Light skinned and beautiful or Just Light skinned!

[Curly]

I’ve noticed that quite a large amount of Somali woman have this twisted view that they must lighten themselves in order to think of them selves as beautiful.

I think that the majority of Somali people constantly associate beauty with skin colour, I’d like to know why!?

 

Keeping in mind that the majority if not all of the Somali supermodels out there in the fashion industry have all dark skin complexions. So if it’s not a western ideal then what is it and why are we so eager to be white?

 

 

A while back I read an interesting article in the black magazine ‘Ebony’ called “Everyone wants to be a white woman” I found this article very amusing because they stressed that even black men want to be white women, using Michael Jackson as a prime example.

 

 

Personally I think he's just taking his “Planet of the Ape” obsession too far!

 

Anyways, getting back to the issue at hand! It is a well known fact that scores of women in Somalia bleaching and wrecking their skin just for the sake of having a fairer complexion. But I find that these women subject themselves to this torture due to the society which they are brought up in, where women with fair skin are valued more than those with darker skin. I’m not afraid to admit that I myself have been a victim of these demoralising and bitterly twisted views whilst visiting Somaliland in 2002.

 

So it’s no wonder young girls destroy their beautiful skin just to fit into these warped ideals and imagery that being light skinned is beautiful!

[sweet_gal]

it's simple.....Girls who are dark don't really get that much attention....Not that they don't get any it's just not as much compared to light skin girls.

 

However I still think they shouldn't change their skin colour.....I wonder if it's wrong because god created them with dark skin and they change it.....

 

They don't have enough confidence to be in their own natural skin so they think perhaps they'll gain confidence or popularity among guys or even girls.

 

Thats just my opinion......lets disagree to agree

[Warmoog]

Have you noticed the ideals of how Somali women should look and what their bodies should be like are based around men (getting men's attention, pleasing a future husband, etc.)? FGM and skin-bleaching creams exist for this very purpose. Obviously women are not faultless; in fact they have a large role in propagating these ideals. Who else performs FGM? Men? Think again. And who ordered these women to bleach their skin? Men? I think not.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that these things are done for men (and self in some cases). But the fact of the matter is, if women made a collective effort to stop poisoning their minds and stopped abusing the bodies God loaned them... no one would be able force them. If they were strong enough to resist succumbing to distorted social ideals, they'd be much happier.

 

Salaamz.

[SomeAlien]

but do we as a people really put down dark skinned women? i think its more like putting light skinned women on a pedestal than it is saying dark skin is bad. bad teeth make you look ugly (unattractive) not the shade of your skin. my mom is dark skinned, the darkest of her family and shes also looked upon as the "pretty" sister but she also tells me when she was little she would constantly wash her face in the hopes of being lighter skinned. nobody ever told her dark skin was ugly but sometimes kids have a way of detecting the unspoken message.

[Nubian-Queen]

where there is light there is beauty and where there is darkness...no one wants to go...loool just joking..

White is beautiful but Black is better.....!!

[stpaulchick]

I pesonally think that women that make themselves lighter just to be "more beautiful" need to realize that their scaring the sh** out of everyone. And then their lips are dark as hellllllll ...ew ew ew. Why do u want to ever look that?

I shouldn't judge but "Black is beautiful...and I mean deep chocolate"...and these women want to look like Michael Jackson.

But hey white people tan to get darker and I guess dark skinned thought they should get something that would make them lighter....Hey whatever floats your boat.

[Thierry.]

Have you heard of the blacker the berrier, black is beautiful, we can go all along and say that personallity is what attracts us to people but,

but i and u know that looks are the first impression, however this look is not based on

skin tone but on BONE STRUCTURE, the idea of having light skinned kids is way out of date

keep it black pease

[Thierry.]

Have you heard of the saying the blacker the berrier, black is beautiful, we can go all along and say that personallity is what attracts us to people but,but i and u know that looks are the first impression, however this look is not based on

skin tone but more on BONE STRUCTURE, the idea of having light skinned kids is way out of date,

 

keep it black pease

[hot_chocolata]

Mmmmm, but you gotta admit thats some pretty sad sh!t. I don't think I'd ever do that. Those girls must be so insecure to bleach their skin....I wonder if it hurts? :confused:

[LuCkY]

Its Pretty Sad And Pathetic But Im FeeLing That Gem :confused: On Iimaan's Neck...Nice BLing BLing...LoL!

[Xudeedi]

I call it natural selection. There is a underlying reasons why people prefere lightskin than darkskin. What about the middle,

 

 

Maariin casaan galey, waa midab u gaaree, gobsanahaa hablahayagu

[Xudeedi]

I found this article very amusing because they stressed that even black men want to be white women, using Michael Jackson as a prime example. Pessimistic Sue"

 

Micheal Jackson's case is totally different. There is no single black person that appreciates this man's hermaphroditic transformation. Apart from blacks, Somalis have unique complexion and features, but beauty is for girls. Men's beauty is intellect.

[chubacka]

Quote:

`Men's beauty is intellect.`

 

EXCUSE ME?

COME AGAIN?

What a victorian idea, we know women can be intellectual its not a attribute confined to the male species. In fact you would have to search hard to find a male that does show some wit. And another thing beauty is not limited to women either, men can be beautiful too. Perphaps moreso than women because they do not feel the need to bleach their skin

[Valenteenah.]

^^ LoL...

 

Maybe Maakhir means that Somali men have no chance when it comes to beauty...thus relying on their intelect as their only attractive feature. Hehehe

 

Yasmin,

 

I would have agreed with you on the assumption that women bleach their skin for men a few years ago, however I have noticed another trend.

 

Somali women bleach their skin for other women. They dont want to appear lighter for men, (gosh like what man would notice anyway?...too busy admiring the boobs and bum, or maybe eyes and lips...but skin colour?), they want to appear light in comparison to other women. If every woman has bleached her skin, "maxaa aniga iga reebaya"?

 

On top of that, skin-bleaching is so highly advocated within female circles, that even the strongest women fall for it. Including those who are already light. Examplefied by a relative's reluctance to attend a 'women only' wedding party because her skin wasnt bleached and she didnt want certain ppl to see "anigoo ka madoow". And this is a girl who was quite light-skinned in the first place. I have no idea when being light became a competition rather than something bestowed naturally by Allah.

 

 

This is a mentality I find hard to understand on most occasions, then once in a while a few old biddies visit us and proceed to immediately make vile comments about my youngest sister's complexion >> "Bisinks...oo inantu madoobaa, tollow yee karaacday?!!" And it becomes a little clearer. If girls are made to have a complex about the colour of their skin at a young age by those very ppl who's job it is to advice them and who should kno better, exactly what chance do they have in resisting the bleaching dementia later? Am surprised skin bleaching isnt more prevalent in teenagers as it is.

 

Dumarka Soomalida isuma tudhaan.

[Dhagax-Tuur]

Assalaama allaikum

 

Nature is beautiful whether it is colour, character, or feature.

 

One thing, tho, isn't this going to be Haraam, since you are basically making an statement to Allah that you are not satisfied with how He fashioned you!?

 

Well, what the heck, lesser are the mutaqiin these days.

 

Salaams.