OK, call me silly (well not really)

But several of these posts on skin lightning are the most read posts I see.
What is it that makes you want to lighten your skin ?

God made each of us special, ( and for those that know me, certainly not all pretty) I have known and dated ladies of all levels of skin color and tone and all are pretty in their own rights.

Is there something in a culture that requires or drives people to lighten their skin color ?

Thanks

Hi Chuck,
I'm sure you will find various reasons or motives behind skin lightening. I think a lot of it is driven from culture. I'm originally from Pakistan and the "fairer" you are the more you are equated with being better in every aspect. In the East, you can have plain features, yet if you are lighter, you are considered beautiful. You will find fairer people in higher positions of employment. People will consider you more intelligent. Why? Grass is greener on other side. If everyone essentially looks the same, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin... when that can be set apart with lighter eyes or lighter skin... more attention is drawn to you. If you look at history, dark people are typified as working class out in the fields working, whereas the well off were inside with protection from sun and able to maintain fair complexions.

You see more talk about it on forums because we can not just go out at night lie under the moon and become lighter... like white people can just go out and lie in the sun and become tanned. It takes a lot of sun protection for us, cover up and also creams to lighten. It's a large market in the East because there is no one time cure, you have to use it forever... a cosmetic companies dreamland. It is a HUGE industry in the billions.

Many that are not from this culture, like to equate skin lightening with low self esteem or self worth and that we do not appreciate our origin. There may be some that feel that way, but for most people it is aesthetic enhancement.

Also, many people with darker skin find themselves with many uneven blotches, and use skin lightening to even out their tone.

I hate to say this, Fr Chuck but in some cultures, white is just the way to be. Look at Japan & China for example. They take so much pride in the fineness & fairness of their skin that in Japan, some women really shave their faces. In India, those with lighter coloring are mostly the aristocrats & well off. In the Philippines, having been colonized by both Japan & the US & with most merchants being Chinese, being white is a big deal. Sure, brown color can turn heads in the Western world but when you are Asian, this isn't so. Sad isn't it? A friend of mine once said that when you are dark & beautiful, there is no mistaking that you are really beautiful. Hands down. But those who are not so much bestowed with prettier faces could make it up with nice, white skin. Let me give you an example. Two women with very beautiful eyes. One light skinned. One dark skinned. Most would comment on the white skinned about her eyes since it would contrast with her paleness but the dark one would have less. The world is not fair. Beauty is global but the criteria for judging beauty is so much in favor of the lighter one. I am mixed & I think brown skin is sexy. But my features do not stand out so I am very much into skincare & whitening. I hope I make you understand that this is not about hating the color that we are in. No. I have a light skinned mother & dark skinned father & so I am café au lait. The sun just made me darker on exposed spots & so I am trying to even out & not aiming for the WHITE WHITE.

That's funny Im always using that new moisturizer they have now that gives you that " sunkissed" glow to darken my skin. I do have a little bit of Tsalagi from my mother but I'm mostly white so id look kind of freakish lightening my skin. I always thought dark skin people are so beautiful and look healthy. They make me jealous.

I don't want to be white I love being caribbean, I'm light brown in most area's and dark in some I've tried tanning whilst on vacation but the light area's only come back lighter. I have no option but to lighten all over, I don't care if I go to asian or wherever and they shun me because I'm light brown and not white... that's there problem!