About a month ago, I made the decision to be a TEFL teacher. This experience has been fun and I’m very excited about learning about other cultures. Most of my students are located in China. I have truly enjoyed this experience and it has given me the opportunity to make new friends abroad.
One particular student stood out in my mind. Xing Mi is a 19 year college student learning English so that she can become a corporate lawyer. Most of my teaching is just having conversations with Chinese students so they can learn how to properly use English dialogue. Xing Mi told me she lives close to the beach. I asked her if she got to go to the beach often. Her response was, “Oh no! I don’t go to the beach at all. I cannot be in the sun!!” I was expecting her to say maybe she had a disease or was on some kind of medication that caused her to get sick in sunlight, but instead she told me she couldn’t go in the sun because she couldn’t risk getting dark or her fiancé would break up with her. I immediately thought about the Spike Lee movie, School Daze which addressed the effects of colorism in fraternities and sororities on HBCU campuses. Colorism has not only become a social epidemic in the United States, but it is also felt around the world with a heavy influence of European cultures and characteristics being prominent in 3rd world countries. Around the globe in the Middle East and some parts of Asia fair skin is considered more socially acceptable than having a darker complexion. People with fair skin are often associated with being in the upper economic class while people with darker skin tones are often considered to be poor, or they are often associated with doing manual labor jobs instead of having more respectable jobs. The influence of the media as well as the social effects of colorism have become such a problem, that even the origin of civilization, in Africa, skin bleaching has become increasingly more popular in recent years. In the latest report 75% of Nigerian women and between 50-70% percent of Senegalese women have used skin bleaching creams. It has become one of the most commonly used household products in Africa. The belief that lighter skin will cause an individual to receive more privileges, higher social standards, and an increase in marital prospects are a few of the reasons why the demand for skin bleaching products have increased. The demand to become lighter by using a variety of skin bleaching products also comes with a price. Skin bleaching products contain mercury, cortisone, and hydroquinone, a chemical used to develop photos. The chemical components in these products are so strong they are not lightening the skin, but are gradually burning off the first layer of the epidermis. The risks of using such products include: thin skin, skin discoloration, skin infections, and even skin cancer. The growing consumer demand for skin lighteners across the world has caused the skin lightening industry to become a billion dollar market. The projected worth of the skin lightening industry is 19.8 billion dollars by 2018. Skin lightening has changed the face of Africa instead of being proud of our melanin rich skin, a vast majority of our African people choose to indulge in a harmful façade that is becoming increasingly popular around the globe. Instead of embracing our colorful complexion hues that God created, so many are becoming more and more ashamed of God's handiwork. I'm not sure if we will ever get past colorism, skin bleaching, the brown bag test, or ignorant comments from low budget reality stars such as Hazel E's comments boasting about her light skin tone, but it's a despicable plague that we must somehow overcome. xoxo, Krystale Jane'l
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