 Caraig Melanie P.

 BSA 1-4
 Purposive Communication
 REACTION PAPER:
 CAKE SOAP SKIN BLEACHING IN JAMAICA

o Cake Soap Skin Bleaching in Jamaica is a film documentary produced by JoyDailyTV as

they travel to beautiful Jamaica to uncover a strange growing trend sweeping the island.
JoyDailyTV takes a deep look into the world of skin bleaching in the said country. This
documentary was filmed around 2016, and made interviews to those black Jamaicans
who experienced or involved on skin bleaching. The said producer was also got some
opinion from the other people, doctor, educator and to a comedian broadcaster regarding
the skin bleaching. The producer asked some questions on them like- why they bleach
their skin, how often they bleach their skin, when did they decide that they want to try it
too and so on. This paper will focus on why Jamaicans wants to bleach their skin;
because some suggests that this is a mental illness, and other would say that they are
deeply influenced by the colonization that they still see their blackness as inferior to
white.

o As I’ve watched the documentary I noticed that most of the people in Jamaica are
bleaching their skin. And as the interview goes by, I already learn why they want to try
bleached their skin, each of them have their own reason. According to the people whom
interviewed by JoyDaily, some Jamaicans are bleaching for a drastic lighter complexion.
Over 90% of their population are black, but why they like to have white skin? Someone
said that when she bleach her skin, she really catch a white color. The balck women in
Jamaica are believed that they are pretty enough when they bleach their skin its same us
on the guys. They bleach their skin everyday like Michael Jackson. Some black
Jamaicans influenced the others to try it too. JoyDailyTv interviewed a young man
wherein he said that he used to have a lot of bumps in his face and he influence to try it
because of his cousin. The reason is he saw his cousin using it and he actually used
some on his face and saw that bumps in his face are moving in like three nights and after
 the bumps on his face. And it gave him the smooth looks that he likes. Well, they said
that bleaching make their color change. Sometimes it makes their red, pink, brown and
black. They bleach their skin because they believed that when they put it they kind of look
good. For them skin bleaching makes them younger and look more fresh. Also, they
believed that mostly of the people who employ easily are the white people and they still
believe that white people are more superior than black people. They experienced
discrimination because they are black people.

o From the documentary, I am not support on their reasons of bleaching their skin. I
disagree to what the black people reasons on why they bleach their skin. It is because
skin bleaching is not healthy. It may lead them to hypertension, elevated blood sugar and
even skin cancer. According to Jackson DJ, she is a doctor there who JoyDailyTV had
interview about the skin bleaching and she said that people who bleached their skin
repeatedly are at a very high risk for skin cancer. Blacks don’t normally got skin cancer
but when they put themselves through the bleaching of skin they had the possibility to
have it. And the doctor also said that for her it is a psychological problem, and that
syndrome was called body dysmorphia. I also disagree when they said that black women
are not attractive and not pretty. All of us have their own definition of beauty. Maybe, they
only want to follow the trend on Jamaica to make them cool too, wherein they got it from
Vybz Kartel who said that ‘cool as mi wash mi face wit the cake soap’ mean just started
to get cool. Kartel is the one who popped this trend because he is popular in Jamaican
people. He is the one who influenced the youth people to bleach more because every
youth respects and loves Vybz Kartel. Black women have no self-esteem because they
did not appreciate their blackness and beauty that God gave to them. I also disagree on
their statement that black women and men are not easily got employ because of their
color and nothing can do. Usually people like them are the one who limit their ability as a
person because the color of their skin is black and it defines who they are. They also still
believe that blacks are still inferior to white people. If they are determined to work, they
will not think such negative. The black Jamaicans also had lack of enough knowledge
because the most important to them is their physical appearance they did not think
carefully those chemicals that they put on their bodies.
o All of us created by God, so we should be contented on what we have. Our skin color do
not define us as a person. Skin bleaching is no longer necessary. We should be grateful
because having black skin color are not prone to skin cancer and we become ageless
and less wrinkles compare to the people who have white skin color. And people should
not discriminate their self in terms of physical appearance and work employment. The
skin color do not dictate what are life will gonna be instead embrace it and always think
positive. It is important to have self-esteem and confidence on ourselves. We should stay
healthy and do not use any chemical on skin just to follow the trend in environment.