To not get the problem with skin whitening?

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Just seen a video with a singer Dencia 'defending' her decision to lighten her skin and the interviewer suggesting that it means she's uncomfortable being a black woman. Provided the product is safe to use, I don't see why someone lightening dark skin is any different ethically to a pale person using fake tan, or someone putting a dye on grey hair.

[Serendipity30]

crazynanna no it wasnt, why should i have to research every poster thst responds to me. Her background and how many children she has was not relevant to the post and still isnt.

[Serendipity30]

There was nothing weird about it, other posters have made similar comments to the one I made she decided and so have you it seems to look at it in a sinister way, which it was not intended to be.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

The sport, can I ask how old you are? My granddads mum was Maori. At that time everything was hidden. He or someone even destroyed all her records. My gran didn't know about my grandads heritage until 40 years into marriage. She wasn't happy about it. She always thought my grandads mum simply had a nice tan from gardening and often complimented her on it. I bet she thought my gran was stupid but she never mentioned it herself.

It's strange how genetics works. My mum has olive skin, big dark eyes, thick black hair (once mistaken for Asian meaning our neighbours when I was small hurled racist abuse at her until she questioned wtf they were on about) and then there's me! Pale beyond belief, freckles, green eyes and thin shit dark brown hair. For me, I'm glad of hair bleach. It means I can accept my stupid skin tone.

I have read other peoples replies to this thread and the issues stated fill me with such sadness. 'Beautiful for a dark girl' that's disgusting. I'm sure you're nothing less than beautiful, full stop! I was always raised that skin colour shouldn't even be considered. I think we are a long way off that. And that's sickening.

My daughter has had two CMs. At the first one there was a white girl and a mixed race girl n none of them gave the slightest care that they weren't all the same. The new CM there is a mixed race boy and it's the same. Clearly, it's something we are taught

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

TheSpork, sodding autocorrect

[sashh]

I think this is the wrong argument.

Switch on the TV today and watch for a few hours.

Count how many people are on the box who are not white. Then look at their skin tone.

Whether it is a newsreader, actor, TV presenter, you will find pale skin. The only time you see very dark skin in sports, or where a sports person has moved from playing/competing to commentating.

Britain is a majority white country with significant numbers of people from all corners of the earth with all skin tines, but you wouldn't know that from watching TV.

It should absolutely be up to someone what they do to their skin, whether they have tattoos, piercings, bright pink hair etc.

It is also right that in some jobs certain ways of dressing are accepted as the norm and tattoos need to be covered / piercings removed.

But the big difference is that doing something to your body may make you less employable, changing your skin tone should not make you more employable.

Can you imagine if getting a job depended on you having a tattoo or a piercing? That in order to get a job you have to permanently do something to your skin that may well damage it?

[2rebecca]

I'm not convinced that black women are doing this to counter prejudice in white people re employment etc. I've found asian people to be much more judgemental about the depth and evenness of skin colour than white people. Yes white people can be racist but they aren't usually more racist the darker your skin is. For racists it's more of a "you're not white you're black" thing and varying degrees of "blackness" don't interest them.

[FreudiansSlipper]

2rebecca have you thought why some Asian people are judgemental about skin tone?

and I do think people attitudes are different towards different backgrounds, have heard more than one I like west Indians but not Africans of course it is still racist and often worse, I like you, you are like us but not him/her but many racists will have black/asian friends don't you know

[Tinkywoo]

Eveesmummy Racism is definitely taught.
If a breastfed baby/toddler of white race was hungry and I offered to feed him/her they would not consider my colour.

When I attend my dc's school open sessions, children of all races huddle towards me for attention and recognition. They could not care less what race I am.

[Tinkywoo]

2Rebecca I agree that non black people care little about the differing shades of black people. To them you are either black or white.

Black people on the other hand........

[Tinkywoo]

I may be flamed for this but I have found Asian women can be hostile/dismissive towards black women.

I am almost 40 and have never had one Asian friend.

At college and university I tried to speak to a few and they brushed me off, same thing at my dc's school. Funnily, they no problems conversing with black men

[ChocolateSnowflakes]

Google search 'beautiful women' this is why people bleach their skin. European-centred society has told us that beauty=white. And that's why everything is wrong with skin bleaching.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Tinkywoo, why do you say about black men? One thing I will say is that a lot of white girls seem to look only at black men. Almost as if it's the opposite to the extremely old and false stereotype that black men cannot resist a white woman.

Also, I used to live with a black girl and two Indian girls. They never had any problems being friends. Though we did have a few jokes about the looks we sometimes received because we all were friends as opposed to sticking to our own racial group.

Saying that, the black girl did fall out with me for dating a black man. It didn't last very long but she thought it was the end of the world.

[NewtRipley]

Wasn't there scandal a while back about Beyonce's skin colour being altered in magazines?

[NewtRipley]

Evees/ Tinky/ anyone who'd like to help

Can I ask, in your experience, do more white women date black men than vice versa?

[NewtRipley]

Lupita Nyong'o is Beautiful

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Newt, do you mean than black women date white men? Or than white women date white men?

Re Beyoncé I did hear that but I also heard recently that she kicked off because she asked pics not to be airbrushed and they were. I'm not sure that's colour/body shape or what.

[TwittyMcTwitterson]

Lupita is absolutely stunning and I saw her at some awards ceremonies wearing incredible dresses. I think she has a very sweet face. Think she'll change a lot of opinions.

[ChocolateSnowflakes]

Lupita is very beautiful, it's just a shame that it's taken the mainstream media this long to recognise a beautiful dark-skinned woman. I wonder how long it will be for the next one to be recognised (and how many glossy mags will make comparisons between the next one and Lupita, because of course they will be the "only" beautiful black women around.)

[EmpressOfJurisfiction]

Lupita's very beautiful.

I know four or five interracial lesbian couples including us.

[ChocolateSnowflakes]

As for Beyonce, I went to see her in concert recently and it was funny to see how much darker her skin appeared on the big screens once she had sweated most of her make-up off.

[NewtRipley]

Evees

Yes, the former. Sorry, didn't write that very clearly.

[NewtRipley]

Chocolate

There was abig rfuss about Alek Wek a while back, but she didn't unfortunately open the door to high fashion for other dark skinned models.

[ChocolateSnowflakes]

Newt in my experience, yes. Of course there are interracial couples each way, but I tend to see more black man-white woman couple than the other way around. Although I'd say 50:50 for Asian-white couples. I think that's slowly changing though, I have friends and family members dating both ways round.

[NewtRipley]

Empress

Thanks for your response. I suppose what I've noticed, or think I've noticed is fewer white men with black women. i'm wondering if that's true, and if so, why? I had not even considered same sex couples.

[ChocolateSnowflakes]

Lupita even mentions Alek Wek in the article that you linked. Comparisons are always made between dark-skinned female celebrities because there are so few.