‘White means pure’: African singer defends ‘Whitenicious’ skin-bleaching cream after being accused of encouraging people to change skin tone

• African pop singer Dencia has created a beauty cream called Whitenicious
• She says it is a dark spot remover which lightens blemishes in seven days
• However the advertising campaign shows her with her entire body lighter
• Asked about the product’s name Dancia replied that ‘white means pure’
• Critics have branded the product an ‘abomination’, warning it will harm the self confidence of ‘girls of colour’ by making them ashamed of dark skin

By CHRIS PLEASANCE PUBLISHED: 16:08 EST, 22 March 2014 | UPDATED: 16:11 EST, 22 March 2014

An African singer behind a skin-bleaching cream called ‘Whitenicious’ has tried to justify the name of her product in a TV interview, saying: ‘white means pure.’ Asked what the product’s name meant to her, Nigerian and Cameroonian singer Dancia appeared to contradict herself by saying: ‘White means pure, not necessarily skin, but in general.’ She insisted that the cream is only for covering blemishes, despite an advertising campaign showing her entire body appearing lighter, adding: ‘Some people they don’t feel confident, they don’t feel pure, they don’t feel clean with dark spots.’

Critics have branded the product an ‘abomination’ saying it teaches young ‘girls of colour’ to be ashamed of their skin. In an interview with Channel 4, Dancia was asked whether she thought the message behind the product was that being white looked better than being black. She replied: ‘I was not selling that message, the media are selling that message. I didn’t say, buy the cream and look like Dancia.

‘I said seven day, fast acting dark spot remover. It’s called reading comprehension. If people missed that class then it’s not my fault. ‘If they think that their whole body is a dark spot then fine, because that’s not how I feel.’ Among Dancia’s critics is oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o who spoke out against racism in beauty and fashion and warned young black girls not to use bleaching products. Nyong’o, star of 12 Years A Slave, admitted that when she was younger she wanted to wake up ‘just a little bit lighter’, because she was ashamed of her dark skin.