Bleachers embrace Black History Month

Even in the midst of Black History Month, some persons are celebrating their drastically lightened skin complexion which they attained by using bleaching products.

Bobbet Nelson, who not only uses, but also sells the skin-whitening products, says that she introduced the products to numerous persons who have latched on to the bleaching trend.

“Bleaching buss weh in a Jamaica. It can’t stop again. Almost everybody a bleach. Some people a bleach and dem skin a crack because dem nah rub good,” she told THE STAR.

She says that most of the people who bleach are hoping that having a lighter skin complexion will open up more opportunities to them.

“Inna Jamaica a di brown people dem put in a certain position. A nuh say black ugly, but if dem a say when yu brown yu look better, yu nuh feel like say everybody ago want brown? Everybody ago want dem skin clean and pretty,” she argued.

Bianca, who has been bleaching on and off since 2009, say she started using bleaching cream because she realised that men were attracted to lightskinned women.

“Mi nuh hate miself ‘cause mi know mi beautiful and mi look good. A just that sometimes yu affi just tone dung yuh complexion, cause fi tell yu di truth, di man dem like when di woman brown suh dem gi yu more attention. A bare ‘psst!’ and ‘browning’ yu hear when yu walk past dem or dem see yu,” she told THE STAR.

CONTINUES TO BLEACH

She says that despite trying to stop the practice multiple times, she continues to use the product.

“Every time mi stop mi start back again, cause mi see some dark spots pon mi skin weh mi no like suh mi affi rub on di cream and even it out,” she confessed.

Meanwhile, Tanya, 45, says she is so hooked on using bleaching cream that she doesn’t think she will ever be able to quit.

“Mi a bleach long time. Every morning before mi come out and before mi gaah mi bed ... mi no think mi ago eva stop,” she said.

But despite using skin-lightening products, she doesn’t feel she is running away from her black race.

“Mi still consider miself a black person suh mi celebrate Black History Month if mi want. Mi nuh white, mi nuh Asian, nor no other colour. Mi mada and mi fada black and mi born black, but di bleaching thing a just my style still. Nuff black people weh a talk bout bleachas, mi nuh see dem a celebrate Black History Month either,” she said.