Khanyi Mbau addresses skin lightening, ‘Being black is a state of being’

Khanyi Mbau has addressed the skin lightening debate and the reasons of why she did it.

In an Instagram Live video on Tuesday, the media personality said skin lightening is a lifestyle, especially when you are in the entertainment industry, so you try to look your best at all times or “dreamlike”.

Khanyi said she gets a lot of criticism from people on her social media because of her choice to lighten her skin but those same people would be sending her DMs asking what products they can use to get similar results.

“Skin lightening is a continuously evolving business, where doctors and scientists are constantly trying to make it safer, make it last longer and give it better results. What happened 50 years ago with people lightening their skin by using products where people used wrong products is the thing of the past. It’s anesthetic, it is tried and tested in laboratories to make it highly safe for someone to use.”

Khanyi said she was definitely not insecure about her blackness and that she did not “bleach” her skin because she lacked confidence.

“Being black doesn’t mean you have to look black. Being black is a state of being, being black is a sense of spirit. Being black is how you think and how you see yourself. It doesn’t mean you need to look indigenous. Why are we living in a world that won’t let us explore and be who we want to be? Period.”

Khanyi revealed that she has been on this journey for about 10 years ago and has good and bad results. Her reasoning was that she doesn’t like wearing makeup a lot and lightened skin looked better on set and on Instagram.

She further stated that it is an expensive “sport” and people should avoid products in the black market as they were very dangerous to the skin.

“Only products one should use are organic. If you want good results, get off the dairy. ”

Khanyi then answered burning questions from fellow watchers advising them to see dermatologists before embarking on this journey and use the right products for their skin types.

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