Consumerism in modernity

7/29/2019 Consumerism in modernity

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A case study on the unconscious desires which motivate the consumption of skin

lightening products...

The concept and usage behind skin lightening products is not a recent invention. Early

uses of skin lightening products date back to ancient Persia and China where civil

workers would grind pearls found in seashells into a powdery substance. This was

then consumed in a desperate attempt to alter the skin pigmentation of those who used

it (Bray, M. 2002). White complexion did not merely represent beauty, nobility, and

grace. It represented something much higher, it represented social status for those who

craved it. This obsession has not faded over time. If anything, the “desire to be white”

has only increased to unprecedented levels in our society today.

This is evident when we look at how popular skin lightening creams have become in

places like India (where it has become a £90-100 million industry) (Naresh, 2007 &

beyond the pale 2007 ). What I am interested in is why skin lightening products are so

commonly used, despite the fact that several harmful ingredients are applied in its

production (such as hydroquinone). I feel that the products appeal and its position in

consumer culture can only be explained thoroughly with the use of psychoanalysis

and theories of the “unconscious”. One aspect that psychoanalysis can help us to

examine is the way in which the product is marketed and represented to the consumer.

In relation to this, Rachel Bowlby identifies how the marketing strategies used to

persuade consumers to make purchases have underlying roots in Freud’s

psychoanalytic concepts of the conscious and the unconscious desires of individuals

(Bowlby, R. 1993: 5). Freud’s theories of the unconscious involve a belief that, many

of our desires and beliefs (especially unacceptable libidinal wishes) are “repressed”

into the unconscious region of our minds. According to this theory we can determine

that many individuals may desire something without even realising it (Jacobs, M.

1941: 7). This is largely what Bowlby indicated when explaining how marketing

strategies involve a cunning way of tapping into peoples “unconscious desires”.

We can see many prominent examples of this in various advertisements of skin

lightening products. One commercial in particular launched by Emami (for its Fair &

Handsome product, which is focussed towards men) has caused quite a stir. The

advert (which can be seen on youtube & porkolt.com) denotes an Indian man in his



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early 20’s vying for the attention of a young attractive Indian female (who is notably

much fairer than he is). He is unsuccessful in his attempts to gain her satisfaction

(Figure 1), however Sharukh Khan (a famous Bollywood actor) comes in to save day

by handing him over Emami’s Fair & Handsome product.

In a real “song-and-dance Bollywood extravaganza”, the man reappears several weeks

later. He not only looks fair, but he also strides with a sense of confidence. There are

several obvious connotations in this advert. The most noteworthy of which is the way

that the skin tone of (not just Asian men but) all Asian people is symbolised in a

negative way (Naresh, 2007 & beyond the pale 2007 ). The connotations of dark skin

contained in this advert imply a general sense of failure, not only in the Indian male’s

attempt at attracting a female but also the way in which he is generally depicted.

This advert further confirms what Vance Packard stated in relation to Rachel

Bowlby’s statement, “People make irrational choices, and therefore advertisers must

know how to market the irrational”. Indeed, and Emami’s Fair & Handsome product

is a testament to the way in which advertisers market irrational desires. However a

very intriguing question is why and how irrational desires are created in the first

place. It is quite possible that these desires are created by society, and/or unconscious

needs. However psychoanalysis also tells us that consumption also provides

temporary gratification, sense of comfort, and identity (Jacobs, M. 1941: 7).

I believe identity is they key word to focus on here, as it explains to us what exactly

consumers are “unconsciously” purchasing when buying skin lightening products.

Bocock also interpreted the consumption of products as a means in which people

articulated a sense of identity (Bocock, 1993:17 & 28). By actively being involved in

the consumption of such products consumers are likewise, associated to the

connotations of these products. In relation to this, we can also assume that when

consumers purchase a product like Fair & Handsome they are not merely buying a

product. In actuality they are also purchasing an “identity”.

