BellaSugar

Lightening Creams Are Popular Among Indians, Even For Kids

BellaSugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:00:34 PDT

The last time we discussed skin-whitening creams, a lot of you had something to say. But after reading this article, I want to revisit this complex topic. In India, skin-lightening products flood the market; many contain harmful chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic. Despite the health issues, the belief that "white is right" keeps many people buying the creams. This isn't the same thing as Caucasians applying self-tanner to get a sun-kissed glow; instead, many people believe that light skin is simply superior to dark skin. (This ad gets that message across.)

But now it's not just adults who want their skin to be lighter. To find out how kids are getting into it,

read more. "I have clients who put their children on the product - some as young as nine years old, with a reference from dermatologists, so that they are not the slightly darker child in school or in the class picture," says former beauty queen Sorisha Naidoo, who markets a skin-lightening product. "In parts of the Indian community, being the slightly darker cousin or sister means that no matter how striking, intelligent or skilled you are, being fair still means more." Many Bollywood stars such as Kareena Kapoor, shown here, have fair skin. And with light-skinned models and actresses outnumbering their dark-skinned counterparts, the beauty ideal is tilted toward the light end of the spectrum. I can't help but worry for that proverbial child, who's told that her beautiful dark skin is something that needs to be "fixed." What do you think it will take to create a broader, more inclusive standard for South Asian beauty? Or do you think that whitening creams are just a different kind of beauty product? Source

What's Your Take on Whitening Products?

BellaSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:08:11 PDT

Whitening products are a fast-growing segment of the beauty industry in Asia, the Middle East and Africa; for many people, having light, porcelain-like skin is considered ideal. While I understand that every culture has different concepts of beauty, it saddens me to think about the number of women who inevitably think something's wrong with their dark skin. It's easy to understand why Sweetstrawberry, who lives in Korea, feels so frustrated by the narrow ideals she encounters at school.

As globalization spreads, this issue isn't likely to go away anytime soon. While some of the controversy can be attributed to cultural differences-after all, Caucasian people get spray-on tans!-you can't argue with the potential danger of certain whitening products. Those that contain hydroquinone and other mercury-based products can lead to skin blisters and burns (and, ironically, darkening). In some cases, they can lead to nerve damage and even death.

Of course, not all whitening products are worrisome. Some aren't terribly far from what you'd find in your average American Walgreens; they're just sold under a different name. These products are safe because they're not about bleaching the skin; instead, they aim to even out the complexion and protect against age spots. Yet much of the marketing language implies that dark skin is a disorder that needs to be cured. An ad for Olay White Radiance, for instance, "fights the five signs of skin darkening." Pond's just launched a White Beauty Detox product line in India last month. And then there's a Fair & Lovely commercial, whose heroine shows that without the whitening cream, she'd be a jobless, dateless loser. To see it,

read more So, putting aside the hilarity of that swarthy TV producer for a moment, what do you think about whitening products? Are they just filling a market demand along the lines of self-tanner for Caucasians, or are they creating a "solution" for a problem that doesn't exist?

How-To: Touch Up and Remove Blemishes in Photoshop

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:17:23 PST

Get ready for the barrage of Kodak moments and impromptu family portrait sessions during the coming holiday season. The joy of technology lets us change even less-than-flattering pictures into a worthy keepsake. There's a simple tool you can use in Photoshop to make your face look clear and bright in your own photos, even when person behind the camera forgets to adjust the lens to ideal settings.

Sure, while excessive airbrushing in order to sell products is bad, zapping that zit from a nice family photo is totally legit. If you have basic knowledge of Photoshop, this tutorial should be easy to follow. Check out my steps to using the clone tool after the break.

10 Foods That Belong on Your Face

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:23:00 PDT

Right now, you probably have some the gentlest yet most effective skin care ingredients sitting around your kitchen. Foods are often the source of costly skin care ingredients, after all. But have you ever considered just putting the raw version on? Learn how to be a real natural beauty when you keep reading.

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Nails' Condition

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:00:50 PDT

Nail polish and shaping can be a double-edged sword. On one side, pretty polish and sexy shaping make for beautiful nails. But on the other, frequent polishing, removing, and filing can tear up your nails. Now that the new season's here, it's time to give your nails a fresh start. See five straightforward ways to get them back in shape without much heartache (or money) when you keep reading.

An Exhibit to Make You Re-Think What "Beauty" Really Means

Miriam Lacey — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:43:36 PDT

Artist Tony Peralta's new exhibition, "Complejo," focuses on the way we decide what's attractive within cultures. It's a subject he's thought about since growing up Dominican-American in a culture that largely valued light skin and straight hair.

"My mom would say things like 'I don't know how you came out with such bad hair. It must be from your father's side,'" Peralta told NY1. "And she'd say it with humor, but as a young child, that starts picking at your self-esteem. And then there's the color issue, too - me being the darkest one in my family, and so never being the 'handsome' one."

Peralta says he was also inspired to create the exhibition by baseball great (and fellow Dominican-American) Sammy Sosa's significantly lightened skin and straightened hair, and some of the pieces in his installation are posters for a fictional Sosa-endorsed whitening cream.

Peralta is exposing two very specific constructs here, but there are lots of other arbitrary beauty norms, too. What beauty "standard" has always bothered you the most? And if you were going to mount an exhibition like this, how would you handle it?

Want to Look Like Kate Middleton? Here's What It Could Cost

BellaSugar — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:29:45 PDT

Future princess Kate Middleton always looks lovely and put together, so it's no surprise that so many women are clamoring to mimic her style. Obviously, her good looks were handed down from her parents, but constantly looking so well groomed requires a serious beauty regimen. While nobody but Kate knows her exact routine, we've uncovered her favorite products and treatments - and added up the total price. As you can imagine, looking princess-perfect costs a pretty penny. Read on to see the breakdown.

5 of the Worst Beauty Tips Ever

Miriam Lacey — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:00:00 PDT

There are lots of great tips for looking your best out there, but there are also some downright terrible ones. Most aren't bad enough to do real damage, but a few are so epically horrible that they're both hilarious and very, very scary. Behold! Five of the very worst beauty tips in all of history. They're jaw-droppingly awful, so to see them in all their infamy, just keep reading.

Want to Look Young Forever? Here's What It Might Cost

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:00:02 PDT

When it comes to the pursuit of beauty, women in the US put a disproportionate emphasis on looking young. It's far less expensive (and often more attractive) to simply age gracefully and take care of yourself. But just as a thought experiment, we wanted to see just how much you'd spend over a lifetime if you were to try and look 25 forever. We did the math, so to find out, just keep reading.

5 Old-Fashioned Beauty Secrets That Actually Work

Miriam Lacey — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:10:52 PDT

When it comes to beauty, maybe we should all be listening to our grandmothers more. Because while some of the beauty practices popular in the past were notoriously dangerous (ahem, lead white foundation), many of the simple, natural treatments women favored are not only useful, but pretty darn smart as well. So how can you amp up your beauty routine the easy, inexpensive way your gran would have? To find out, just keep reading.