Lightening and Tanning your skin.

Often whites will ask why any black person would lighten their skin. But at the same time one could ask why do so many white people tan their skin?

I remember in philosophy we talked about how whites like to tan and how 100 years ago the whiter you looked the better because it represented status, it separated the rich from the working class. Likewise the same applies today only opposite tanning represents someone with money or time to tan. The whiter you are the busier you are.

Why is lightening your skin stigmatized while tanning is idolized? Many on both sides of the spectrum have said that someone like me could not understand either. Whites have said before that my skin color is brown and the shade of a tan...but the reality is my skintone is darker than a tan. (I hate it when people use this argument to dismiss the subject).

But I perfectly understand why black people and other minorities lighten their skin...its because the lighter you are (meaning the whiter you look) the better you may be treated.

Now I could sit here and say people should be satisfied with their skin color. The truth is though, that should only come out of the mouths of those in the situation of tanning or lightening skin. Someone like me, should not be the voice of reason because lets face it, I truly can't understand what its like to be much darker or to be so pasty white that I look like a ghost.

I can only speak for how I am treated as someone with the skin tone that is slightly in between the two.

Some people get upset when celebrities lighten skin. To me I could care less, they are free to do as they please, I have said it so many times, you shouldn't idolize celebrities because they may let you down when they reveal their human faults.

I am not going to say its flat out wrong to do either of those things, its just both have proven to show health risks and one should know what they are doing before they get into them. I don't know the kinds of things people are put through due to their skin color so I am not going to preach to anyone about doing it. Its easy for people to tell you to just accept an uncomfortable situation (not necessarily race either) and to learn to live with it. But as much as its easy to criticize someone for changing their skin tone, one should take the time to understand why.

The problem isn't really changing your skin tone, the real problem is that we live in a society where people feel they have to change their skin tone for acceptance.