User:ChinyereDenise/sandbox

Africa
In many parts of Africa, women with lighter skin are thought to be more beautiful and likely to find more success than women of darker skin tones. Often times this barrier leads to women turning to skin lightening treatments, many of which are harmful to the body.

Historically, the cause of skin lightening goes back to colonialism, where individuals with lighter skin received greater privilege than those of darker tones. This built a racial hierarchy and color ranking within colonized African nations, leaving psychological effects on many of the darker skinned individuals.

Colorism affects both women and men in African countries, but it has taken hold of the beauty standards associated with a woman’s ability to find success and marriage. The number of women across African countries using bleaching products have gone up with 77% of Nigerian women, 52% of Senegalese women, and 25% of Mali women using lightening products. Many turn to cheap, unregulated products that medical professionals advise against due to the health risks associated with it. Some of these include skin cancer, steroid induced acne, and atrophy.