Memory Mile Ride

Click the picture to hear the stories of seven students who traveled 100 miles on their bicycles to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Bleaching Syndrome

While stumbling Online I came across a beauty pageant held in Abidjan titled “Miss Authentica.” In this pageant, only women with natural, untreated skin are allowed to enter the competition; and the complexion of the women’s skin has to be confirmed by skin experts as unaltered before their entrance.  This celebration of the beauty of natural skin is intended to dissuade the use of popular skin lightening creams.

Bleaching creams are common among Afro-Carribean, African and Asian people, despite repeated health warnings.  According to the BBC, 75 percent of women in the Ivory Coast use skin-whitening creams of some sort.  Many of the products in this area contain hydroquinone, a carcinogenic chemical that has been banned within the European Union, due to fears of cancer risk.  However, in Africa, it is quite commonplace for women to use topical creams that contain this chemical, which inhibits melanin production.

Africa is not the only place where tubes and pots of skin lightening creams can be found.  Popular American brands, such as Olay, Ponds and Revitol also carry skin lighteners, skin brighteners and skin fading creams.  While most of these creams contain less harmful chemicals, their presence contains the same message: “Lighter skin is better.”

In April of this year, popular rapper, actor and commercial artist P Diddy produced a television commercial with Ciroc Vodka.  The commercial stirred protests within the African-American community when Diddy requested White, Hispanic or light-skinned African-American women for the commercial.  The agency hired to acquire ethnic models posted an ad looking for “light-skinned African-American Beyonce-types.”

The act shows the high value African-Americans place on light skin.  Perhaps the desire to be lighter began long ago when slave masters manipulated their slaves and separated them based on their skin color.  Those of darker complexion were forced to toil in the fields and those of a lighter complexion prepared meals and watched over young children, remaining closer to their white owners.

Presently, many blame the media for continued discrimination; the majority of African-American models on magazine covers smile through a beige preset, so it’s no wonder the chocolate-hued smiles feel discriminated against.

Yet the fact has been ignored.  The issue is not prevalent, and the importance placed upon the hue of one’s skin is not discussed or assessed.  In our current day and age, “skin color doesn’t matter.”  Right?

An article published in the Journal of Black Studies by Ronald Hall states, “In America, skin color may have an effect upon every phase of life, including job placement, earnings and most important, self-concept.”

“In order to reduce psychic conflict and at the same time enable assimilation, some have manifested the bleaching syndrome.  Furthermore, because degree of assimilation closely correlates with skin color according to dominant culture standards, light skin has emerged as one of the most critical ideals relative to degree of assimilation.  This cultural phenomenon is acted out socially in the use of light skin as an ideal point of reference for attractiveness and the selection of marital partners among African Americans.”

Through my research, I found several blogs and Online discussions that discussed the topic of skin tone.   Opinions bounced off walls and drove both directions as men and women stated they only liked dark-skinned individuals, or they said dark-skinned people were unattractive or some bloggers asserted that all light-skinned black people were snobs.  The stereotypes and judgments were vast and inclusive of the entire color spectrum.

And so I am left divided in thought.  Not only do African-Americans struggle with social inequality dealt from white people, but they also face stereotypes within their own communities.

Because I am unable to personally relate to this topic, I thought I might share a video from the Tyra Banks Show that discusses the issue on a more personal level.  I hope this blog shares new knowledge and spreads new thought.  Awareness of these issues is the first step to eliminating discrimination.  And so Confucius states, “Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

BlackBottom.com – Light Skin Vs Dark Skin – Tyra (Part 1/5)

Shared via AddThis

Party like a Barack Star

Pres. Barack Obama swept the nation last November when he won every swing state that led him to presidency.  As a young voter, my first experience voting in a presidential election took place during the 2004 election.  Before that, I remember watching the tedious presidential elections in 2000.  So of course, when I sat down in front of the television on November 4, 2009, I expected to stay glued until at least midnight. That thought faded as Decision 2008 came to a quick end and the American public elected the first African-American to represent our nation.

Before the election took place, Obama was paraded as a ‘celebrity.’  With videos from ObamaGirl.com floating around YouTube and Obama Chia Pets popping up for purchase Online; it was clear to see that the public was in favor of Obama.

Throughout his first six months as president, the economic recession hit Americans hard.  The Gallup Poll noted Obama’s approval ratings to be at their lowest this week at 58 percent, and predicted it to continue to fall as the economy and job market continued to wane.  Thus, Obama’s role shifted in the eyes of the public and he became less of a pop icon and more of a presidential leader.

Or so I thought.

Over the weekend I purchased my mother a birthday card.  As I perused the aisles, my eyes wandered up and down each row, reading cards of sentiment, ones of humor, cards for loved ones and even more for children.  And then I saw it:  plain white with a giant blue star outlined in gold and filled in with a blown up picture of Obama’s face wearing a pair of black Ray bans.  It said underneath, “On your special day,” and on the inside, “I hope you party like a Barack Star!”

And so I admit, I laughed.  The card was funny and clever, exactly what many cards aim for.  I personally chose a more mom-appropriate card, but then I started to think about the card a little more; and the message struck me as odd.  I’m sure you have seen the “Bush is my homeboy” t-shirts in stores and on the streets, but I have never seen so many popular images of a president during my lifetime.

Later that night, my thoughts jumped to a lecture during my Russian Politics course that I took at the University of Oklahoma.  The lecture was half way through the semester, and we had begun talking about the Putin era; namely, his popularity and large appeal to Russians.  Quickly, the topic of Putin as an adored leader began to be voiced and the Professor told the class how Russian women often swoon over Putin.  He told us that Putin was described as “the ideal man,” and that a Russian pop group created a hit song titled “One like Putin.”

The lyrics say this:

My boyfriend is in trouble once again:
Got in a fight, got drunk on something nasty
I’ve had enough and I chased him away
And now I want a man like Putin

One like Putin, full of strength
One like Putin, who won’t be a drunk
One like Putin, who wouldn’t hurt me
One like Putin, who won’t run away!

I’ve seen him on the news last night
He was telling us that the world has come to crossroads
With one like him, it’s easy to be home and out
And now I want a man like Putin

One like Putin, full of strength
One like Putin, who won’t be a drunk
One like Putin, who wouldn’t hurt me
One like Putin, who won’t run away!

After laughing hysterically at the music video, my thoughts wandered to the Obama girl’s “Crush on Obama.” The lyrics and music video carry on a similar note as that of “One like Putin.”  With a beautiful girl telling Obama, “Baby you’re the best candidate” and dancing seductively.

So what type of power does a ruler hold when the nation swoons over him?  The nation depends on Obama to mend our reputation abroad, to fill the economic hole and to preserve our interests.  The American public has made Obama into a superhero.  He is to boost the job market and foster American family ideals.  Yet, are we harder on him when he fails; do we expect too much from one man who began his presidency from a shallow hole carved out by former Pres. Bush?  Or do our misperceptions of his perfection veil our eyes to his faults?  Is Obama’s popularity just another media production, in which Americans fueled by celebrities and entertainment want to see more and more?

Whatever it is, I feel comfortable saying the United States government will not allow Obama to reign all-powerful like Vladimir Putin.  Yet it is still in the public’s best interest to view Obama as a national leader and not as a national icon.