Changing Skin Colour

[EmJ1979]

Why did so many people have so much to say about Michaels skin colour changing but I've never seen anything mentioned about his sister who also has lighter skin than she did when she was younger. To be honest her and Michael look like twins. I'd like to hear why you think the press had to hound him so much about his changing looks. There are so many celebrities who look nothing like they did when they first started out due to plastic surgery and although you might see small articles about this just to sell trash magazines they in no way hound them like they did Michael


:mj5:

 

[JEMFTV]

Re: Changing skin colour

Because Michael was the most famous singer of all his siblings? Tbh Michael should have released a statement regarding his skin disease instead of waiting until '93.

 

[Nite Line]

Re: Changing skin colour

Because Michael was the most famous singer of all his siblings? Tbh Michael should have released a statement regarding his skin disease instead of waiting until '93.

Yeah I agree. He should have come out with a statement in 1986 because that was the first year in which he appear to be of lighter skin tone. It was obvious that people would pick on his changing skin colour. I just wish Michael had better people in his life who advised him better.

 

[EmJ1979]

Re: Changing skin colour

It's just ridiculous to me that a man with so much talent and such a kind hearted individual was defined by his skin colour. I know he said that people only wanted to read the trash stories but I would much rather read about his accomplishments in life than what colour his face was and the size of his nose. I totally agree with you about the people he had advising him though. They were only out for themselves not to protect him

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

Re: Changing skin colour

Because Michael was the most famous singer of all his siblings? Tbh Michael should have released a statement regarding his skin disease instead of waiting until '93.

Yeah I agree. He should have come out with a statement in 1986 because that was the first year in which he appear to be of lighter skin tone. It was obvious that people would pick on his changing skin colour. I just wish Michael had better people in his life who advised him better.

What I don't understand is that Michael wrote and released an autobiography in 88 discussing his plastic surgeries but couldn't talk about how his skin disease made his complexion light like a caucasian man? I love Mike and it's easy to talk like this in retrospect but honestly where was his team?? They should have adivsed him to say something, there is no way that could turn into anything else than a PR nightmare. Maybe they did but he didn't listen. Maybe, just maybe he liked the ambiguity and the mystery of it all during that time I don't know. He should have said something

 

[Tess66]

Re: Changing skin colour

What I don't understand is that Michael wrote and released an autobiography in 88 discussing his plastic surgeries but couldn't talk about how his skin disease made his complexion light like a caucasian man? I love Mike and it's easy to talk like this in retrospect but honestly where was his team?? They should have adivsed him to say something, there is no way that could turn into anything else than a PR nightmare. Maybe they did but he didn't listen. Maybe, just maybe he liked the ambiguity and the mystery of it all during that time I don't know. He should have said something

I too wish he would have spoke out about it earlier. Perhaps he was scared or embarrassed, he did have image issues because of things that happened to/said about him during his teen years. Perhaps he was just trying to maintain what little privacy about his personal life as he could.

Maybe his "people" did try, but Michael refused to speak about it until he felt he had no choice.

While his skin color and/plastic surgeries shouldn't have been the focus, he was a musical genius, that's what important, I can also understand why his changing looks were highly commented on. It wasn't subtle, especially when comparing him from Thriller to Bad. It had to raise eyebrows, especially in the black community who thought he didn't want to "be black" anymore.

I also think he could have been an ambassador for the disease, show the world that it didn't matter, that having Vitiligo didn't need to be any kind of stigma. It would have spun things much more in his favor had it been played that way instead of trying to hide it for so long.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Re: Changing skin colour

I agree with Tess66, in that Michael's skin color changed very quickly in the five years between Thriller and Bad. To the average person, who didn't stay informed about celebrities, it appeared instantaneous. I think that's what started the bulk of the rumors, and Michael's refusal to address it just fueled the fire. His interview with Oprah didn't occur until he'd already spent 11 years, wrestling with vitiligo. The glove he wore on Motown 25 remains stained by brown makeup on the inside, to this day...probably because Michael hastily added the glove before going on stage that night.

