I won’t say ‘don’t lighten your skin’, but there are consequences

In a new twist on the constant colourism debate, Khaligraph Jones appeared on "The Trend" two weeks ago, looking a lot lighter than anyone was previously used to, and was purported to have bleached his skin.

We all know Khaligraph’s beautiful dark colour. "Light skin" is not a term that anyone would use to describe him, even when joking. Ok, unless when joking.

So what could have brought on this sudden change in tint? When he was on "The Trend", with Ciku Muriuki, he said that his changed colour was due to his drinking clean water, and not living the life that he used to live – which was apparently mired in filth that made his skin darker, having to be exposed to dust and what not?

Or rather, that was what it sounded like.

'A FEMALE PROBLEM'

So, whether he has tinted his skin or not, I can’t really say. Some pundits say that it was just the makeup on set. Others say it was a gimmick for his newest single, which came out a couple of days after said interview. I haven’t met or talked to him in person, so I have no idea.

What I can say, though, is that regardless of our "socialites" going along with this lightening wave, and now perhaps even our rappers, I don’t know that it is ever a good idea, especially when you see it a couple of years down the line.

Bridget Achieng openly talks about lightening her skin and everyone who is doing it, for various reasons. Her doing it also stemmed from different factors, including having been bullied for her appearance as a child and not being able to get jobs because of her skin colour as she was pointedly told, among other things.

I admit that I always thought that this was more of a female problem – I’ve never heard of men lightening their skin in Kenya, because more often than not, it is the women bleaching to look more attractive to men.

LYRICS AND STRUMMED CHORDS

Back to bleaching not being a good idea, we all have that friend or relative who bleached their skin that no one talks about, especially if you’re from the coastal side of our country. It’s almost a cultural norm to know someone who buys "creams" or "lotions" to make themselves lighter, regardless of how wrinkled and diseased their skin will look in their old age.

So why are we here? Because people don’t feel attractive in their own skin, and society agrees with them. One could argue that this stems from colonialism, when anything that is lighter is thought to be better, because it is closer to the colour of the mzungu.

So maybe that is the foundation, but you would think that with all the wonderful skin tones represented on our streets, that would stop being the case – starting with Lupita Nyong'o all the way across to, say, Sarah Hassan, and beyond. But logic is not always a game changer in the face of self-esteem – which I think is what it all boils down to.

We can argue about whether Michael Jackson really had vitiligo or he just did what he needed to do to appeal to his lighter audiences, despite the fact that he was Michael Jackson and didn’t need to.

We can argue about whether Bob Marley was able to be an international crossover artist because his father was white or his lyrics and strummed chords spoke to the heart of a generation. You can’t really know.

CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING

Pumping chemicals into your skin that aren’t natural or needed can’t be good for it. Depending on what market you’re trying to get to, it might even be irrelevant.

I would rather have a healthy, happy human than a constantly questioning one, because there is only so much you can change about how you look.

If we are then to address the question of happiness, will changing your skin colour or your body shape or your bank account make you happy? Maybe it will. Should you therefore, do it? I don’t know.

That’s for each person to answer for themselves, isn’t it? We all have different thresholds for different things, especially that which is irreversible. I’m all for people doing what makes them happy, as long as the consequences are understood.

I may not understand your choice, but I’ll defend your right to make it, of course. Just as long as we all know that, in the words of Bob Marley – for every action, there is a reaction, and your choices don’t make you better than or worse than someone else.

@AbigailArunga