Michael's changed appearance during the bad era

[Ashtanga]

But seriously.. why care about the color of the skin?

I'm also doing this same question now... :scratch: :fear: Everyone is tired to know about vitiligo.

 

[Jonflip]

I'm also doing this same question now... :scratch: :fear: Everyone is tired to know about vitiligo.

Well, actually I think it's important that people learn about this medical condition (just as well as others) to prevent ignorance! But in general, why care about someones skin color (not just Michaels)? That is something I will never ever understand!

 

[LindavG]

Michael used Benoquin to treat his Vitiligo! That cream was found in his house! But, he did used makeup as well for appearances and concerts!

I got this info from this website! http://www.nvfi.org/pages/info_depigmentation.php

The treated arm should be significantly lighter than the untreated arm. If it is not, the patient should continue treating the arm for another one to three months. When it is obvious that the treated arm has become noticeably lighter than the controlled one, the patient applies the cream to the hands, arms, and the face.While all these areas are depigmenting, other parts of the body where no cream was applied usually lighten as well.

So my initial idea was correct, MJ didn't go from black to black-white to white. There was a stage (Bad era) where his skin was lighter, a caramel colour, which was then his natural skin colour and not just make-up and lighting as some suggest. I always suspected this because, like I said, I saw pictures of him in the Bad era where he had no make-up on and he still had this caramel colour, albeit with a white blotch on his forehead and neck. His skin turned white gradually, the pigment in places that were not blotched "faded" due to the cream until it was completely gone. Makes sense to me

 

[Angelofmj]

why get offended because i ask this question? besides this is black history month and im curious about his skin going from brown to light to past white

 

[Shamonee]

It wasn't an overnight "Thriller short film to Bad cover" metamorphasis. If that was the case, that would have been truly shocking!

:laugh: It is sometimes made out to have been like that, though. (By the media). :doh:

 

[defdave]

I'll copy/paste my reply on this subject from the thread on Max Jax.

Hopefully this doesn't get me banned for being honest and open about how I felt. Like LTD said about the drama and feeling offended. I mean no offense whatsoever and I'm NOT bashing Michael. Please refrain from replying until you've carefully read what I'm saying in it's entirety.

1987. Oh how I wish I could go back and live it all again. What a fantastic time to be a kid. No joke. It was AMAZING.

I was a kid who became an absolutely rabid Michael Jackson maniac during the Thriller era. That was Michael to me. The real Michael. I know to the younger folks that's not the case though, and that's totally understandable. So please know that I'm not trying to bash anyone's image of the Michael they know the best from what era they grew up in.

Anyway, the first time I noticed a change was on an afternoon some time in 1986. We had Disney Channel (when it was a special channel you had to pay extra for!) and I was watching a special about Captain EO and thinking "He looks different for some reason...is his skin lighter or is it just the way the movie has been made?" I didn't know. But I knew something was different for sure.

The following year, Bad came out of course. Before I got a chance to see the album cover in person, I remember seeing coverage of his "new look" in the media and of course they all made too big of a deal out of it I thought. In the whole vast configuration of things, it wasn't that important to be covered on the mainstream media. Aren't there more important news stories to cover besides Michael's appearance? But I digress.

When Bad hit the stores, I remember looking at the album cover and the changes really hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember thinking to myself, "What in the world happened to him? Why is his skin so light and is he wearing makeup?"

Regardless of my initial shock at his appearance, I wanted the new album badly, but we didn't have a lot of money and my parents told me they couldn't afford it. So I just had to sit on the sidelines and wait for IJSLY to come on the radio and watch the new videos of Bad, TWYMMF, and MITM.

It was sometime in the Spring of '88 when I finally got my hands on it. My parents had just recently begun giving me an allowance. Not sure, but maybe my Dad got a raise something.

I went to Wal-Mart on a Saturday afternoon with my Mom to go buy Bad. I was out-of-my-gord excited. Giddy actually. lol I remember going back to the back of the store and right there in front of the music section was an endcap filled with nothing but Bad records and cassette tapes.

What an exciting day that was. I grabbed my fresh, new, cellophane wrapped copy of Bad and headed toward the cash registers at the front of the store to make it truly mine.