 

[knigofpop]

Re: Changing skin colour

Personally I think he chose to ignore the rumours, stories and accusations. He never really addressed any rumours during that period, more to the point he actively encouraged them. Michael was an enigma. He was neither Black or White, slightly androgynous (in appearance) and was half man/half child (of course i say these things with the up most respect). It made him who he was.

I don't doubt that he was ill informed and that Dileo made some strange decisions in the 80's, but for me the illusion was a part of who Michael was.

 

[chris123678]

Re: Changing skin colour

See, tbh, I think the negative public reaction was mainly to Michael's lack of addressing the issue.
It was clear that by 1986 his appearance was slightly different, and his skin obviously lighter. By 1993, he was very very white, I can understand how the public would speculate skin bleaching.

 

[Cats-whiskas]

Re: Changing skin colour

I remember when the Bad album came out, I was 9 years old. I had been a fan since I was 4 . I remember sitting with the album cover, just staring at it. I couldn't believe how different he looked. At the time there was no internet (I know, I am ancient) and I didn't come from a family of fans. My parents just thought Michael was a "weirdo" and I heard all the rumours in the press. I couldn't get accurate information anywhere. I really wish he had come out then and said, "listen guys, I have a skin disease, this is what is going on right now". It would have made things much easier for fans. I think what hurt the most was people saying he didn't want to be black.

But Michael was a man of mystery and it is said that he could be stubborn. Maybe he truly felt it shouldn't matter to people, or maybe he liked to keep everyone guessing. I guess we will never know. Either way it never stopped me from loving him

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

Re: Changing skin colour

Personally I think he chose to ignore the rumours, stories and accusations. He never really addressed any rumours during that period, more to the point he actively encouraged them. Michael was an enigma. He was neither Black or White, slightly androgynous (in appearance) and was half man/half child (of course i say these things with the up most respect). It made him who he was.

I don't doubt that he was ill informed and that Dileo made some strange decisions in the 80's, but for me the illusion was a part of who Michael was.

Michael was black. Stop that nonsense

 

[MJTruth]

Re: Changing skin colour

MJ liked the attention and probably thought the ongoing publicity would help his sales. After all, he and his team deliberately planted crazy stories in the press to gain additional coverage and promotion. Sad thing is that those very same stories are what led to the 'whacko *****' tag and turned him into a comedic figure. They led to him not being taken seriously and in the end turned so many people off. Sure, the Vitiligo issue should have been addressed in the media honestly, as should the surgeries but that wasn't MJ's style. People have so much more respect for a celebrity that is honest. As soon as they suspect somebody is trying to be dishonest they get the daggers out.

 

[Hess]

Re: Changing skin colour

I think it was a private matter to MJ. - When other people are sick we would never dare to ask or demand them to tell about it....

But MJ having Vitiligo needs to be a public matter??

I agree MJ could propably have stoppped some of the speculations if he had said something in the mid-80's - but I understand why he thought it was private and did not want to involve the entire world...

 

[elusive moonwalker]

Re: Changing skin colour

Why should mj have to put out private medical information to apease people and their ignorance. You think the media whos lies have created a false truth over the last two decades would have said yeah there you go mj has vitiligo and wouldnt have continued pushed their hate filled agenda to brainwash the ignoranat masses. Talk about blaming the victim

If mj denied having something as "normal" as pneumonia in 2007 amongst other times when infact he did why would he want even more such personal medical info put out there

 

[Tess66]

Re: Changing skin colour

I often wonder what the people who worked closely with Michael thought about it. I mean, it was an obvious change to his looks, the vitiligo. I wonder if Dileo tried to get him to acknowledge it publicly.

I completely respect Michael wanting to keep as much of his private life to himself, he was so completely overexposed from a very young age, living under a microscope, in front of the world, watched and tracked constantly.

However, I just believe had he acknowledged having vitiligo long before the Oprah interview, things may not have spun out quite so wildly as they did. I think he should have talked about it in Moonwalker at least. I know, I know, his skin color shouldn't have been an issue, his music, his charitable contributions, his gentle and loving nature were the important things, the things that made him so very special. With his squeaky clean reputation, the press jumped on anything they could, twisting things, flat out making things up, Michael may have been able to easily squash the notion of him wanting to be white, skin bleaching, etc., by just making the same statement he made to Oprah, just earlier.