The connotations outlined in the advert of Emami’s Fair and Handsome product

outline the identity that consumers wish to purchase when buying skin lightening



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products. This also relates to the controversy represented by the advert as it also

reinforces prejudices which state that “your skin colour will determine how successful

you are in life” and that “you’ve got to be fair to be anything in life”. This is

especially true when we look at the way in which the product is designed and

packaged, the tagline “be fair, be handsome” is always used in association with the

product (Naresh, 2007 & beyond the pale 2007 ).

In relation to Bocock & Freud’s theory on consumption and identity, we can easily

confirm that consumers who purchase skin lightening products are trying to purchase

an identity in which they are successful and accepted, i.e. by purchasing skin

lightening products, consumers are ultimately purchasing social status which will

enable them to excel in their social life, and possibly even their career. This can also

be seen consistently in the media where many Asian and African models are

portrayed in a fairer complexion to their natural skin tone (Figure 2) in relation to this

we can only conclude that the unconscious desire to be white seems to be

transcendent.

However, we should further argue why it is that Freud is so confident that these

desires stem from the “Unconscious”. In relation to the unconscious, Freud also

theorized that people reveal what is buried deep inside the Id via slips of the tongue,

dreams, jokes and free association (Figure 3). This tells us a lot about ways in which

the desire to be white has been revealed and evolved over the ages. Simply looking at

the media and browsing through the various adverts related to skin lightening

products you can see fairly prevalent evidence which confirms this. For instance when

coming back to the advert for the Fair & Handsome product you can read the tagline

“Be fair, be Handsome” and see that this is a “slip of the tongue” on behalf of the

creators of the advert.

We can also see how deep rooted the concept of “White is right” has become by

observing the ways in which small children perceive their own skin colour. One

researcher, Kenneth Clark did an experiment on black children. The experiment

involved two dolls, a white and a black doll, the black children were then asked to

choose the doll they liked. The majority of which surprisingly chose the white doll (a

reconstruction of this experiment can be seen on YouTube on the following link;



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http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qWEXJ-Qd1uw). This experiment further

confirms Freud’s theory that unconscious desires and beliefs can be revealed through

slips of the tounge.

It seems that Freud’s theory regarding the unconscious and unknown desires that are

held deep within the id is a good way to explain the irrational choices many

consumers make when purchasing skin lightening products. It is a well known fact

that these skin lightening products are very harmful to the collagen structure of the

skin, however despite this many consumers are blinded by their wants and their needs.

It seems reasonable to assume that many consumers are not aware of this thought

either.

When asked about the reason for making a skin lightening product Emami claimed

that the reason they made a skin lightening product for men was because the collagen

structure of male skin is very different from that of women’s. According to this,

Emami claims that men need a cream that is made specifically for their skin type as

men are exposed to the sun’s UV rays 3 times more than women. They are also

exposed 5 times more to pollution, and 2 times more to stress factors, not to mention

the exposure that men receive from the detrimental effects of shaving continuously

(Why Women’s Skin Products Are Not as Affective on Men, 2007).

Let us ignore the scientific credibility of these statements for the moment, and instead

imagine that these claims are true. If Emami are justified in making a skin cream that

compensates for the collagen structure of male skin, then why is it also necessary for

the Fair & Handsome product to reduce the skin tone of the men that use it? Why

didn’t Emami create a Fair & Handsome product which doesn’t tamper with the

complexion of the male skin? The reason being, is because the skin lightening aspect

of the product is evidently the main selling point of Fair & Handsome (hence the

name). However it is very unfortunate that consumer’s fall into the traps of advertisers

who use psychoanalysis to tap into their needs.



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Appendix

Figure 1: A young dark skinned Indian male, is taunted and rejected by a notably

fairer looking female

Figure 2: Comparisons of Beyonce’s photo reveal an attempt by loreal to make her

seem more “white”

Figure 3: Diagram representing a free association session



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Consumerism in modernity