SKIN lightening or skin bleaching has been a concern around the Caribbean for years. It’s been trending due to its mentions in songs made by popular dancehall artistes. Skin lightening is not only a concern for one’s physical health but also one’s mental health. Unfortunately, it stems from one of the many ills colonialism left us with—colourism. It was and still is believed that if one’s skin is lighter in complexion, they’re more prone to become successful, they’re more beautiful or their power lies within their skin tone. It saddens my heart to still see men and women alike with this mindset. The cultural need to be “white” or “lighter” is a strong one—whether we choose to believe it or not in Guyana and the Caribbean at large. It is evident through the ways in which attraction and beauty standards are still measured by light complexion in certain aspects of our cultural and social makeup.

I remember once, a popular entertainment sports bar was specifically looking for Latin women to be their hostesses. This triggered a social media outrage because it was clear as day that the post targetted “light-skinned” women and the ethnicity was mentioned to deter Afro and Indo-Guyanese from applying for the job position. That’s one of many other current colourism issues I see happening in Guyana. According to the World Health Organization, the skin-bleaching industry will reach a whopping $31.2bn by the year 2024. The brands and businesses that manufacture and retail skin-lightening products use some of the most disgusting marketing strategies I’ve seen. They try to reinforce and solidify people’s insecurities about dark skin and what it means for them in social settings.

Skin bleaching has harmful physical side effects due to the harsh chemicals and ingredients such as; mercury. In high dosages, it can be damaging and even fatal. Most of the skin-lightening products you see readily available on the shelves of supermarkets and stores or even on the internet are made with high levels of mercury, but it is not often reflected in the ingredients list. You can develop skin rashes, scarring, redness, kidney damage, and even anxiety or depression when using products with high levels of mercury. Apart from mercury, many other ingred ients listed or hidden are used in producing these products. Even after knowing all of this, some people will still go to extreme lengths to achieve their desired “lighter” look. Their commitment to the cause indicates their insecurities, lack of self-awareness and even lack of knowledge on what colourism is and how it affects their behaviour.

We can say that it’s up to the individuals to love themselves but we should also hold ourselves accountable as well. Ourselves and the community and society should be held accountable for always setting and maintaining unrealistic beauty standards that include the concept that lighter skin equals goodness. Representation and advocacy matter in this instance. We should make it our quest and duty to make Afro and Indo-Guyanese women and even men feel included and respected with their darker complexions. It’s ridiculous that we live in a tropical country where the sun is hot enough to fry eggs and we expect people in Guyana to look as white as snow? Yet again, it is unrealistic. I urge you all to stay away from the harmful skin-lightening and bleaching products—they can be harmful to your physical and mental health. Those lotions, creams, soaps and serum cannot define what true “beauty” means. It starts with you, your mental health and love for yourself—that’s where the real beauty is; if you’d ask me.