I took it home, unwrapped the cellophane, and plopped the vinyl down on the turntable, dropped the needle down and pressed the button. I don't remember right now if I listened to Bad or Another Part of Me first, but I do remember the sound seemed a lot different to me and I wasn't sure if I was feeling it or not. I can't explain it right now, but there was an obvious difference in the music between Thriller and Bad. But thankfully, it didn't take long for the new album to grow on me. I was obsessed with playing that record. My parents and my sister used to tell me all the time "Please...can we take a break from Michael Jackson for a while?" lol

I remember my Dad seeing the cover of the Bad record and him saying "He looks like a white girl. What happened? He used to be that little black boy that sang ABC and Rockin Robin"

In my head I knew he was more right than wrong, but I just refused to accept it and went on fanatically listening to Bad, Thriller, and Off The Wall.

A few years later I watched the debut of Black or White on Fox. I think it was probably much more shocking to me than Bad was. His skin looked so completely white and his hair so long and different looking.

The Dangerous era was when I began really having a difficult time internally dealing with his appearance. Don't get me wrong, I was still a huuuuuge fan. And I NEVER voiced my inner-feelings to anyone at all. But inside, I was growing increasingly uneasy about how he was looking. I especially couldn't stand the outright paleness of skin (I felt this way until I watched the Oprah special when he explained how he has vitiligo), all the heavy makeup. It became too much for me when he had the straight hair in the RTT video. I was truly embarrassed to have that video on if anybody else was in the room. I know that's terrible, but I've got to be honest here. Loved the guy...really really did and still do...but his appearance was becoming more personally off-putting to me, whereas during Bad it was just a bit peculiar but easier to deal with and didn't distract from the magic of his music.

But over time I got more and more used to Michael's new look in the Dangerous era (except for the straight hair in RTT like I said lol). I'll say this: The Oprah special definitely helped me feel better back then. That put to rest any subtle discomfort in the back of my mind about him "trying to be white". I wish he would have come out with this earlier. Like during the Thriller era when it was becoming more of a problem for him. I think it would have helped him if he would have said something like "Look, I have this disease and you, my fans are going to see it affect the way I look. It's not my fault. It's a problem I have to deal with." I think that would've helped him p.r.-wise so much over the following years.

Then came the HIStory era. I watched the debut of the Scream video I was truly shocked by his appearance. Honestly, I remember watching it and really deeply disliking how he looked on that video. Then the videos for Childhood, YANA, and SIM gave me the same reaction. It was during this era that I was truly struggling with how to feel about his appearance. I felt he had gone way, way too far at this point and I no longer enjoyed watching his new videos and had to get my MJ fix solely by listening to the HIStory cd.


Wow. Long post. I wasn't expecting to type this much!

Anyway, to answer in short the original question by the OP. lol

Yes, his appearance during the Bad era was a bit shocking to me initially but I became accustom to it over time and actually grew quite fond of it although I preferred his more natural Thriller era looks.

Dangerous and HIStory were the eras when Michael's appearance shocked me the most.

BUT, no matter how I felt about the way he looked over the years, I was ALWAYS, and still am a BIG MJ FAN and I've always supported him through thick and thin. And I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes. That's not my intention at all. We all have our own personal mental image of Michael Jackson and our favorite eras and I totally, totally get that. So please, don't be offended. I just wanted my post to be completely honest, even personally embarrassing to some extent.

 

[bluetopez]

I think one of the reasons why people found it and still find it hard to understand and accept his lighter skin is because they don't know much on Vitiligo and/or it's treatments!

People often put his surgeries in the same line! When it's two different things! One he could not help (Vitiligo) the other was totally his choice! (Surgeries)

Their are different ways to treat ones Vitiligo and depending on it's seriousness it will then determine what they will choose to do, to better their situation!

MJ had surgery before he was diagnosed with Vitiligo in 86! Since he was very young he did not like the way he looked, do to teasing! So I don't put his light skin from Vitiligo and the treatments for it, in the same line has his surgeries!

 

[The Healer]

I knew about vitiligo long time before it was conected with Michael since my aunt had it.
I remember I asked her what that is ( I was about 8 years old )
She is white and it was still very visible. Michael was putting dark make up at first but he did not have choice later....he actually had to make his skin white.
I honestly can"t believe that some ppl STILL claim he did it just for fun or to become white.