Mali Women and Bleaching the Skin

This chain of events in Mali has taken a turn for the worse. According to BBC News women in Mali have been bleaching their skin with creams for a while, damaging their skin, because it is believed that men like lighter skinned women. Salubrious would be anything but the word for this situation.

Women's faces in Mali today are chemically embellishing themselves pallid and damaged, causing blemishes and dry skin. But what is the reason for this action from so many women?

"Women who refuse to bleach often find themselves regarded as second class citizens. A woman who did not bleach her skin said she is often not offered a chair at baptisms, and is asked to make herself scarce when group photographs are taken at marriages." It seems that this is a part of their culture or their beliefs and if women do not do this they are shunned. So if anyone is making these ashamed for being dark skinned, who is making them so but the society around them. A number of causes probably occurred from this problem including the dowry of a woman. The choice of whether they bleach their skin or not probably affects that. Men, but a select few, probably feel anything but salacious when they see a woman of such color. Women are ebullient to get these products because of the attention that they will get from the men. Women want that kind of attention.

I think that the situation in Mali is much like the one in America. They think that if you have white skin you're beautiful, just like here where people say that if you're skinny you're beautiful. I think that it's just another way to get a hold on women and it's so degrading!