Beauty standards control our perception of society. While these standards may be different throughout the world, there are common understandings of what makes a person beautiful. Beauty is a market that influences the economy and the way that people view themselves and each other. One example that has been widely debated is the billion-dollar skin lightening industry. Although this is a surface-level change to one’s body, there are deeply rooted implications to a society that perpetuates the idea that skin lightening is a necessary product for beauty.
Skin lighteners are compounds that remove the top layer of skin to expose lighter layers underneath. Some contain extremely harsh chemicals, such as mercury. Skin lighteners are a huge industry around the globe, with products used by both wealthy and poor people. However, there is a movement to eliminate these lighteners, both because of health concerns due to the toxicity of many of the creams and because of anti-racist efforts.
In order to understand the importance of this issue, it is necessary to have a consciousness of colorism. This prejudice is based on skin color, oftentimes among people of the same racial group. There is generally a preference for people with lighter skin tones, much to the detriment of those with darker skin tones.
The author, Lynn M. Thomas, is a historian and professor at the University of Washington. Specifically, she studies politics and gender in Africa. She has written several other books, mainly centered around parts of Africa and society.
In Beneath the Surface, Thomas focuses on skin lightening in South Africa and the complex history associated with it. She argues that the history of skin lightening is rooted not only in racism, but in the intersectionality of different labels– specifically gender, sexuality, and class. Thomas understands that complex issues are layered, and there are various historical understandings that are crucial to study.
She is intentional about her methodology. Because she is a historian, Thomas is able to use archives and historical sources such as letters and volumes to sharpen her points. She has collected and studied historical writings and interviews. Also, as her argument moves toward culture and media references today, she uses various examples of these to explain her theories. For example, she mentions Lupita Nyong’o, a known Mexican-Kenyan actress, and how she gave a speech explaining how messages about her skin being too dark when she was growing up caused self-hatred. Now, by seeing other powerful darker-skinned women, she sees the beauty in her own skin.
A major strength of the author is that she chooses to write her book chronologically. She utilizes, as she calls it, the method of connective comparison, which “draws attention to how ‘things previously understood to be local come into being through complex global dynamics’ that are neither derivative nor linear” (Thomas 12). Thus, the historical implications of colonization and early instances of racism are explained and connected to the current politics of skin lighteners. She then explores Westernized cultural messages, and how cosmetic marketing was targeting women of color.
The market for skin lightening was huge in South Africa, especially in connection with apartheid and racial discrimination. Lighter skin was connected with more opportunities, and consumers utilized these products to gain advantages, marriage potential, and economic privilege.
However, a major issue associated with skin lightening creams is the dangerous health effects. Overuse of hydroquinone, the ingredient developed to lighten skin, led to blemishes called chubabas which appear as discoloration on the skin. Because of this, guidelines were developed on how much hydroquinone could be in a product.
For anti-racist activists, skin-lightening creams have another problem. When lighter skin is considered closer to the beauty standard, this sends a message that lighter skin is superior. When a multi-billion dollar industry is perpetuating these standards that are rooted in racism, that is concerning. Black activists worked to reframe these conceptions of beauty and light skin and created campaigns such as “Black is Beautiful.”
South Africa now bans skin lighteners, but demand is high enough that they remain popular and accessible. Thomas concludes by reminding the reader that beauty practices are rooted in politics that can be traced back for decades and are ingrained in our culture.
I recommend Thomas’ book because of how she approaches the topic through her writing. She articulates that, in order to avoid oversimplification of complicated historical issues, one needs to approach a subject with empathy and an appreciation of the layers of history. However, it is important to note that Thomas is a white woman who did not grow up learning about skin lighteners. It was later on in her academics that she became interested in this topic. I wonder how or if the book might have been different if it was written by a black author who has a history that is more intertwined with the subject matter.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned a lot. I think that any scholar who is interested in learning about complicated topics should read it. Therefore, I would recommend this book to our class. Skin lighteners appear on the surface to be a narrow topic, but Thomas includes so many cultural examples and historical details that the reader is able to unfold the complexities and politics of the issue. In our class, we talked a bit about beauty and beauty standards in our culture. They are so ingrained in how we think and act toward others. It is important to recognize the ways that these standards make people feel inferior. A large reason for this classification is due to our upholding of whiteness as something that should be on a pedestal for everyone to strive for. Because Foucault teaches us that power is reinforced throughout all levels of society, it is important to analyze our own perceptions of beauty and how they contribute to this unattainable standard.
Works Cited:
Thomas, Lynn M. Beneath the Surface: A Transnational History of Skin Lighteners. Duke University Press, 2020.