Tyra Banks Covers Skin Whitening

Dede says:

This is so sad. I know this happens, but to see and hear this makes my heart hurt..

Ketrice says:

I understand how they get the notion that society does not treat dark skinned people the same as light skinned people because I find it to be true in some ways and in some instances. But these ladies are just as wrong as society is for not embracing who they are and standing up to say, ” I am beautiful, and I deserve to be treated equal, as it relates to my lighter skinned brothers and sisters”. And as far as the men goes, I think that obviously, they messing around with the wrong ones to feel like you need to be lighter for a man. I am brown skinned, and I tell my fiance all the time that I love my summertime skin. It gets about two shades darker. Ladies, dark skin is absolutely beautiful, as well as lighter skin tones. So as much as what these ladies are saying has truth, lets embrace our individual beauty and love ourself as is. Make it a point to keep your skin, hair, body, mind, and spirituality healthy, but Its more than looks. Showcase your intelligence, and talents, as well as the inner and outer beauty. Forget what “the world” THINKS, and just do you.

Angel says:

I saw this episode and the women who bleached their children are off their rocker. This show is a great example of generation curses that plague families no matter what skin color you have.

Donna says:

I agree with what Tyra stated at the end about the issue being deeper than skin color. While skin color is linked to their pain, I’m thinking as I’m watching this video if they were able to get their skin as light as they’d like, there would be some other issue to arise that they’d feel the need to fix in just as extreme a way due to what’s going on internally. I went throught some of the same things that they’ve stated and yet it only produced a love for my skin color as well as hair texture because of it.

It was like a given dark skin is ugly growing up so it was what EVERYONE said, not just those ligther than us. Well one day it dawned on me that if a dark skin person is said to be pretty she’d have to look like the young lady who stated she received such comments, you’re pretty to be dark skin. I thought to myself how bogus and especially in light of the fact that you could be as light as you want to be and busted and will be considered beautiful simply on skin color. I began to examine all of the dark skin people I’d encounter and totally changed the way I saw them and myself.

We as people period not just black people but as people need to understand what went down historically and how our opinions are largely shaped not by what we see in people but what we’re taught about them. It would totally change the way we view ourselves as well as others.

ceecee says:

That lady who stopped bleaching herself Geraldine called it: it depends on how you carry yourself.
And I also agree with Tyra that it’s a small segment of the population that goes to extreme measures – anorexia, skin bleaching etc. To a certain extent it boils down to insecurity issues, I hope these chicks find the peace within that they are searching for.

Tish says:

I feel like crying myself. It’s so sad and I cannot believe this is where we are today as a Black community. LaTosha can make all the excuses she wants, but that is a form of child abuse. And those boys, who are very handsome, will have very low self esteem as they grow older. Her uncomfortable laugh gives it away her hurt and confusion.

Keedah says:

Wow if somebody wants to do that to themselves then more power to them but I dont believe someone would give their kids a complex like that.

SOULuTion says:

Being Black has always been my curse, yet somehow my POWER. I Believe that learning about our Blackness has been a lack of, therefore Education is the KEY. I had no choice to learn about my Blackness as this is what I saw each day in the mirror and the reflection of compliments such as : “Your cute to be dark”, growing up confused and insecure with the statement. So before we tackle the issues of compleXion. A complection in onesself is also a reflection of the Hair extensions, acrylic nails, make up or cover up as we all do, for if we truly saw the inside we would realise our perfection is imperfect, for this is the law of the land. writingismyart@gmail.com

Leslie says:

I can tell you one thing, Im a dark skinned sista and guess who I married, a white man who loves my dark skin! Brothers growing up always wanted the light skinned girls and always ignore or made fun of me. One day I realized white men were attracted to me even though I am dark skinned, I was confused. Why would a white man be attracted to me when a black man was not. So I started dating white men who treated me like a black men never did. Years later I married the most wonderful man in the world and had 3 children, a white man.

Cleva One says:

I think that there are some inequalities between light skin and dark skin people. But at the end of the day you are how you see yourself. How you see yourself is more important than any view of you that someone else may have. What if Oprah said “oh well I’m dark skinned, with a wide nose and big lips, and kinky hair, I’ll never make it on TV”, well she wouldn’t of been as successful. However she did not let those prejudices in society hold her down, and today she is more powerful than any Black woman in America, light or dark.
I am dark skinned and loving it. I’m African American and growing up my father told me to have pride in my African heritage, when I was like 8 he was telling me that Africa had all these Kingdoms and riches. He told me that Africans were the first man to walk this Earth and that me me feel proud to be of African descent. My mother thought that lighter women were prettier, but I don’t prescribe to her way of thinking because of the pride my father instilled in me.

I really don’t think there are that many people bleaching their skin. I live in DC and I see successful Blacks of all complexions and many of them are dark skinned, so its hard for me to buy into this thing that light skin people are more successful.

