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Has anyone here used Unilever's, "Fair and Lovely" (or any product) to lighten their skin?

Has anyone here used Unilever's, "Fair and Lovely" (or any product) to lighten their skin?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 16.0%
  • No

    Votes: 21 84.0%
  • Other, please explain

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    25
  • Poll closed .

kenny

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DAF

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I am Caucasian of Eastern European origin. I have melasma spots from hormonal shifts and some sun exposure. I use Musely, prescription through the internet. It's reportedly 10X stronger than what you can buy OTC.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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Does it work on lightening freckles ?

I don't see why anyone would use these products for any other reason than to even out skin tone - its not Elizabethan England any longer

i would love a lovelly dark complexion but my Celtic heritage dictates otherwise and i fry and burn

And anyway tanning is dumb and dangerous with our sun
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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Asscherhalo_lover

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Not in this way, I have used serums with hydroquinone and other ingredients to lighten sun spots.
 

kenny

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FWIW, I'm of Northern European stock, with red hair (now gray) and fair skin.

I'm mostly attracted to my opposite ... men with olive skin and black hair originating from the Middle East and Mediterranean regions long ago populated by the Moors, who later populated today's Mexico, Central and South America.

To me, anyone who has that beautiful darker skin making it more pale is exceedingly perplexing.
But then many people with pale skin lay in the sun whenever they can ... equally perplexing considering the associated risk of skin cancer. :think:

... but since people vary I understand that what skin tone represents to various people(s) is complex.
 
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AprilBaby

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I’m Scandinavian descent and use it to get rid of sun spots. I’m tired of being told tan looks best. I had 5 skin cancers removed in the last 6 weeks.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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I’m Scandinavian descent and use it to get rid of sun spots. I’m tired of being told tan looks best. I had 5 skin cancers removed in the last 6 weeks.

I hope that's the end of it April

I know Maori and Polynesian people who have had skin cancer
Tanning is just dumb
I wish i had thought this when i was a teenager - even though we did know better
 

AprilBaby

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I hope that's the end of it April

I know Maori and Polynesian people who have had skin cancer
Tanning is just dumb
I wish i had thought this when i was a teenager - even though we did know better

Oh it won’t be the end. Sun is like poison to me. Thanks for the thought!
 
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FWIW, I'm of Northern European stock, with red hair (now gray) and fair skin.

I'm mostly attracted to my opposite ... men with olive skin and black hair originating from the Middle East and Mediterranean regions long ago populated by the Moors, who later populated today's Mexico, Central and South America.

To me, anyone who has that beautiful darker skin making it more pale is exceedingly perplexing.
But then many people with pale skin lay in the sun whenever they can ... equally perplexing considering the associated risk of skin cancer. :think:

... but since people vary I understand that what skin tone represents to various people(s) is complex.

I think it comes from prizing whatever is harder to obtain, or more rare. It’s just sad that in this case it pertains to what you are born with and that can’t be changed without chemicals or surgery.

I don’t really want to reveal where I’m from, but let’s just say “the subcontinent” - I don’t live there anymore though. I grew up with this kind of pressure however, my parents never pushed me to use Fair & Lovely type products but my mother constantly lamented that going into the sun would “ruin” my complexion and I’ve used countless “natural” tan removing products (though they’re also just nice face masks so I dont/didn’t mind using them because they made my skin nice and soft as well, I just resented that the main aim was to fade my tan).

I don’t blame or resent my parents. They’re a product of the system and they never made me feel less attractive, to their credit. Being fairer can absolutely be an enormous advantage. Urban, educated, progressive people I know will STILL, in these days, comment if a fair guy marries a darker girl in amazement or along the lines of “couldnt he find a better looking girl?” Because dark = ugly. (The pressure to be fairer is definitely higher on women than men. “Physical attractiveness” is not such a required criteria for men, but women need to be slim and fair). I’m glad Unilever is renaming Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely and that these conversations are happening at all, but I’m too pessimistic to expect them to have much of an impact.

