Is Skin Bleaching also a way of getting better?

During the social media campaign “10 days of body talk“, a lady asked, “is skin bleaching also a way of getting better, just like how fat people do physical exercises to lose weight and get better, why is it so much of a great deal for someone to bleach their skin in order to attain a better complexion?”

Honestly, I was quite impressed with her question because don’t we all just want to get better, grow, develop and be the best versions of ourselves? while she spoke, I kept asking myself these questions…

What is “getting better?”

Really, what is getting better? fair skin or dark skin? who said which was better? Do you really know which is better or are you allowing society and fashion trends decide for you? Using the same example of Sports, there is no best size, rather there is a healthy size. In the same light, there is no best complexion. Beauty, they say lies in the eyes of the beholder, but I hope you never forget that you are a beholder too. Every detail about you including this skin tone is yours to behold; confidently, unapologetically, YOU.

At what cost?

Apart from  low self esteem, the thing with skin bleaching is that it destroys the skin over time. The adverse effects of skin bleaching take a lot of time and resources to be reversed and mind you, some are irreversible. At what length are you willing to go just to “get better” and if you are using something that in a long run damages your skin, then can you really say you are getting better? So to me, when it comes to skin, getting better means loving your skin and giving it the best treatment that will nourish it not ruin it. Yes, you can make your skin glow while maintaining your complexion and  without necessarily bleaching it.