing yo"r skin
colo"r simply goes against nat"re. &
For some, fair skin remains a symbol of wealth and higher social standing
<onorat <ermann 0o"assi works in ad#ertising in A!id2an, I#ory =oast.
"(his pro!lem has !een aro"nd for some time, only now, it9s !igger than e#er and growing
rapidly. 6#ery!ody9s doing it. Something that9s not helping is the n"mero"s ad#ertising
campaigns which show women with fairer skin.
>espite ha#ing passed laws to monitor this kind of ad#ertising and to !an dangero"s prod"cts,
the I#orian a"thorities don9t !other enforcing them. *othing9s changed.
Altho"gh the concept is condemned in p"!lic, many men in pri#ate admit that they prefer
women with fairer skin. -or some, fair skin remains a sym!ol of wealth and higher social
standing. (here are plenty of women who don9t think twice a!o"t ?le#elling o"t9 their skin, as we
say here. It ranges from 17-year-olds to the elderly.&