Propelling Negative Body Image? African Singer Defends 'Whitenicious' Skin-Bleaching Cream

If you look at the marketing behind the ill-named "Whitenicious" cream, you'd probably think the product was intended for full-body skin bleaching.

But the cream's creator, African singer Denica, is insistent that this isn't the case.

Although the skin-bleaching cream's most recent ads show Denica with all-over lighter skin tones, she says that the product is only meant for reducing minor blemishes and discoloration.

But she herself is perpetuating a ton of mixed messages about the "beauty" product itself and how women of color view their bodies.

After going on the defensive, Denica claims that she created Whitenicious because "white means pure, not necessarily skin, but in general."

This is weird because we think she looks way worse as the pasty and unnatural looking person in those advertisements. But whatever, we're not the only ones who have taken offense.

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, who has been outspoken about racism in the beauty and fashion industries, has advised women and girls against using skin bleaching tools.

But Denica is rejecting all of her critics' well-made points about how such a product interferes with young girls' ability to be confident in their own skins and skin tones, claiming that the decision to bleach her body is just the same as bleaching her hair.

"I'm an adult and if I lighten my skin then that's my choice, the same as bleaching my hair."

Denica might be of an appropriate age for determining how she wants to mutate her body, but the message that she's sending to her impressionable fans is not OK.

H/T: Daily Mail, Photos Courtesy: Facebook