Skin Bleachers’ Representations of Skin Color in Jamaica

Abstract

This article deals with skin bleachers’ representations of skin color and the reasons that inform their representations. A content analysis was done of the reasons the participants give for bleaching their skin. The participants bleach their skin to remove facial blemishes, to make their faces “cool,” as a result of peer influence, to lighten their complexion, to appear beautiful and to attract a partner, to follow a popular fad, and to have the visual stimulus of the bleached skin because it makes them feel good. In Jamaican society, negative representations of dark skin indicate that dark skin is devalued, whereas light skin is valued. The hegemonic representation that elevates light skin over dark skin and guides the behavior of the skin bleachers has its roots in socializing institutions of the larger cultural milieu. The interaction of the government, the church, the education system, the media, formal culture, and popular culture from the colonial period to the present sends repeated messages that light skin is superior to dark skin.

Skin Bleaching and the Prestige Complexion of Sexual Attraction

“…The author found that a majority of the skin bleachers argued that Jamaica should always have a Black prime minister, and integrated their Black racial identity with their political identity. Charles (2007) used social representation to do a textual analysis of the reasons skin bleachers report for altering their Black physicality. The results suggest that colorism is a hegemonic representation that is embedded in the culture.…”

“…These are their skin is too dark; to remove facial pimples and blemishes; toning of the skin; to make the face cool; brown skin is beautiful; to attract intimate partners; some partner's desire light skin; skin bleaching is popular; light skin is fashionable; friends are engaged in the practice; the skin bleachers want to get ahead in life (Charles 2003a(Charles , 2006a(Charles , 2007Hope 2009). The assessment of the self-reports of skin bleachers within the complexion consensus has revealed miseducation about the Afrocentric conceptions of beauty (Charles 2003a).…”

“…This complexion consensus which influences the behavior of the skin bleachers is persistent because it has its genesis in the societal institutions of the colonial period. The beauty and sexual attractiveness ratings accorded to light skin persons in Jamaica gives the skin bleachers aesthetic capital which makes them sexually attractive to some Jamaicans who embrace the values of the complexion consensus (Charles 2007).…”

“…However, the practice is very popular among Afro-Jamaicans. Although there are several reasons for skin bleaching (Charles 2006a(Charles , 2007(Charles , 2009Hope 2009), this article focuses solely on the reason of sexual attraction. Light skin people in the Jamaican culture are deemed by some people to be beautiful and sexually attractive (Charles 2007;Hope 2009).…”

“…Although there are several reasons for skin bleaching (Charles 2006a(Charles , 2007(Charles , 2009Hope 2009), this article focuses solely on the reason of sexual attraction. Light skin people in the Jamaican culture are deemed by some people to be beautiful and sexually attractive (Charles 2007;Hope 2009). The purpose of this article is to understand how the sexual attractiveness attributed to light skinned Jamaicans influence some darker skinned Jamaicans to bleach the melanin from their skin, because they want to be beautiful and sexually attractive.…”