Tyra is exploiting the issue for ratings, when she should really get to the root of the problem and talk about the racial prejudices and injustices, stemming back from slavery, that have caused this. She should tell people how in America whites used racism as propaganda to attempt to justify their barbaric practice of slavery, plain and simple. They used a similar system to dominate India during colonialism.

People need to rise above the B.S., life is sooo much better when you do!!!

Keena says:

I am a dark skinned woman who happens to be very attractive and I can honestly say that I never ran into problems growing up or dating because of my complexion. A man can smell an insecure woman from a mile away ad if you give off the vibe that you a uncomfortable in your own skin nobody will approach you! If you go to a job inteveiw acting all insecure, 9 times out of 10, you wont be hired.

The root of skin tone politics stem from the days of slavery when the light skinned slaves stayed in side while the dark skinned slaves worked in the sun. In some parts of Africa, where the Europeans decided to return the power back to the native people, they turned the power over to those that possessed more of a likeness to them. This means they were slim with longer limbs and necks and they were also lighter in complexion with smaller lips and thinner noses! This gave blacks the feeling that not only are we inferior to or white counterparts, but if you are dark skinned, to are inferior to your light skinned black counterparts as well! This notion was not only adopted by BLACKS in America but it was also adopted by many countries in Africa as well as Jamaica, and a few other Caribbean island. Unfortunately enough , we are fooled into believing that blacks are the only ones that suffer from these Color Line insecurities! Our EAST INDIAN people do as well! What we share in common with them is: they have also been infiltrated by European colonization and enslavement! Therefore, sharing the same beliefs of inferiorty to whites, dark skinned Indian men and women also bleach their skins to look more European. To this day, darker Indian women have a much harder time finding husbands than their light skinned counterparts. East Indians come in may different shades just like Africans and the Europeans has done a great job at teaching us how to be ashamed of this when we should be embracing it!

Anyways, I have always been a confident chocolate sister. I never had trouble getting any job that I was qualified for, I am a college graduate with a bachelors degree. I have also dabbled in modeling, and acting and have been hired for these jobs by mostly whites. I walk down the streets of NYC and I get attention from men of all races and complexions so my skin ain’t stoppin’ me! Why let it stop you?

BE STRONG AND BE CONFIDENT!

Keena says:

Caribbean that is!

Dena says:

Its so sad that women of colour still view their own skin so negatively. What is even sadder is that some women directly pass that negativity down to their own children by actively bleaching their skin and telling them the lies they have heard all their lives about lighter skin being better. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!!? Why anyone would encourage this in their own children instead of instilling confidence and self love is beyond me.

Melissa says:

Horrified to see this happens in the US.

Lee says:

Keena, it’s a pleasure to read you. I come from the Carribbean too, and i can write the same thing than you. I’m a dark skin woman and i have NO problem with men too. I have the same success than my lighters friends and we all don’t give a danm about skin colour. We are who we are. And we’re all beautiful in our own way. I understand the pain of this woman ’cause i know that it’s a society fact. So I don’t judge them, but i feel very sad to see woman suffer and hate themselves like this. You’re right, we all have te try to be more confident. It’s the key.

Maya says:

Everyone always has so much to say but never realize or ask the real truth. If I wanna bleach my skin or enhance my beauty and tell the world it does not mean I dont love myself or Im crying for help. We all like to enhance our beauty it is why we as women go to beauty supplies and salons for all u weave and perm wearing people in the world including me. Check ur own closets b4 u start judging others cause what ur hiding is what ur insecure about at least I have the nerve to say it in public and be proud.

Mya says:

Ok I think this is ridiculous. True, these women ont he show have problems.
Not everyone who likes lighter skin has “self hate issues” Just like white people tan and black girls have blonde weaves with green eye contacts..nobody says anything to them!!! Some people LIKE LIGHTER SKIN..IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SOCIETY!! IF U CHECK THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO BEFORE THE AGE OF THE “MEDIA”light skin was seen as a sign of beauty.
Also, not all skin lightening creams contain mercury or hydroquinine..I know of a line that doesnt use harmful chemicals and it does get u lighter.
Anotehr point i want to make is There are many non whites who have skin discoloration(which are areas of the body that are eseveral shades darker then the original skin color), so they lighten them using creams. SO WHAT?
True society does hold light skin people higher up and true these women do have issues…but to say that every person who likes lighter skin and wants to achieve that is a “self hater” is ridiculous!
this is something manifested soo deep within human beings.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO THINK LIGHT SKIN IS MORE BEAUTIFUL!! SO WHAT? SUE THEM!

cemeg25 says:

but tyra is light brown she is not a redbone y do she keep putting herself in the lite category she did that last time.some of the girls on the stage on the left is the same complexion as her