Skin bleaching… is Black not attractive enough?

EDITOR: Skin bleaching is becoming popular here in SVG and other parts of the Caribbean and the world where there are Negros. Black is beautiful, and as black people we need to be proud of who we are and our colour. Bleaching of the skin is trying to make ourselves white, and it is saying that black is not beautiful and so we have to change our colour to brown or something lighter than our natural colour. Are we saying that we have to be white or brown to be someone worthwhile and to be accepted or look beautiful?.

It is unfortunate that now it is both female and male who are bleaching their skin. I wonder if those who bleach their skin know that it carries side effects. Among the many side effects are: skin cancer, discolouring of the skin, itching and skin redness, just to name a few.

Is bleaching of skin done because those who do so feel inferior and less attractive? Is it that they think that white or brown skin is more attractive than black? It is a sign of low self esteem where it is felt that they are not attractive enough.

Come to think of it, we have to realize as the bible says, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. I wonder if we still are of the opinion that being black is not good and that we look down on our colour as inferior, and that whites and brown people are better than us.

We know that there is no medical benefit to skin bleaching, but side effects as a result of skin bleaching.

Therefore, let us appreciate our colour and lift our self esteem by recognizing that black is beautiful. The real person is not the colour of the skin, but the character, so let us put our emphasis on improving our character and let our attraction be the character and not the colour of the skin.

Black is beautiful, so accept ourselves for who we are and be proud of our colour.

Kennard King