lthough notorious, dangerous and extremely popular, skin bleaching has only just recently come to public attention, when a married couple selling illegal skin lightening creams became the subject of a joint prosecution; the pair were sentenced to nine months in prison and suspended for two years for selling Movate and Dermovate, which were found to contain unlicensed steroids. In a way their crimes could be seen as utilitarian act, as they revealed the world of illegal creams, self hate and desperation that has gripped our community.

There’s a large segment of our population who are convinced that being lighter in complexion is to their advantage, socially and economically. Women are following this destructive trend which is not only morally questionable but also harmful. Women in the ethnic minorities: Black, Asian, Arab and Latin women are bleaching their skin. We need to find out where this distorted image of what beauty is coming from. The Women who are using these dangerous and illegal chemicals attempt to reach a European standard of beauty. They are avid users and are often defensive and secretive. When 29 year old Muna Ali, a veteran skin bleacher, was asked if she would stop, she replied “Why? It’s my, it’s my body, and I can do anything with it. I will stop bleaching when I want to stop. I know what I am doing.” (Her face is distinctively lighter than the rest of her body.) It is not as simple as Muna puts it as her friend Sahra, a 32-year-old explains to me “We are black, and black people have black skin, to change shows that you are ashamed of whom you are, surely that is a sickness in itself”.