The wife of Canadian oil tycoon Sam Malin, Irene, who’s originally from Cameroon, West Africa, has a shocking admission; she also regularly uses skin-lightening creams to alter the colour of her complexion. ‘When my skin is lighter, I just feel prettier,’ she admits with startling candour. ‘
It’s a taboo subject, and
people get judgmental about it, but that’s how I feel.’
Last month, High Street
health store Holland & Barrett came under fire for selling a legal
skin-whitening product called Dr Organic Royal Jelly Skin Body Whitening Cream,
which retails for £9.99.
The sale of the product
provoked outrage, with some accusing the chain of encouraging racist ideals.
Yet Irene, who’s 34 and lives with her husband and four children in a Kent
mansion, claims that in some communities the pressure on women to use such
products is overwhelming.
‘A skin-lightening regime
has been part of my life practically since birth,’ she claims. ‘There are many
different types of African skin from dark charcoal to a lighter version and you
grow up knowing that the lighter ladies are the prettier ones. It’s just a
fact.’
Her younger sister, Elsa,
27, agrees, explaining how disturbing hierarchies of skin colour are still
influencing African girls. ‘Being lighter shows you belong to a different place
on the social ladder. All the rich, successful black African men marry either a
white or a very light-skinned girl because they too grew up thinking that the
lighter is the most pretty. It doesn’t matter how dark a man is, of course the
pressure is all on women.’
Thought Holland only sell midicine and snack food not cream
ReplyDeleteAfrican women just can't be satisfied
ReplyDeleteso many cosmetics stores sell these creams can't hold Holland & Barrete responsible
ReplyDeleteDark skin tone is beautiful
ReplyDelete