PLAIN TRUTH: She knows that black is beautiful

I was involved in a discussion on the skin lightening trend that the local beauty industry is riding on a couple of days ago. The general feeling of those present was that women today are lightening their skin because they do not know the adverse effects of some of these methods that they use.

“If they had an idea, no woman would dare!” someone remarked. Another suggested a hash tag #BlackisBeautiful campaign to get women to ‘see the light’.

Now, I agree that there are lots of women out there who are opting for dangerous avenues in a bid to lighten their skin. I, however, find fault in the Black is Beautiful empowerment campaigns.

The black is beautiful phrase was formed in 1968 in the US to fight racism and all the negative attributes that were associated with being black. The use of it today in an attempt to make dark skinned women feel better about themselves, is useless.

I also find fault in the assumption that women bleach their skin because they think they are not beautiful. Do you think that all ebony skinned women wake up in the morning, look at their images in the mirror and think they are ugly? They do not.

Skin lightening doesn’t always come from a place of ignorance like we seem to believe. Often times, it comes from actually understanding society. That woman who you are preaching to, she probably has no problem with how she looks. She doesn’t cringe in horror when she looks in the mirror.

She however is aware, overly so, that society around her doesn’t see her this way. She is aware of the conscious and unconscious bias that’s out there towards women like her. She knows that the bias isn’t just in the dating and relationships scene but in the career world as well. If she ever wants to work in an entertainment establishment, she knows that she will be picked last. That management knows that light women sell more drinks.

She knows that even if she has the ultimate toned body, the modelling agencies would be happier with her if her skin was a few shades lighter.

She is aware that most companies seeking front office staff are not looking or women like her. This woman is aware that the world would be kinder to her if she changed her skin tone. This woman is not ignorant.

So no, a black is beautiful hash tag on Twitter will not do. For as long as the job market and the world at large is holding this woman at an arm’s length, then this phrase becomes meaningless.

Instead of peaching to women, a campaign for inclusivity would be more effective. Begin by shedding light on colourism. Let us push for different, more inclusive hiring practices here.