The Effects of Whitening Products on Self Confidence

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This article clearly shows that the Global South nations are heavily influenced by the European colonial ideologies that the social and economic status of one with lighter skin has. However, this article did not provide much information of how one with dark skin is affected in terms of self-confidence when practicing skin-whitening routines.

Li, E., Hyun, J., Belk, R., Kimura, J. and Bahl, S. (2008). Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures. Advances in Consumer Research, [online] Volume 35, p. 444-449. Available at: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/13415/volumes/v35/NA-35 [Accessed 13 Nov. 2017].

This article discusses about how message is displayed in print advertisements of whitening products in India, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea and how it affects these Asian cultures. The similarities across these cultures regarding dark-skinned is associated with dirty, dark and any other negative related terms while the fair-skinned is associated with being respected, having the values of purity, clean and so on. The findings were of that companies linked ‘bad skin’ with wrinkles, pores and dark skin while ‘good skin’ meant smooth, bright and white. Subsequently, the word ‘natural’ constantly appears in the print advertisements which in turn persuades consumers to use their products. All in all, skin whitening practices among these countries are a social norm and failing to do so results in “low self-esteem and social norm”.

This study explores and gives a good explanation of how these four Asian countries interpret the meaning of being white-skinned. Yet again, the study has similar concepts with other articles in terms of the history of how white supremacy came about and the respond in appeals of the consumers.

Saraswati, L. (2012). "Malu": Coloring Shame and Shaming the Color of Beauty in Transnational Indonesia. Feminist Studies, [online] Volume 38(1), p. 113-140. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23269172 [Accessed 2 Nov. 2017].

In this article, Dr Saraswati raises the issue of Indonesian women feeling “malu” when asked about their decision to practice skin-whitening routines. “Malu” is an Indonesian term translated as shyness, shame or embarrassment. She observes that many of the women interviewed ends up in a never-ending cycle of being ashamed that they were using whitening creams to make themselves “feel good”. When asked at first, most of them would deny the fact that they were using whitening creams. She also reveals that as the progression of using skin-whitening products make women feel good about themselves, they will slowly decrease these skin-whitening routines. Some of the interviewed women admitted to have stopped using whitening creams as they have found security in their partner or career. However, most of them have had encountered the experience of discrimination against their skin colour but the insult has merely had any effect on their feelings as they would’ve brushed it off saying it was fine.

This article provides a good insight of how transnational Indonesian women felt about practicing skin-whitening routines. The dilemma to choose between to use or not to use skin-whitening products are obvious, and if they have something to secure to, the tendency to use whitening products decreases.

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