As an aside, Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan the phrase is in Punjabi, not in Hindi. The song is a mishmash of Punjabi and English like a lot of mainstream Bollywood music these days. The rest of the lyrics are as idiotic (or even worse) as the line quoted in the article.
 

MeowMeow

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I think it comes from prizing whatever is harder to obtain, or more rare. It’s just sad that in this case it pertains to what you are born with and that can’t be changed without chemicals or surgery.

I don’t really want to reveal where I’m from, but let’s just say “the subcontinent” - I don’t live there anymore though. I grew up with this kind of pressure however, my parents never pushed me to use Fair & Lovely type products but my mother constantly lamented that going into the sun would “ruin” my complexion and I’ve used countless “natural” tan removing products (though they’re also just nice face masks so I dont/didn’t mind using them because they made my skin nice and soft as well, I just resented that the main aim was to fade my tan).

I don’t blame or resent my parents. They’re a product of the system and they never made me feel less attractive, to their credit. Being fairer can absolutely be an enormous advantage. Urban, educated, progressive people I know will STILL, in these days, comment if a fair guy marries a darker girl in amazement or along the lines of “couldnt he find a better looking girl?” Because dark = ugly. (The pressure to be fairer is definitely higher on women than men. “Physical attractiveness” is not such a required criteria for men, but women need to be slim and fair). I’m glad Unilever is renaming Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely and that these conversations are happening at all, but I’m too pessimistic to expect them to have much of an impact.

As an aside, Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan the phrase is in Punjabi, not in Hindi. The song is a mishmash of Punjabi and English like a lot of mainstream Bollywood music these days. The rest of the lyrics are as idiotic (or even worse) as the line quoted in the article.

I can somewhat understand what you mean. I remember when my dad and I were setting up for my wedding and he had just met my husband's family. He told me privately later that he was surprised people like them would marry people "like us". Keep in mind my husband is blond haired, very fair, and blue eyed and I am opposite that. Im pretty light skinned but I will never be the same colour as my daughter who looks like him no matter how much I avoid the sun.
 

kenny

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I can somewhat understand what you mean. I remember when my dad and I were setting up for my wedding and he had just met my husband's family. He told me privately later that he was surprised people like them would marry people "like us". Keep in mind my husband is blond haired, very fair, and blue eyed and I am opposite that. Im pretty light skinned but I will never be the same colour as my daughter who looks like him no matter how much I avoid the sun.

All I can say (and supported by personal experience) is opposites attract.

For those who reproduce this is likely a good thing, since genetic diversity is better than marrying relatives, like European royalty did for centuries.
 

Elizabeth35

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Im a ginger and I burn and freckle. I have had squamous cell carcinoma removed. I use lightening products on my sun damage, not for any cultural lightening.

So weird that those of us who are pale desire to be tan and some of those who are darker want to be lighter.

My ex used to express disgust that I was so pale and could not tan. And as recently as last year, people we vacationed with in the Caribbean said I was "so white". They could not understand why I did not try to 'get some color' and used sunscreen and stayed in the shade. I finally had to explain my skin cancer history to get them to back off.
So whether you are considered to pale or too dark---there is no pleasing some people.
 

Demon

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I'm a redhead also (although in old age it's turned more brown with red highlights, oddly). A tan would be nice, but 15 min in the sun and I'm a lobster. And no need to lighten my skin, lol.
 

MeowMeow

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All I can say (and supported by personal experience) is opposites attract.

For those who reproduce this is likely a good thing, since genetic diversity is better than marrying relatives, like European royalty did for centuries.

I 100 percent agree lol. Diversity is great :D
 

stracci2000

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I am of Mediterranean heritage. I can get pretty dark in the sun.
Where I grew up (Pennsylvania) getting a tan was very important. The climate there is usually overcast, so if you could get a good tan it was a real achievement.
My sister and I and all our friends would pray for sunny days so we could lay out in the sun. We tried so hard to get darker. It was the 70s and 80s.

Now that I live in the Southwest, it is a different mindset. The locals (Hispanic and Native Americans) are already darker complected. Tanning is not a thing here.
It seems to be just the opposite of where I grew up.
And the sun here is really intense. So nobody in their right mind will lay out in the sun intentionally. You could get heat stroke and die.
 

