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Wednesday 9 February 2011

Vybz Kartel Bleaching ...From Teacher to Bleacher...

I know I am over overly late with this one bdss’rs, but I’m going to give my opinion anyway!

Recently it has come to my attention that Mr Vybz Kartel aka Where me get me clarkes aka the teacher aka is now possibly a... bleacher?

Now to be honest I'm not really sure I should even do this post because I am by no means 'Up to the times' with the dancehall world, or Vybz Kartel in general. In fact the last time I even watched or took an interest in Vybz Kartel was probably a year or two back when him and Movado were at Sting and they were going back and forth... if I recall Vybz was in military garb and had his army around him, the personification of 'bad man' 

*I tell a lie my boyfriend has now schooled me on the whole Gaza and Gully history - I am officially 'Up to the times' and 'Sweet to the belly'

Anyways back to my opinion... despite not really following Vybz Kartel too closely in recent years to me he has always had this kind of bad man imagine, as demonstrated at Sting and throughout his career.

He is the personification of not caring and definitely not conforming (sticking two fingers up at the police and all that anti social stuff), going to war and all that etc.; so the idea that he is bleaching his skin is down right crazy to me and I'm sure to a lot of people!

I mean are bad men suppose to be vain?  Or at least ...that vain? 

Now whilst I can understand a possible bad man exercising and eating right to get that desired physique; or dressing a certain way to enhance their look (wearing Clarks and skinny jeans) or changing their hair style... but to bleach one's skin takes the idea of vain to a whole new level - is it self hate?

I can't fib, for me it kind of kills the whole bad man imagine he has built, more like badly insecure! 

Why else would he go from what I would consider a perfectly healthy complexion, to there I say it - looking like he has Jaundice! 

 


Seriously, bleaching does not agree with his skin at all and he actually looks sick.

I know I know ...recently Vybz Kartel has said its part of his 'new image' and also his skin bleaching is no different to when white people tan themselves... really?

As far as I'm aware everybody looks good with a little tan (not tangoed!). A tan can add a healthy glow from the lightest to the darkest of skins. 

Bleaching on the other hand is not so good and I can't even tell you who I have seen that looked better for bleaching their skin. In fact I remember once bumping into a women I knew who clearly had been dabbling in the bleach; and the result was red raw cheeks and pimply spots, which was not a good look at all!

I think its fitting that he himself has brought up tanning... because right about now he is looking the bleaching equivalent of someone who has overdone it on the sunbed; and I think there must be some serious skin colour issues in Jamaica which causes a successful, influential Jamaican dancehall artist, to not feel comfortable in the skin he was born with and the foundations possible lay down deep in self hate.

Also what kind of message does Vybz Kartel's skin bleaching send out to impressionable young people?  Lighter skin is better; you get more girls with lighter skin?

The video below is from 2008 so maybe Vybz Kartel is not doing anything new... 


 ... However in the video it did state the practice of skin bleaching was mainly found in the 'poorer inner city Garrison communities' so what purpose does it serve Vybz Kartel to bleach his skin? As I said above he is a successful artist, he has the money, the adulation and women falling at his feet, so why’s does he do it BDSS’ers? Also are there any bleachers out there who want to share why they do it? and is skin bleaching a sign or form of self hate?  

All thoughts welcomed...

6 comments:

  1. LMAO OMG WTF? Sorry but girl this gave me so much jokes! Now I've never really watched JA Dance Hall artists that closely, but have obviously enjoyed the music, and I am partial to shocking out on the dance floor - roll on next week! Anyway Vybz Kartel now looks like a duppy! After checking out wha gwan wid dis, his excuse is that he washes with acidic carbolic soap to cleanse face, but insists he doesn't bleach.

    Now back in the day I had a bad case of acne, therefore my mum forced me to wash my face with that stuff. Now it may have got rid of my spots, but I can assure you that I am not 4 shades lighter. I don't know what was said in the video, because I cannot watch it, but I think it's so sad when people cannot be comfortable in their own skin - literally. Yes, white people do tan, but at their own peril, we all know that skin cancer is one of the most dealiest forms of cancer around and is very prevalent, the same goes for bleaching. Who knows what the chemicals are doing to his system? The other day my friend saw bleaching cream for babies in West Green Road, it's so terrible and sad. So if there are any bleachers out there -DON'T BLEACH!!

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  2. Ew bleaching your skin for any cause is just wrong. I don't understand why one would want to bleach their skin, you should love the skin you are in, be it super light or super dark or in between. Yes it does send the wrong message to young people. Bleach always looked unnatural to me, unhealthy, sickly look and the area that are missed looks messy, better to be the colour you are born. Tanning beds over time can be very dangerous but the natural tan just being in the sun kind if not over done is very nice but bleach no sir.

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  3. Lol @ ladyabouttown - duppy! : -D

    I know the video is a bit funny... however if you type in Google: a family of skin bleachers in Jamaica and scroll down to the third result current.com you should be able to watch it quick before it goes funny again!

    You are right it is so sad because the bleaching cream can cause all kinds of problems in the long run so whilst it may make the skin look lighter for now, your skin will be ruined in the long run!
    In the video the mum had been bleaching for 10 years and she had some kind of funny skin on her cheeks, plus she was saying the dermatologist has told it to stop the bleaching.
    I guess it is like the ones who sun tan daily and get skin cancer; at the time they believe the tan (or the lighter skin) is worth the risk.

    As for bleaching your child’s skin, I could not even imagine the kind of parent who would resort to such a thing OH MY DAYS!

    I could not agree more @ madeformakeup
    Bleached skin does not look like healthy skin. In one video I watched they were saying there are women known as 'vampires' in Jamaica because they can't go in the sun no more thanks to bleaching, again I could not imagine!

    For me Vybz Kartel has lost some major cool points because from now on, no matter what he does (sell his own brand of cake soap or heal the world) all everyone is going to be checking for is his skin colour and why he did it in the first place!

    He’s like Michael Jackson now.

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  4. Lol Michael Jackson definitely!

    I think everybody has a right to do with their body what they wish, but come on at the very least make the procedure enhance your natural good looks.

    I absolutely hate the fact that people are trying to look lighter, based on some old school colonial beliefs that should no longer be relevent, at the same time, black and asian celebrity women are always being lightened for magazines, and it seem's like there are the same pressures in some communities for men. Its quite tragic really! And its such a shame that vybes kartel is the new poster boy for this mis-guided sense of self worth.

    We don't need a dancehall MJ equivalent but it seems like we have one.

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  5. Crazy! I really think this is cultural ignorance to a higher level. Love your skin, Black people. Love the original.
    Vibez Kartel a lean...

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