In many countries, particularly places
like Asia, skin whitening products are
incredibly popular and provide huge profits for the companies involved
in their sale. This essay will examine
the reasons why people use these products and the effects this has on
people’s health and on society.
The
principal reason that people use skin whitening products is because whiter
skin is seen to be more desirable than
darker skin. To understand why, we need to firstly look at history.
In ancient times, people of a higher status tended to stay indoors, whilst people of a lower status worked
outside, usually farming. As a result,
those people who were indoors had much lighter skin, which means that whiter skin is now associated with having
a higher status than dark skin.
Another reason, which is partly
related to this, is the desire for the
‘Western’ look. For example, plastic
surgery to create western eyelids and noses is common in Asia, and the white skin is part
of this. These beliefs and images are
also perpetuated in the media, with adverts showing people with white skin
as more successful and attractive.
However, despite the fact that having
whiter skin may improve a person’s self-esteem,
these products can have negative effects. Regarding health, there are reports
that people are harming their skin permanently
as some products bought over the
counter have prescription-strength
ingredients. For instance, some contain steroids or toxins which can severely damage the skin and other
parts of the body. In terms of
society, there are also detrimental
effects. Such behaviour perpetuates the
belief that ‘white’ is better than ‘black’, and thus those with darker skin
may experience discrimination.
In conclusion, people use whitening
products due to the fact that white skin, usually through the media, is portrayed as more desirable.
However, steps should be taken to
change this image as the drawbacks of this are clear, with potentially dangerous consequences for people’s future health and
society as a whole.
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