MaisOuiMadame

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My ex used to express disgust that I was so pale and could not tan. And as recently as last year, people we vacationed with in the Caribbean said I was "so white". They could not understand why I did not try to 'get some color' and used sunscreen and stayed in the shade. I finally had to explain my skin cancer history to get them to back off.
So whether you are considered to pale or too dark---there is no pleasing some people.

I'm sorry you have experienced this - how absolutely idiotic!!



I don't tan as in : my skin won't and I've been avoiding the sun since my blond , blue eyed, always tanned and frequently burned childhood friend died of skin cancer when he was 19 (I was 16) .

So, no need for any whitening products for me.

I live in Europe and I have the impression people aren't as tan- addicted as in America and certainly not white-obsessed like in parts of Asia.
 

jaysonsmom

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In most Asian cultures, being fair skinned is prized because fair= (upper class) you don't have to work in the fields and I've noticed that beauty standards are that fair=beautiful. There are tons of skincare products that promote skin brightening and lightening in Asian skincare lines, whereas you would be heard pressed to find tanning or bronzing products. I have a medium to fair complexion that freckles, so I have used certain lighting products to "spot treat".
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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I am of Mediterranean heritage. I can get pretty dark in the sun.
Where I grew up (Pennsylvania) getting a tan was very important. The climate there is usually overcast, so if you could get a good tan it was a real achievement.
My sister and I and all our friends would pray for sunny days so we could lay out in the sun. We tried so hard to get darker. It was the 70s and 80s.

Now that I live in the Southwest, it is a different mindset. The locals (Hispanic and Native Americans) are already darker complected. Tanning is not a thing here.
It seems to be just the opposite of where I grew up.
And the sun here is really intense. So nobody in their right mind will lay out in the sun intentionally. You could get heat stroke and die.

You can get burnt on overcast days down here
 

winnietucker

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In most Asian cultures, being fair skinned is prized because fair= (upper class) you don't have to work in the fields and I've noticed that beauty standards are that fair=beautiful. There are tons of skincare products that promote skin brightening and lightening in Asian skincare lines, whereas you would be heard pressed to find tanning or bronzing products. I have a medium to fair complexion that freckles, so I have used certain lighting products to "spot treat".

Someone once told me I was one of the lucky Filipinos because I’m so fair skinned... I’m not Filipino at all. And at time I wasn’t married to my husband (who is) so I had my Polynesian maiden name. It was an uncomfortable exchange to say the least.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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Im a ginger and I burn and freckle. I have had squamous cell carcinoma removed. I use lightening products on my sun damage, not for any cultural lightening.

So weird that those of us who are pale desire to be tan and some of those who are darker want to be lighter.

My ex used to express disgust that I was so pale and could not tan. And as recently as last year, people we vacationed with in the Caribbean said I was "so white". They could not understand why I did not try to 'get some color' and used sunscreen and stayed in the shade. I finally had to explain my skin cancer history to get them to back off.
So whether you are considered to pale or too dark---there is no pleasing some people.

This is dreadful and irresponsible of your friends
at school i was called white bait (its a tiny little fish) because my legs were so white
 

doberman

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Not like the article describes, but I got sun spots in one place and used hydroquinone to lighten it. I was very good about sunscreen at the time, now I'm better.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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This is not a comment about skin colour but rather condition

alot of British people have beautiful skin (not the ones who holiday in Majorca mind)
Sometimes i know someone is a Brit just by their skin
 

Austina

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When we were on a cruise once, a lady actually commented that my good skin must be because of the all the rain we have @Daisys and Diamonds ! I told her no, it was because I didn’t sit out in the sun.
 

Daisys and Diamonds

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When we were on a cruise once, a lady actually commented that my good skin must be because of the all the rain we have @Daisys and Diamonds ! I told her no, it was because I didn’t sit out in the sun.

How rude of her !

And what's wrong with rain anyway ?
You can't be a green and pleasent land without a bit of rain
 
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