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avaanstar · Aug 31, 2008, 11:21 PM

I don't understand how a whole forum is dedicated to SKIN LIGHTENING!

Isn't it known that people look better with color?

ChihuahuaMomma · Aug 31, 2008, 11:44 PM

NO! People look better when they have confidence in who they are. Being dark doesn't make someone beautiful or not beautiful. Each individual is beautiful based on their uniqueness.

guesswhoiam · Sep 1, 2008, 07:31 AM

Agreed Chi... If one has areas of their skin that are extremely darker than the rest of their bodies due to a skin condition, then they may want to lighten that area so it is uniformed... that is certainly my case... you get so conscious when you see people looking at you because of the discoloration... that's all you think about... you just want to do something about it

Vicky_D · Sep 1, 2008, 10:05 AM

Skin lightening doesn't just mean trying to "be lighter". Skin lightening can mean evening out your skin, or lightening up certain parts of your body that are very dark, much darker than everything else. For instance, people's stomachs, butts, and faces could be very dark while the rest of their body isn't.

That's not attractive... at least not to me.

And others just want overall brighter and lighter skin. Nothing wrong with that either. Whether you want lighter or darker skin, if you have the means to achieve that, go ahead! It's your life, your body. You're the only one who has to live in your skin.

ricky0604fh · Sep 1, 2008, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by avaanstar

I don't understand how a whole forum is dedicated to SKIN LIGHTENING!

Isn't it known that people look better with color?

Well number one..

The media etc. has made it so that different is bad and conformity is good, making people feel bad about how they look etc is one of the ways that they break people down and make them subservient.

Its all part of a bigger plan, and everyone here is probably asleep to it...

excon · Sep 1, 2008, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by avaanstar

Why do people want to be LIGHT?

Hello again, a:

I don't want to be LIGHT. I spend ALL day in the sun trying to get DARK. It IS pretty strange. White people want to get dark, and dark people want to get white. Ain't it a wonderful world we live in?

excon

ricky0604fh · Sep 1, 2008, 10:17 AM

Ooo yeah, it also gives the white population a superiority complex dividing people even more...
I'm white by the way...

firmbeliever · Sep 1, 2008, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by excon

Hello again, a:

I don't wanna be LIGHT. I spend ALL day in the sun trying to get DARK. It IS pretty strange. White people wanna get dark, and dark people wanna get white. Ain't it a wonderful world we live in?

excon

Agreed!
Everyone thinks the other person has more fun,is more loved,has a better life,is more richer,has a better job...

I am not light skinned,but I like getting even more tanned/darker.
You should see the shocked look on many faces when I say I enjoy being out in the sun,especially other female friends who are trying out the lightening lotions to get fairer skin.

For some it becomes an obsession,which I am sure can't be doing them any good,because skin lightening products always don't work the same for different skin types.
And trying out too many different types of products gets even worse results because there must be a limit to chemicals the skin can bear during any given period.

avaanstar · Sep 1, 2008, 02:16 PM

Even though I am half black, I still like to be darker.
I don't look vibrant in winter because I lose my color.

Winter: http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/phot...57892_9881.jpg

Summer: http://photos-407.ll.facebook.com/ph...33785_6191.jpg

But yes, I do believe that darker black people people don't want to become darker.

avaanstar · Sep 1, 2008, 02:28 PM

Thanks excon!

fjsmith81 · Sep 1, 2008, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by ChihuahuaMomma

NO! People look better when they have confidence in who they are. Being dark doesn't make someone beautiful or not beautiful. Each individual is beautiful based on their uniqueness.

I totally agree with your response, but generally people that have confidence in themselves tend not to be desperate to have lighter skin. Confidence in yourself comes from within and not from a tube. And I think that what is initially being asked is why people try so desperately to be lighter, and I don't think that she is referring to people with blotches, or people trying to even out their skin tone. It is something that is truly sad, and it is not something that is recent. Anyone ever heard of the paper bag test?

To you avaan, I think that it is a societal thing. Unfortunately, it is something that afflicts mainly Black American women. People think that fairer skin is beautiful. The television, magazines, and billboards depict this. I am a woman of color, and I used to model, I would have been more successful if I had fairer skin. I have been described as breathtakingly exotic. Does anyone know what that is code word for? A black woman that has the shape of a white woman (tall, modelesque and void of the general curvature or thickness of a black woman), but the color of a black woman (just plain dark).

I think that the variances in color is what is beautiful. If the people of the world were all just one color I think that it would eliminate the word beauty, and introduce words like common, mundane, and same old same old.

