Colorism is deeply rooted in societal and patriarchal norms, and it’s a women’s rights issue because it perpetuates harmful beauty standards that disproportionately affect women of color. The normalization of skin “brightening” and “lightening” in beauty marketing reinforces the belief that lighter skin is superior, diminishing self-worth and reinforcing colonial ideals of beauty. By promoting such standards, the beauty industry systematically exploits these insecurities, upholding oppressive ideals that target women, while marketing products under the guise of skincare and radiance enhancement.
“Thinking critically about body image and beauty standards should remind us that the idealized notion of beauty is not a form of liberation but rather a form of social control.” bell hooks
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"The idea that there's a single beauty standard is perhaps the most effective way of diminishing women's power." Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"In contemporary culture, the body has become the central means by which consumer culture seeks to create our identities. The body is our vehicle for consuming, and increasingly, the product we are consuming." Susan Bordo
“The Victorian woman became her ovaries, as today's woman has become her "beauty.” Naomi Wolf
"Our Obsession With Beauty is Dystopian"
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