This made me smile today (race/ethnicity)

[ArriettyJones]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51611514

Little spot of good news

I know in the end it’s a commercial decision but good for Tesco nevertheless.

(I did look and couldn’t see another thread in this. Apologies if I missed one.)

Clicky link (hopefully):-

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51611514

This makes me so happy. I’ve never had a plaster match my skin tone before

I've boycotted them for years. About 20 years ago a friend who had parents from different continents asked why? He said he hadn't realised they were meant to be skin tone and nobody has that colour skin.

Forgive me for showing my ignorance - I am not a person of colour - but why is this required or welcomed?

I buy plasters that are blue, sometimes with characters on, or, when conventional, in a ruddy colour that’s not my skin tone either.

Please, I am not being controversial or antsy for the sake of stirring things up, just genuinely wonder why there’s a desire for different coloured plasters.

That's nice!

You might not want the plaster to be obvious.

This makes me so happy. I’ve never had a plaster match my skin tone before

It really is great, isn’t it?

@cormoranstrike it's not hard to understand, surely? The 'flesh toned' plasters are made for white people. This is fairly effective in reflecting the utter imbalance in our society and summing up how everything is geared towards white people. A black person has never been able to match a plaster to their skin tone before, despite skin tone plasters being available. It's fuck all to do with cartoon character plasters - you have a choice. People of colour do not, or did not.

So it’s welcomed as a mark of improvement towards diversity? Okay, I get why that small step towards correcting a societal imbalance is a good thing.

But genuinely - and as I was clear to point out @CommunistLegoBloc - I had no idea traditional plasters were meant to be skin toned. I’ve seen paler ones, which in reflection maybe be, but I buy blue ones or those stretchy fabric ones which are more red/rusty coloured, so I have never thought of them being skin coloured just, well, plaster coloured.

It made me smile too OP.

@CormoranStrike In all your life, you've never needed one to 'blend in'? Grazed knee, hand, blistered foot in sandals?
I had a plaster on my neck (mole removed) in some important photos, a blue one would have looked a bit daft.

Blue plasters are supposed to stand out. 'Fleshtone' ones aren't

I had no idea traditional plasters were meant to be skin toned.

Well now you know.

But aren't things sold to the majority market?

Me too. This made me really happy. I think it's the equivalent of having a weird name and never getting the key chain as a child with your name on because you weren't called Mary or Sarah. I have a weird name and I'm brown, but finally I can have skin coloured plasters yippee 😊

I think many white people will never have noticed that plasters are pale flesh toned- that's privilege I guess. The issue is a bit more obvious when they are not.

@ArriettyJones yep, and I am glad I do now.

@leccybill nope, never have, but that’s either been sheer luck in not having a plaster anywhere obvious or being blissfully ignorant of the fact they were were so matching that it has never occurred to me to worry.

Sorry if my musings over why this (in my experience)’ minor thing was so welcomed, but you’ve opened my eyes a little to what I have taken for granted.

Thanks for that perspective.

But aren't things sold to the majority market?

Yes, of course. That’s why shoes are only sold in sizes 5,6 &7 🙄

(Heavy sarcasm, in case you missed it.)

I have a weird name and I'm brown, but finally I can have skin coloured plasters yippee

One down, one to go

So nice to have good news - love this

Incredible that people would actually find a reason to pick apart this important and significant step. Majority market indeed, give your head a wobble.

Incredible that people would actually find a reason to pick apart this important and significant step.

I am really trying so hard to remain optimistic about the direction our society is going, but there always a few, aren’t there?

It actually kind of blows my mind that this is only just happening in 2020 - outrageous that this wasn’t done years ago.

At last- fantastic!

Aren’t most plasters sold a shade that is more near the [orange] colour of Donald Trump?

If I’m bleeding or have a cut I’m not bothered whether the plaster I put on to protect the wound matches my brown skin or not. I apply them for practicality, not fashion. Still, if it pleases others then good for them and I’m glad they are being made to accommodate the people it does matter to.