Remember when author J. K. Rowling got absolutely smashed on social media and cancelled for daring to say that only women menstruate?  

Ahh, good times. 

The times we find ourselves in today, by contrast, have moved to an elevated level of lunacy.  

L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetic and beauty company, has announced it will stop using the word “whitening” on products. 

“The L’Oreal Group has decided to remove the words white/whitening, fair/fairness, light/lightening from all its skin evening products,” the company announced on Friday.  

L’Oreal’s skin lightening creams are among the most popular on the market; Asian, African and Caribbean buyers are said to face the cultural stigma that lighter skin is more desirable.

Quick note to anyone heading to the shops: if you don’t want your skin to be lighter, don’t use it.

Are there any adults left in the world? 

Where does this madness end? 

Is teeth “whitening” now also considered racist? 

We are no longer allowed to describe ourselves as “fair-skinned”? 

If you genuinely believe that wishing to whiten your teeth is promoting “anti-blackness”, consult your doctor. It’s possible your echo chamber has squashed your brain and caused it to stop functioning.  

If you honestly think that whitening teeth is a painful reminder of “oppression”, how do you pour milk on top of your cereal in the morning without seeing a reminder of “systemic racism”? 

When left lunacy comes for your teeth whitening toothpaste, you’ve got to be insane to believe this is about anything other than power and control.  

Illustration: Unilever Hindustan. 

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