TomViolence posted:

I suppose skin bleaching is kind of the most visible and irrefutable expression of internalised racism, one that even white people unaffected by racism and blinded by privilege kind of have to take note of and confront. It's just there and you need some incredibly perverse leaps of unlogic to not acknowledge it. I guess the worst part about it is that it's not some erroneous belief; lighter skin really does open doors, even in majority black cultures, and the same is true of other stereotypically caucasian features like straight hair, thinner lips, rounder eyes or narrow, aquiline noses which can lead to better off ethnic minorities seeking out even plastic surgery. Even though the root of the caucasoid prestige and privilege comes from colonialism and various systems of white supremacy, it's taken on such a life of its own in some cultures that even when most other systems of white hegemony are removed or replaced the phenomenon persists - though the proliferation of western white-dominated media and advertising no doubt still plays a role in propagating it. It's a feedback loop too. Because of this attitude those with whiter features get further and do better in the social sphere and become more visible as models of success. I don't even know where you'd begin with trying to unpick the whole thing, particularly as a white fella that's experiencing it from the outside.

Disclaimer: I am also a white fella observing the phenomenon from the outside and some or all of the above could be a crock of poo poo and require correction by someone with a better understanding of the issue.