An analysis and exploration of pale skin and how it affects the perception of celebrities’ image.
When Lisa of BLACKPINK released her new solo song, Rockstar, it was a guaranteed viral hit. However, it also sparked a heated debate. Lisa was accused of blackfishing, a term used when a person alters their appearance to appear black. Her Rockstar concept photos depicted her with a skin tone several shades darker than her usual pale complexion, as seen on her Instagram and during her time with BLACKPINK.
A Rockstar concept photo in question.
Reddit threads were spun, with people pointing out that this isn’t the first time Lisa has been accused of blackfishing, as she has worn box braids and been accused of using a blaccent in her raps.
A Redditor mentions that Lisa’s concept photos are darker than her skin tone but concedes that this is the photographer's style, a sentiment many other netizens echo.
A redditor mentions Lisa’s past offences, like using AAVE (African American Vernacular Expression)
However, Lisa’s tan could be seen as a way of shifting and molding into Western beauty standards. KOOKIELIT, a K-pop reporting channel, noted that Lisa is trying to expand into the Western market. Yet, contrarily, at the same time, Lisa’s Instagram posts show her as much paler than her Rockstar look, being more in line with Asian standards of paleness.
Nevertheless, the predicament of skin lightening extends far beyond South Korea, being a worldwide affair. In Asia, skin bleaching, whitening creams, and other treatments are common among celebrities and people. In the Philippines, the skin bleaching business is booming, as Refinery 29 reported. Unfortunately, for the everyday consumer, they are typically made with dangerous ingredients. Refinery 29 also partnered with Ecowaste Coalition, an NGO dedicated to addressing waste, and found that the average skin-whitening cream had extremely high levels of mercury in its contents. Using mercury and other harmful ingredients to achieve “Snow White” skin sounds like a ridiculous, ancient, and Tudorian practice, yet why is it still so prevalent? An answer for these standards could be due to the Philippines having an agrarian society and a history of colonization by the Spaniards. Similarly, in India, due to British colonization, the fairer you are, the prettier you are, with creams being made of hydroquinone, another harmful chemical causing kidney, liver, and skin damage.
There is also a clear double standard in Asian celebrity society based on whether or not one has fair or dark skin. Sriya, an Indian pop idol from the group Blackswan, was unfairly compared to Aria of X:in, another Indian K-pop idol, merely because the latter had a darker skin tone than the former.
A screenshot of a video essay about Aria, purportedly doing skin bleaching herself, showcasing comments comparing her to Sriya, another Indian K-pop idol.
Sriya of Blackswan poses in a photoshoot.
In addition, the notion of pale being equivalent to pretty is also felt in the West, albeit to a lesser degree, with Zendaya stating that she is “Hollywood’s acceptable version of a black girl” simply because of her lighter skin tone. In addition, a “white jade” or glutathione treatment most commonly used in Asia has been named after Beyonce because of her swapping appearance over the years. While Beyonce’s family vehemently denies her taking any skin lightening treatment, it is apparent that her skin tone has changed one way or the other, albeit temporarily.
A tabloid photo pointing out the difference in Beyonce’s skin tone appearance.
On a more personal note, Lisa, any other celebrity, or you, the viewer, should do as you feel. With this analysis, we are not here to degrade beauty standards but rather to emphasize that you, as an individual, should choose and define your own meaning of beauty rather than succumbing to society’s expectations. Portray yourself the way you choose to.
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