If you are trying to lighten your skin to even out your skin tone, by all means go for it, but if you are simply doing it because that is what you think is beautiful then my suggestion would be to first read The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison, then go to the therapist to find out why you don't feel that you are beautiful enough the way that you were born.

avaanstar · Sep 1, 2008, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by fjsmith81

I totally agree with your response, but generally people that have confidence in themselves tend not to be desperate to have lighter skin. Confidence in yourself comes from within and not from a tube. And I think that what is initially being asked is why people try so desperately to be lighter, and I don't think that she is referring to people with blotches, or people trying to even out their skin tone. It is something that is truly sad, and it is not something that is recent. Anyone ever heard of the paper bag test??

To you avaan, I think that it is a societal thing. Unfortunately, it is something that afflicts mainly Black American women. People think that fairer skin is beautiful. The television, magazines, and billboards depict this. I am a woman of color, and I used to model, I would have been more successful if I had fairer skin. I have been described as breathtakingly exotic. Does anyone know what that is code word for?? A black woman that has the shape of a white woman (tall, modelesque and void of the general curvature or thickness of a black woman), but the color of a black woman (just plain dark).

I think that the variances in color is what is beautiful. If the people of the world were all just one color I think that it would eliminate the word beauty, and introduce words like common, mundane, and same old same old.

If you are trying to lighten your skin to even out your skin tone, by all means go for it, but if you are simply doing it because that is what you think is beautiful then my suggestion would be to first read The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison, then go to the therapist to find out why you don't feel that you are beautiful enough the way that you were born.

Interesting!
So do you still model?

RedDiamond · Sep 1, 2008, 08:27 PM

^^^^^ you have beautiful hair... I wish I would have stayed natural.

fjsmith81 · Sep 1, 2008, 08:51 PM

Avaan, no I no longer model. It was not something that I had a passion for. I actually got stopped on the street to do my first photo shoot. My passion is money and anything involving finance so when I figured out that I can make money off my looks then I said hey why not. But eventually that fizzled for me and I went to chase my real passion. So now I am a boring old finance major, that aspires to be like the Donald. (Trump that is)

fjsmith81 · Sep 1, 2008, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by RedDiamond

^^^^^ you have beautiful hair...I wish I would have stayed natural.

It's never too late. My friend shaved off all of her hair because she had processed her hair like two years prior and it started looking horrible. When it grew back it looked healthier and shiner than before she processed it.

RedDiamond · Sep 1, 2008, 09:53 PM

I would love to start myhair off all over again but am scared because I don't know how to do hair. One reason is that natural hair you can just wash and go. Plus, when its natural is it curly and coiled. My hair is every healthy to say its relaxed. It is finailly touch my bra in the back. I am scared to start all over again... am so confused but I love natural hair. I decied that whenever I have kids and if they are girls I will NOT relaxe their hair until they are older to see if that is what they want to do. I will try to get them to stay away from relaxers.

firmbeliever · Sep 2, 2008, 08:11 AM

Avaan,
I was just on another forum and someone mistook me for an African American and started calling me all sorts of vile degrading names and wanted me out of the place.

He even went as far as to say I got AIDs(I don't have AIDs/HIV,but he assumed.. ) because of my skin color and that he would never go into a relationship with a colored woman because of fear of AIDs.

It wasn't a regular member,but this person was adamant that he will not get AIDs from anyone except colored women! What nonesense!

I was shocked,but I realised this was why many African Americans are taking up the issue of color and discrimination because they must be facing such vile people in their daily lives.

avaanstar · Sep 2, 2008, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by RedDiamond

^^^^^ you have beautiful hair...I wish I would have stayed natural.

Thanks!

avaanstar · Sep 2, 2008, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by fjsmith81

Avaan, no I no longer model. It was not something that I had a passion for. I actually got stopped on the street to do my first photo shoot. My passion is money and anything involving finance so when I figured out that I can make money off of my looks then I said hey why not. But eventually that fizzled for me and I went to chase my real passion. So now I am a boring old finance major, that aspires to be like the Donald. (Trump that is)

Cool! Oh god, now I want to see what you look like. Pics?

avaanstar · Sep 2, 2008, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by firmbeliever

avaan,
I was just on another forum and someone mistook me for an African American and started calling me all sorts of vile degrading names and wanted me out of the place.

He even went as far as to say I got AIDs(I dont have AIDs/HIV,but he assumed..) because of my skin color and that he would never go into a relationship with a colored woman because of fear of AIDs.

It wasnt a regular member,but this person was adamant that he will not get AIDs from anyone except colored women!!What nonesense!

I was shocked,but I realised this was why many African Americans are taking up the issue of color and discrimination because they must be facing such vile people in their daily lives.

Actually, I am never faced with issues like that.