Yearning for lightness: transnational circuits in the marketing and consumption of skin lighteners

Attempts to address colourism are often individualised and framed around "re-education" that focuses on broadening conceptions of beauty and desirability to include dark skin so that whiteness and light skin are no longer viewed as the "dominant standard."

“As Glenn (2008, p. 298) argued, attempts to address colourism are often individualised and framed around “re-education” that focuses on broadening conceptions of beauty and desirability to include dark skin so that whiteness and light skin are no longer viewed as the “dominant standard.””

Focusing only on individual consciousness and motives distracts attention from the very powerful economic forces that help to create the yearning for lightness and that offer to fulfil the yearning at a steep price.

“As Glenn (2008, p. 298) argues, “focusing only on individual consciousness and motives distracts attention from the very powerful economic forces that help to create the yearning for lightness and that offer to fulfil the yearning at a steep price.””

Multinational corporations profit from the lucrative global skin lightening industry and are therefore invested in perpetuating colourism in order to create and sustain demand for products that depend on inequities and insecurities created by colourism.

“Multinational corporations profit from the lucrative global skin lightening industry and are therefore invested in perpetuating colourism in order to create and sustain demand for products that depend on inequities and insecurities created by colourism (Glenn, 2008).”

Women with dark skin are at a disadvantage because skin shade is central to assessments of beauty, with light skin operating as a form of symbolic capital that is converted into economic capital and advantage in the 'heterosexual market'.

“However, women with dark skin are at a disadvantage because skin shade is central to assessments of beauty, with light skin operating as a form of symbolic capital that is converted into economic capital and advantage in the ' heterosexual market ' (Glenn, 2008; Jha and Adelman, 2009).”

Light skin signified affluence in India (as in other countries), in contrast to the darker skin of the poor or working classes, which resulted from labouring outside.

“She suggests that light skin signified affluence in India (as in other countries -Hunter, 2007), in contrast to the darker skin of the poor or working classes, which resulted from labouring outside.”

Glenn argues that a precolonial history does not nullify the contribution of colonialism in that the skin shade hierarchies established in areas colonized by Europeans cemented and generalized the privilege attached to light skin.

“Glenn (2008: 284), however, argues that a precolonial history does not nullify the contribution of colonialism in that the skin shade hierarchies ' established in areas colonized by Europeans cemented and generalized the privilege attached to light skin ' .”

The global politics of beauty promulgates an aesthetic and hierarchy born of 'white supremacist thinking' and a 'white is right' ideology that is bolstered by the construction of an inferior dark other.

“The global politics of beauty promulgates an aesthetic and hierarchy born of ' white supremacist thinking ' (hooks, 2003) and a ' ' white is right ' ideology ' (Glenn, 2008) that is bolstered by the construction of an inferior dark other.”

Glenn argues that skin shade variation within castes makes it hard to support the claim that the caste system in India promotes colourism.

“However, Glenn (2008) argues that skin shade variation within castes makes it hard to support this claim.”

Women of colour are burdened with the oppressiveness of a hegemonic beauty ideal that excludes the majority of the world's population, and are simultaneously exploited by multinational corporations determined to turn their vulnerabilities into financial gain.

“Women of colour are burdened with the oppressiveness of a hegemonic beauty ideal that excludes the majority of the world ' s population, and are simultaneously exploited by multinational corporations determined to turn their vulnerabilities into financial gain (Glenn, 2008).”