Are we the only ones that think this is scary, unnecessary, and just gross? I, for one, am a firm believer in: "Be grateful for what God blessed you with." No skin tone/color is better than another, and in the end, no matter what type of cosmetic surgery you have, your genes will NEVER change. The day you have kids they will represent the REAL way you look (or used to look...or whatever) because that's just the way DNA works, people. Ok, just had to vent. Here is the story:
Skincare group Vaseline has introduced a skin-lightening application for Facebook in India, enabling users to make their skin whiter in their profile pictures.The download is designed to promote Vaseline's range of skin-lightening creams for men, a huge and fast-growing market driven by fashion and a cultural preference for fairer skin.
The widget promises to "transform your face on Facebook with Vaseline Men" in a campaign fronted by Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur, who is depicted with his face divided into dark and fair halves.
Skincare group Vaseline has introduced a skin-lightening application for Facebook in India, enabling users to make their skin whiter in their profile pictures.The download is designed to promote Vaseline's range of skin-lightening creams for men, a huge and fast-growing market driven by fashion and a cultural preference for fairer skin.
The widget promises to "transform your face on Facebook with Vaseline Men" in a campaign fronted by Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur, who is depicted with his face divided into dark and fair halves.
In 2005, Indian cosmetics giant Emani launched the first skin-whitening cream for men, called "Fair and Handsome", 27 years after the first cream for women. Since then a half dozen foreign brands have piled into the market for men, including Garnier, L'Oreal and Nivea, which promote the seemingly magical lightening qualities of their products in ubiquitous advertising.
In 2009, a poll of nearly 12,000 people by online dating site Shaadi.com, revealed that skin tone was considered the most important criteria when choosing a partner in three northern Indian states.
Although standards of beauty certainly vary around the world, one could still make the argument that advertising and the mainstream media still promote “white” or “white-looking” as the ideal. Some individuals lighten their skin themselves with creams — we’re looking at you, Sammy Sosa and Michael Jackson! But others are lightened (some would say “whitened”) via photo magic. Both Freida Pinto and Beyonce's modeling photos for L'Oreal have been accused of being “whitened” — although the cosmetics giant, of course, denied it on both accounts. In the end, all of this is just plain SAD. Shame on you Vaseline!
In 2009, a poll of nearly 12,000 people by online dating site Shaadi.com, revealed that skin tone was considered the most important criteria when choosing a partner in three northern Indian states.
Although standards of beauty certainly vary around the world, one could still make the argument that advertising and the mainstream media still promote “white” or “white-looking” as the ideal. Some individuals lighten their skin themselves with creams — we’re looking at you, Sammy Sosa and Michael Jackson! But others are lightened (some would say “whitened”) via photo magic. Both Freida Pinto and Beyonce's modeling photos for L'Oreal have been accused of being “whitened” — although the cosmetics giant, of course, denied it on both accounts. In the end, all of this is just plain SAD. Shame on you Vaseline!