I have the utmost respect and love for Michael, and as a fan, I accepted the sometimes mysterious things about him. It was endearing to a point, but the one thing I truly wish he had discussed sooner was his vitiligo.

There were, especially in the 80's, many stars who played with their looks/image, Boy George, Prince, Madonna, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, etc. Makeup, hair color, wild clothing, and they never came under fire the way Michael did. Unfair??? Absolutely!!! Had Michael been white, and decided to tan himself as dark as possible, nobody would have thought anything about it, but going in the other direction, from dark skin to lighter, OMG, hold the presses!!!

I think, and please don't throw rocks at me, this is just an observation and NOT how I feel; I think the press, the "powers that be" in the industry had the attitude of "How dare this black guy try to be white, who does he think he is!!??". That attitude, combined with Michael trying to be a private person and not saying anything for a long time, just fueled their hurtful fires. They were hungry to get any type of "dirt" they could to tarnish his clean reputation. No drunken/druggie nights, no girls/affairs, none of the usual music star press fodder. So they tore him up in other ways, so desperate to write anything, true or not.

In the bigger picture, even if he did announce the Vitiligo earlier, the press would still have written crazy stuff, but at least that one big "issue" wouldn't have been part of the repertoire.

JMHO

 

[#MJforever57]

Re: Changing skin colour

Tess66 you are right in your post this is why the black race felt that Michael didn't want to be black anymore that he want to be white that he turn his back on the black race and that is not true. To me Michael was force to say why his skin had change that was wrong it should have remain private Like Tess66 said if Michael was a white man and went out there got a tan as dark as he can get it to become black no questions would have been asked but he had to come out and tell the world that he had a skin disease but i really think he wanted the black race to know that he was still black and proud to be black it was sad that he had to do that.

 

[EmJ1979]

Re: Changing skin colour

It's a hard one really as I do understand that he could have saved himself a lot of bad publicity by just coming out and saying he had vitiligo but I also agree that it's not necessary for him to share all of his medical conditions with the world. However having read through the comments it would have been beneficial for him to do so as he wouldn't have had people saying that he was bleaching his skin to become white as he didn't want to be black (I don't believe this). Although again another comment that was made was that Michael used to taunt the press and put crazy stories out there like he slept in an oxygen chamber and that he wanted to buy the Elephant mans bones. He used the press to his advantage to get his name out there but then felt that they had destroyed his character with all the lies they told. I suppose its hard being famous as you want to stay current and be in the public eye but yet when the S*** hits the fan and bad publicity comes out that causes you to lose fans it must be awful to live with.

 

[knigofpop]

Re: Changing skin colour

Michael was black. Stop that nonsense

I am 100% aware of his ethnicity, his sexuality and his sex. My point was that Michael is an enigma, completely separate and polls apart from any person or entertainer living or dead. It didn't matter to him, it was trivial. And it didn't matter to me as a fan. It was the reason i was a fan.

To Michael, none of that stuff was important. He didn't want to discuss or enter in to conversation about it. The way he saw it was to give his music, video, live performance etc to the world. The rest of it was private and unimportant.

As i said, my comments were written with so much respect for Michael as a person. I know he was black and proud to be black... He wasn't interested in addressing the media nonsense. And i am super proud that he made that stand.

 

[8701girl]

Re: Changing skin colour

Michael didnt say anything bout the vitiligo cause #1: It was humliating for him
#2 cuz most of all it was none of no ones business!!!!!!!!!!!!! If michael didnt wanna say anything he had a right not to, his life his damn choice!

 

[KOPV]

Re: Changing skin colour

Well most what people said here is right.. MJ being bigger and more attention to it.. But honestly Latoyas skin tone has not changed much over the years.. She often pancakes that makeup making her skin look lighter but her natural tone is has always been light..

It is more so her makeup that makes her lighter.. not her actual skin changing!

