2:46AM
The cost of wanting to be white
By 
Issandr El Amrani | Sudan Women
Issandr El Amrani | Sudan Women
A crave for skin-lightening cosmetics in Sudan is causing a rise of women with skin problems:
Millions of women throughout Africa use creams and soaps containing chemicals, like hydroquinone, to lighten the color of their skin. But the creams can cause long-term damage.This attitude about skin color is common everywhere from Morocco to India, as far as I can tell. Probably beyond.
Dermatologists say prolonged use of hydroquinone and mercury-based products, also found in some creams, destroys the skin's protective outer layer. Eventually the skin starts to burn, itch or blister, becomes extremely sensitive to sunlight and then turns even blacker than before.
Prolonged use can damage the nerves or even lead to kidney failure or skin cancer and so prove fatal.
"It's a very bad problem here. It sometimes kills the patient ... It's bad, bad news," said a doctor at a Khartoum hospital. He said the number of women coming to the dermatology department with problems caused by skin-whitening treatments had grown to at least one in four of all dermatology patients.
Reader Comments (12)
Yes, you see those skin-lightening creams in African-American and Caribbean specialty stores in the States as well. Milder versions are popular in E. Asia too. The ad mentioned in the linked article sounds very similar to ads run by a well-known MNC for its "fairness" cream in South Asia - aspirational, with storylines of people soaring to success with newly lightened skin.
Do Masris like this stuff too?
Sadly yes, these are big in Egypt. The ads are terrible, with dusky women sitting home alone moping in front of the mirror until their light skin friend appears with some magic cream, she uses it, goes outside, and immediately snags a husband.
Another one I saw, can't member if it was Egyptian or international Arab tv, shows a woman who can't get a job until she lightens up her skin, gets a makeover and becomes a glamourous TV news reporter.
There are also billboards in Cairo from cosmetic surgey clinics offering skin lightening operations with some truly horrific fuzzy photographs offered as evidence of their prowess.
Apparently they've all forgotten about Mohammed Mounir singing about his Samra.
interestingly this love of fairness goes way way back -
ovid wrote a book about cosmetics with section on how to obtain whiter complexion; roman womenused stuff to lighten their hair. even the brits, who you would think wouldn't need them, in16th century had all sorts of whitening concoctions, one was called 'water of talk and pearl'. I'm working on a book about this stuff. it's fascinatin'
Maria, that sounds interesting. Have heard people in genetics suggest there's a link between lighter skin and greater fertility (women get lighter post-puberty, men get darker, something like that), not sure how widely accepted that is. Clearly not something that people should be burning their faces with chemicals for....
Kinda funny when juxtaposed with the Western obsession with tanning salons, tanning creams, tanning oils, and way too much time in the sun.
Of course in traditional Arab pageantry there usually is a preference for fairness, e.g. in the 1001 nights there is often talk of some woman's face being bright like the moon, or pale with rosy cheeks, etc. Genies are often big and black, as are villains such as the slaves that cuckold Shahriar and Shah Zaman.
My guess is that a lot of this has to do with slavery and the slave trade with sub-Saharan Africa.
I believe Mr. Schemm is talking about the Fair & Lovely ad, yes?
That would be the one, I think there are others though, no?
Wasn't their also some mercury based what pancake stuff that Queen Elizabeth would spread on her face? I think she also had black teeth, which is all pretty sexy, if you ask me.
As sickening as I find those ads, I guess in some sense it's partially tied to attraction to what is deemed "exotic"... so in a country where most people are dark, light skin is different and exotic... whereas in Europe, people seek to tan, etc...
Argument can only be carried so far though. A part of me tells me it's Egyptians "3odet el khawaga."
[...] http://arabist.net/archives/2006/08/05/the-cost-of-wanting-to-be-white/ [...]
Its the Slave mentality..the slave is trying to look more like their master! blonde hair,blue eyes,white skin.
I think sun kissed bronzed skin is exotic and beautiful...Like latino skin!
something sensual and beautiful!!!
people need to accept the way they were made! life is NOT long!!
white skin doesnt mean beauty! i seen many ugly white skin people.
I think the bigger problem is a psychological one. Why do they want to be white and what's behind that?