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| A bathroom sink in Nigeria, West Africa. A bar of skin "brightening" soap produced by a French cosmetics company. |
Although there have been some dangerous signs,
never have I imagined that a bar of soap or a bottle of cream could become so life-threatening.
Early this month, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an official warning about the poisonous levels of mercury found in products used for skin lightening. I read an article on it through MSNBC and also confirmed it on the FDA's website. There, among the states listed with the highest spikes in mercury poisoning, I saw the words "Maryland" and "New York". These are two of the most concentrated areas where African (and other immigrants of color) reside. I've heard about the dangers of mercury (mostly in eating too much fish), but never has it been this pronounced to me. I poured over the article again and again and, as I highlighted key phrases, some images from my past began to piece themselves together and I finally received confirmation on what I've been concerned about all along. Unfortunately, the FDA's finding doesn't even begin to scratch the surface on the problems with the use of skin lightening products.
Whether it's called "bleaching", "lightening", or "toning" (as the older women prefer to call it), I can't exactly remember my first encounter with this unnatural phenomenon. I can start by saying that I've been exposed to it since I was a little girl, observing female relatives bring back huge bags of European soaps and lotions from their vacations to Nigeria and/ or Dubai (with a stopover, of course, in Europe.) I'd listen to them brag about the hundreds of dollars they'd spent buying top-shelf products that, when mixed together like a sort of concoction, would give you the strongest, brightest "glow". They weren't speaking of the "glow" that happens when you exfoliate the top layer of your skin with a sugar-scrub or the "glow" that comes from a few hours of sun-bathing on the beach or the "glow" that comes from a good workout at the gym. This "glow" was different. It was actually a significant decrease in the gradation of "brown" in your skin and (prayerfully) on every part of your body. I and my cousins laughed at this. We knew this whole "de-browning" process was never a complete success on our female relatives or even the family friends we saw at parties or in African-owned hair shops. Most women who attempted this "de-browning" achieved a dull kind of lightening in most visible parts of their body, but not on their lips, hands, knees, elbows, and feet. These parts of their bodies that were unsuccessfully treated usually became darker than their original color, almost charcoal black. Now, I do remember the first time I became scared of skin bleaching. I visited a family friend at her home and she appeared in the living room with several pieces of tissue stuck to her face. Later in the evening, she removed them and I saw what seemed to be scattered, dark zits. Apparently, she was beginning to show signs of having bleached her face for too many years.
As I grew older and became more privy to the process of bleaching, I became somewhat of an outspoken Black Panther against it. I just didn't understand why African women would spend so much time trying to alter their skin to look like over-fried zombies dusted with baby powder. First, they'd bleach then they'd have to use more products to cover up the damage it caused to their skin. It didn't make sense to me because of my American sensibility. I'll explain: You see, being a first-generation African American, I've had the privilege of being exposed to a history of Black pride and I've also been steeped in an environment that finds beauty in a variety of skin tones. Yes, there are still issues with acceptable skin tones when it comes to American media and advertising, but it doesn't seem to be the same level of an issue in Africa. Although African people reside in environments that are predominantly African, they are still bombarded with Western ideals and are just now beginning to see mainstream images of themselves (i.e. people who look like them) in public advertisements for goods and services. In my opinion, this circumstance, along with the effects of colonization and persistent economic exploitation from Europe has created the psyche of what looks "chic" and "beautiful" to modern-day African women.
During my recent trip to Nigeria, I made a lot of wonderful discoveries. However, I think I failed to discuss the things that annoyed me, one of them being the constant presence of skin bleaching products in the homes of people I visited. It saddened me that, in the year 2011, some African women were still trying to decrease the shade of their skin to match the lighter and more preferred shades of their sisters, cousins, aunties, and/or mothers. Crazy enough, the ones who were already light in complexion, were trying to go lighter! I thought to myself, "Doesn't anyone understand that beautiful skin is healthy skin?! Skin that is even in tone and has a natural glow?" I wanted to scream: ANY SHADE OF SKIN CAN BE BEAUTIFUL IF IT'S HEALTHY!!!! I got heated when a younger cousin of mine revealed that her mother wanted her start bleaching now that she'd turned 13. With all my big-auntie might, I told that child that she dare not try it. Her medium-dark skin was gorgeous (I've even envied her) and I gave her a long list of scary things that happen when women of color bleach over the course of their lifetime. Not only can they not stop for fear of not being able to keep up the public deception, but their skin seems to retaliate after years of abuse by becoming very dry and scaly. I'm not sure if it was just the color of my cousin's skin that displeased her Mom. It may have also been the fact that she was naturally lighter than her own daughter and too many folks had reacted with surprise whenever she introduced her daughter to them. When my cousin told me this, it reminded me of family friends who found it easier to remember the name of my sister, who was a closer match to the medium- light complexion of my popular Mom and the never-ending praises my grandmother received for being fair.
Whew. How much deeper can this issue get? Well, how about looking into the original use of bleaching creams in Europe? As far as I can tell from the older makes, the original bleaching products made in Europe were to help white women discolor spots and scars on their skin. Somehow, within the past few decades, African women have gotten hold of these products and turned their use into the total transformation of their skins which happen to be of color. But, without a doubt, Europeans have played a part in this, too. I remember as a little girl seeing bottles of bleaching cream labeled as being manufactured in either France, the Netherlands, or Italy. Nowadays, I come across bottles and bars of soap manufactured in West Africa, but still produced by European companies. In other words, European businessmen in the cosmetics industry have not been blind to the purchasing power of West African women who are hungry to be "brighter".
Not only did the FDA's report list some of the major brand names for skin bleaching products and note that they were manufactured overseas, it also listed the symptoms of poisoning caused by the mercury in these products. They include:
- damages to the nervous system
- irritability
- tremors
- depression
- memory problems
- changes in hearing and vision
Of these symptoms, the ones that stand out to me are "irritability" and "depression", traits that I have indeed seen in women who partake in the culture of bleaching, lightening, or so-called "toning" their skin. Now whether that's because of the mercury or the fact that no matter how hard they try they can never quite reach their desired level of "brightness", I don't know. What I do know is that no practice is worth continuing if it can lead to death.
The FDA's warning touches on the physical aspect of skin bleaching, but what about the psychological aspect? Can it reveal the bigger struggle with identity and acceptance among women of color? Can it explain the dominance of Western (i.e. European) ideals and images? If there was no mercury found in these creams and soaps, would the FDA take the initiative to declare an emotional health risk to lives of women of color (many of them immigrants) and their family members who are exposed to these practices?
We can't wait for the answers to come from a sector of our government. If you know of someone close to you who uses skin bleaching products, see if you can muster up the courage to share the warning with them. I know we women can be very sensitive about changing our beauty regimens, but sometimes our lives depend on it. For more information , you can contact the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 or simply visit this link.
