Skin Colour: Changing shades

Whitening skin creams are used by an unknown number of people in African-Caribbean, Asian, Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern and other darker-skinned populations. Conversely, millions of white-skinned people tan themselves obsessively.

Walking down a London high street, you see a multitude of tanning shops. In another part of town, tubs of bleaching cream adorn the windows of cosmetics and beauty shops.

The dangers of tanning resulting in skin cancer are well known. People have been jailed for selling bleaching cream containing compounds such as hydroquinone and steroids that cause cancer. Yet tanning studios and bleaching cream producers are still going strong. What are the reasons people have for changing their shade of skin? Why does this vary so drastically from community to community?

To get you thinking and talking about the issues, we’ll be showing clips from Bleach My Skin White, a documentary by Darkling TV. Arc Theatre will then present an interactive drama performance exploring the issues.

This event is part of Museums and Galleries Month

Event organised by:
The Science Museum