One of the most prominent baseball players of all time Sammy Sosa appeared ghostly white in a picture taken in November 2009 in Primer Impacto, a Spanish news program. He has attributed his lighter complexion to a skin lightening cream , which name he has left undisclosed. Sosa has only stated to having purchased the cremes in the Europe. The creme allegedly softens his face and simultaneously lightens his skin complexion. Skin bleaching cremes are in a world wide market in attempt to obtain a lighter skin complexion. Such huge market known as the skin lightening industry- that provides skin lightening products, is a booming market . The increasing demand for such products have increased over various years . Some major corporations such as “Shiseido , the largest and best-known Japanese cosmetics firm, with net sales of $5.7 billion.” (178) Sosa joking states throughout his interview in 2009, that he is a businessman and is attempting to advocate the use of such products, but in reality the skin lightening business is a highly lucrative business and in reality Sosa wants a piece of the pie, and in reality what a better way to advocate the sell of the product that with self-use.
Historically know , an individuals complexion is a form of symbolical capital. the lighter the individual the higher the socio-economic status . Thus affected the treatment provided to an individual based on the assumption of the aforementioned status, as Glenn stated “researchers have revealed that peoples judgements about other people are literally colored by skin tone, so that darker-skinned individuals are view as less intelligent. trustworthy, and attractive than their male counterparts. ” (165) In contemporary society their has been an obsession with complexion of skin tone and the correlation of trustworthiness and intelligence as stated by Glenn. Such is evident in the public figure Sammy Sosa who has conformed to the lighter skin. Sosa interestingly states he “I’m not a racist, I live my life happily,” but has resulted in the changing of his skin complexion shortly after retiring from his career as a professional baseball player.
The use of skin bleaching cremes can and has been known to contain hazardous chemical harmful to the face. “Products often contain mercury, corticosteriods, or high doses of hydroquinone. Mercury of course is highly toxic, and sustained exposure can lead to neurological damage…” (168) if such products are such highly toxic why would one use them? What is this cultural obsession with becoming a lighter complexion , colorism- the privileging of lighter skin and discrimination of those with lighter skin. Do such contemporary issue date back to racism in which people with darker complexion are seen as inferior as they are populated by the Europeans. I disagree with the need for such damaging skin lightening creams, they are not necessary. Skin pigmentations are unique and necessary for individualism , such celebrities should use their access to publicity in attempt to promote social acceptance and individuality rather than conforming to social normalcy.
Works cited
Rojas, Enrique. “Sosa: Facial Cream Caused Lightening of Skin.” ESPN.com. ESPN, 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Zinn, Maxine Baca, and Evelyn Nakano-Glenn. “Yearning for Lightness:Transnational Circuits in the Marketing and Consumption of Skin Lightners.” Globalization: The Transformation of Social Worlds. By D. Stanley. Eitzen. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006. 165-80. Print.
wmstudies 