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Re: Changing skin colour

Michael didnt say anything bout the vitiligo cause #1: It was humliating for him
#2 cuz most of all it was none of no ones business!!!!!!!!!!!!! If michael didnt wanna say anything he had a right not to, his life his damn choice!

Strictly speaking, you're right - it was Michael's business and no one else's. But when you're an entertainer, who's constantly in the public eye, and your skin keeps getting noticeably lighter to the point of almost porcelain...keeping your audience in the dark is not a good idea. Entertainment is a highly visual art form, even for a musician or a sports figure. As such, the public wanted (and some might say deserved) some kind of explanation. It wasn't just about rumors, either - I think a lot of true fans were simply concerned about Michael's health. Vitiligo was virtually unknown at the time, so a lot of folks probably thought MJ was extremely sick...and the multiple surgeries only fueled the rumors. You can't have it both ways, when you're in a business that keeps you exposed 90% of every day. I honestly think more would have understood and been kinder to Michael, if he'd revealed his condition when it first started.

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

Re: Changing skin colour

^^I mean yeah come on Michael was a very bright and sharp guy. If he thought that not expounding about this would not have its repercussion than he was very naive. Yes, in an ideal world Artist should be recognized for their talent and their music (although Entertainment is a very visual art form) and what not but sadly the world doesn't work like that. Michael had the perfect platform to talk about that in his autobiography, he felt the need to adress his plastic surgeries but not a condition that made it look (to the rest of the world) that he was trying to change the complexion of his skin?

This was his natural complexion

and this was how it looked when he finally adressed it in 93

As I said before, I love Micheal but I do think that there is some room for criticism on this particular subject.

 

[Miel]

I don’t know why some people think had Michael spoken about vitiligo (earlier), it would change anything to the situation.

Firstly, it’s his business. Let the man have some privacy.

Secondly, call me pessimistic or whatever (which I don’t think I am), but I don’t think he would be less perceived as a “*****” or “weird” by some people if he did say he had said he has vitiligo earlier.

I remember stories about regular people who have vitiligo, from nowadays and 15+ years ago, who have never concealed the fact about having vitiligo. And, basically, they had/ have been treated like they should be in quarantine by some people (being made fun of, people blatantly staying away from them, people wouldn’t touch what they touch, etc.).

I don’t think a celebrity would have a much better experience with vitiligo than these people, considering that the celebrity is more exposed to the public eye.

Not to mention that, by 1985 (and maybe some years earlier), Michael was already perceived as a “weirdo” by some people (tabloids, but not only them). And his skin was still (fully) black.

I remember showing to a girl, in class, a photo of Michael where vitiligo is quite noticeable :

While acknowledging the vitiligo, her reaction was not compassionate at all : “yuk”. Note that the girl was not some ignorant teen : she was in her twenties.

Some people can be unnecessary judgmental jerks, sometimes.

Thankfully, not everyone is a judgemental, which leads me to the third point :

In spite of that, Michael was/is still one of the most popular and most loved persons ever.

Every time Michael made an appearance, whether it was at a concert, at a TV show or in the streets, people WANTED to be near him, to tell him how much they LOVED him. Some even wanted to hug him. Everywhere, on every continent, Africa and America included.
https://youtu.be/8pshi2nWlv0

https://youtu.be/AoupR2HUQJo

https://youtu.be/mvgTmgHwkSc

https://youtu.be/UeFUvW5YInQ

Not even Madonna has been so revered.

So, to me, the situation would not have changed much, imo. Some people would still find any reason to not like Michael, others would still love him.

 

[#MJforever57]

Re: Changing skin colour

Thanks you for the videos i love them it only show it didn't matter the color of Michael skin ppls still want to see him and their love him.

 

[83magic]

Re: Changing skin colour

It's very easy to look at things in hindsight. Truth is, we can only deal with life as it happens.

I don't know why I'm seeing so many of these kinds of threads pop up. Where's the joy? Where's the music? That's the legacy that Michael wanted dissected long after he left. That's how he immortalised himself. Not through the private life that he worked hard to protect.

