The African singer
Dencia is currently defending her bleaching cream whitenicious. The cream has
raised a large amount of controversy about whether or not she is promoting a
negative body image and setting a bad example for her younger fans. The singer
is now stating that the cream is only for covering or lightening bleaches however;
in her recent add campaigns she tends to be covered head to toe in the cream.
Denica continued to claim that, “white means pure, not necessarily skin, but in
general.
This same idea of
white purity was seen throughout the class novel, The Bluest Eye. In the novel the children discuss a new,
“high-yellow dream child,” entering their school. Because of the child’s looks
and money they believe she, “enchanted the entire school.” Similarly, because
of her looks she earned the respect of the entire school. “Black boys didn’t
trip her in the hall; the white boys didn’t stone her, white girls didn’t suck
in their teeth when they were assigned to be their partners,” The novel continues
to persuade us that the connotation of white purity leads to racism and oppression
of other races. However, is adds for bleaching cream destroying the progress
that has already been made? Placing chemicals on your skin to lighten your skin
tone is teaching children first, that they have to harm the bodies to be
beautiful. Secondly, it reinforces racist ideas in children that are highly susceptible
to judgment.
For the article click here
I think this ad that you found is very interesting and ties directly back to our class discussion. Its sad that society engraves the idea that we have to change our bodies to be beautiful. This subconscious way of thinking has been imprinted into our minds through media and ad campaigns such as these. The idea that any other skin color besides white is not worthy is outrageous but exists. Advertisements, such as this bleaching crème, is reinforcing to adolescence that aren’t the “pure white” color that they are not good enough. This relates to the class video about the black and white baby dolls. All the young children viewed the black dolls as “bad” and the white dolls as “good”. This socialistic view is embedded into the roots of our society and is affecting all generations.
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