The colour of beauty

Nov 13, 2016 Countryman, Features / Columnists

By Dennis Nichols

We’re all captivated by natural beauty; most of us at least, whether it’s the grandeur of a vast canyon sculpted by nature, a multi-hued sunset painting the western sky, or a flock of Makonaima’s birds wheeling behind Kaieteur’s crashing veil. But for many of us the beauty we relate to most instinctively is that of the human form, especially of course, (and naturally for men) the female form.

Biblical Solomon gloried in it. Flemish painter Rubens seemed fixated on it. From duels to continental battles, men have fought over it. Some have risen to sublime heights through its inspiration, while it has brought others to the depths of despair and insanity. A woman’s beauty is said to transcend nationality and race; even age. Maybe, but what about that other related variable – colour.

For millions of women and girls in today’s world, a line is drawn there. This demarcation is often blurred and tenuous, but for some who consider themselves to be on the ‘wrong side’ on the colour line, usually the side verging on black, it is a stinging slap-in-the-face, – a raw and soul-destroying predicament, the only solution to which is the cosmetic application of some kind of skin-bleaching or whitening product.

This perception of wrongness has taken on huge proportions, and now with a pop culture that glamorizes light-skinned females, including social media, many young black and dark-skinned women (and men) are slowly but surely negating a visible aspect of their racial heritage. Plastic surgery and the straightening of kinky hair, with its complement of weaves, extensions, etc… add to the unnatural shift.

I think I am savvy enough to understand why a woman would want to lighten very dark skin or ‘fix’ nappy hair, because when it is done tastefully, she may appear more attractive, gain more confidence, and have doors open up for her that would normally have been closed. I also understand, with the same reasoning, why some persons opt for face lifts, tummy tucks and butt implants. I get that.

What I don’t get is why a female with generally-accepted features of attractiveness would see herself, or be perceived, as being ugly because her skin is naturally melanin-rich; and why many women risk their health by using potentially harmful products containing chemicals like chlorine bleach and hydrogen peroxide.

I guess one of the reasons is because beauty standards for women are traditionally based on the White European/Nordic model, something I have never endorsed. As a child I was exposed to women and girls of all skin tones, from very light to charcoal. The majority were beautiful. Ugly was there too but it was like a joke people played on themselves or others playfully teased them about. I don’t know; maybe I got good, old-fashioned Guyanese tantalizing confused with derision and hatred.

Black American educator and author, Margaret Burroughs hints at this. In her 1968 book ‘What shall I tell my children who are Black’ she ponders, “Of what it means to be a captive in this dark skin. What shall I tell my dear ones fruit of my womb, of how beautiful they are where everywhere they are faced with abhorrence of everything that is black?”

Yet from all that I know scientifically and medically, the main determinants of skin colour are genetic (melanin) and geographic (proximity to tropical locations) Of course melanin is number one, and for most very dark-skinned people, living near the North Pole wouldn’t make an appreciable difference. But something else does. The application of the fore-mentioned skin-lightening products is stirring immense interest and criticism around the world.

I would not, or cannot, go into any details concerning the actual use/abuse of lightening and bleaching creams because I just do not know enough about the procedure. But I have eyes, and I consider myself intelligent enough to ask why an obviously attractive young Black woman would want to ‘lighten up’ in this manner, Furthermore, as noted before, why would she risk serious health problems later on just to fit in with some illogical concept of beauty.

Sociologist Susan Bryant considers this. Writing in the New York-based Columbia Social Work Review, she asserts that ‘Black women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of European standards of beauty, because (they) emphasize skin colour and hair types that exclude many Black women, especially those of darker skin’. Research, she adds, indicates that these standards can have damaging effects on the life trajectories of black women … primarily in the form of internalized self-hatred.

The problem is hugely-complex and global, stretching from Africa and India to the United States and The Caribbean. It has been called an epidemic by some sociologists. (Incidentally it was observed that among Australian aborigines, the solution to the dark skin dilemma is to ‘breed out the colour’ by deliberate and repeated intermarriage with Whites until all outward signs of Aboriginal ancestry disappear)

One of the places where skin bleaching seems to be growing wildly out of control is Jamaica. According to the Jamaica Observer, many local women are turning to cheap, over-the-counter products, including knock-offs from West Africa, that contain a chemical called hydroquinone which has been linked to a disfiguring pigment condition known as ochronosis. Experts say it can also cause mercury poisoning, kidney damage, skin thinning and skin cancer.

A Jamaican dermatologist is quoted as saying that she knew of a woman who had started to bleach her baby. She added that when she told her to stop immediately, she became annoyed and left her office. The Observer noted that roadside vendors sell tubes and plastic bags of powders and ointments, many of which are unlabeled as to their actual ingredients. Some people, it added, even use a mixture of toothpaste and curry powder to stain the skin with a yellowish tint.

The same thing seems to be happening, albeit to a lesser extent, in other parts of the region, from Guyana to The Bahamas. Here in Guyana the local media and the Food and Drug Department have been warning Guyanese about the harmful effects of skin-lightening creams and soaps containing mercury. But few appear to be heeding these warnings as stores which sell such products report healthy sales.

As alluded to before, I can understand the rationale behind the desire to have fairer and clearer skin, particularly in cases where self-worth is low or seemingly non-existent. But what about the consequences? There is the obvious risk of unpredictable results coupled with the threat of long term and irreparable damage to previously healthy dark skin. Dermatologists warn about it, several before-and-after profiles highlight it, and the regrets of angry and disappointed users express it.

Dark-skinned girls, there are other ways to measure beauty. Accept who you are in your totality, be reasonably content with your skin colour and hair texture, and understand that you do not have to be defined by the opinions of others or by traditional standards of beauty that mock your self-esteem.

I have lived long enough to understand that ‘beauty’ and ‘ugliness’ aren’t the preserve of any particular race or ethnicity. For me, feminine beauty may be seen in the animated face of a Bourda Market vendor, a Facebook photograph of my daughter, the haunting image of National Geographic’s green-eyed Afghan girl, or the charm-filled video of a young South African woman ‘teaching’ the Xhosa dialect to a group of tourists.

Beauty can be seen in eyes, lips, and other facial features. It can be observed in shape, height and carriage. It may be expressed in intelligence, charm and a sense of humour – all regardless of colour. Conversely, ugliness may be displayed in the attitudes, actions and words of the fairest damsel with the most flowing tresses, and goes much deeper than superficial, conventional beauty.

Politically-incorrect American satirist Dorothy Parker put it succinctly, and with incisive wit, when she remarked, “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone” And the converse, my friends, is also absolutely true!