Of course Michael made mistakes, like every last one of us. No one can understand the situations he faced but him. It's sad that some look down on him with almost a sense of arrogance as they tell him how his life really was, and how he should have lived it - even though they've most likely never met him, or spoke in depth with him.

I wonder if they put as much focus on their own lives as they do psychoanalysing Michael's?

 

[KOPV]

Re: Changing skin colour

Michael speaking about it in the 80's would have prevented at least a decent percent of trash talk.. simply because they would not be left to come up with a reason themselves.

Lets not forget that in that time skin lightning cream was getting promoted a lot more than it is now it the black community (and others) people buy creams and use remedies to lighten the skin.. It is not promoted like it was than simply because people today are more willing to embrace who they are..

You combine that with how little was known about vitiligo at the time, of course people would wonder and assume he's changing his skin to fit in to what american pop culture would accept at the time.. It all "made sense" to come to that conclusion.. The biggest pop start turning light, his nose changes, and a dominant feature that was advertised for white hero (a cleft) was put into his chin.. All this happening when not many people knew about vitiligo..

side note Jermaine song didn't help either!

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Re: Changing skin colour

I think this is another part of Michael's legacy, helping people with the same conditions as himself to be more open with them. Imagine how many more would've come forward, had he been forthright from the beginning. Those determined to hurl slurs would do it anyway...but the truth has a way of limiting their opportunities to spread lies. One of the many reasons so many rumors persisted about Michael, is because he rarely addressed any of them head-on from the start. By the time he spoke up, the rumors were all most knew about him.

 

[83magic]

Re: Changing skin colour

It was clearly a very difficult thing for him to come to terms with. I don't think he even planned to discuss it in the Oprah interview. She had to practically drag it out of him.

By the way, I'm black, and I never felt as though Michael owed me anything. I never held him up to a 'black standard', and I accepted him for who he was. I just cared about his health. Let's face it, he knew more about that than me or anyone else. He made it clear that he would not go into his medical history, and I respected that. It's a shame that some fans don't. I doubt that Michael would be happy about pictures highlighting the disease that he worked so hard to conceal, circulating the web. No matter how good the intentions are.

He shared what he wanted to, and wasn't obligated to do any more than that. We are not entitled to Michael's life just because we enjoy his music. Not now, not ever.

I don't see how constantly obsessing over the drama does any good. It's not like he can come back and redo it all over again I'm just seeing a lot of judgement.

 

[Moviefan2k4]

Re: Changing skin colour

My broader point in my earlier statement, was that to a certain extent, celebrities forfeit their right to privacy as a result of their career choice. Michael had the perfect right to share or withhold whatever he wanted...but those choices cost him dearly because his profession kept him visible. I've said this to many people, about many different subjects: "When you're not told the truth, all you have to fall back on is your assumptions." During the early '80s (when Michael said his vitiligo started), there were a ton of diseases showing up that people knew nothing about...and had virtually no control over. Education is the antidote to ignorance, which is the root of most rumors. If you want people to stop guessing, give them the facts - its that simple. But it has to be done early, before speculation becomes the norm. As much as I love Michael and his music, I think he waited far too long, to reveal his condition.

 

[MJTruth]

Re: Changing skin colour

I don't think MJ received the right PR advice in the 80s and 90s, if he received any at all. Perhaps he just ignored it. Anyway there is no doubt in my mind that if MJ had explained the issues with his skin condition in the 80s he would have been treated more fairly by the press. Right up until he died the press would say he bleached his skin. People made fun of his skin.
If people are aware that there is a genuine medical condition then they are much less likely to ridicule the afflicted person - it is most definitely not cool to take the piss out of a person for a medical condition or disability. Of course here will always be trolls who will do or say anything for attention but in general people are understanding.

MJ should have stood up, admitted his troubles and become an advocate for Vitiligo. He could have become spokesperson for Vitiligo-related organisations, or at least a patron for them. He had his chance to influence public opinion, advance medical treatment through the increase exposure to the condition and potentially help many, many people around the world. Sadly he allowed himself and the condition to become a joke. His denial about the number and type of surgeries he had also didn't help his credibility.

Yes it was a private problem, but people respect celebrities more for being open and honest.