Skin Deep,Race Shallow: The Imprint of Racism in the Print Media

Abstract

This article explores racism within Australian women's magazines. By centring the analysis around a selection of mainstream magazines during a single calendar month, I endeavour to illustrate the extent to which racism is embedded within both the advertising and the editorial content. Of particular interest is the practice of skin-whitening, whereby a combination of makeup, studio lighting and airbrushing techniques render the model's skin a lighter shade. As I demonstrate, it is a practice commonly employed in the marketing of magazines and beauty products, presumably because white skin is a more acceptable (and therefore more saleable) commodity. Using white skin as its theme, the paper is couched within a discussion centring around the languages of whiteness and racism, and their intersection with the modern portrayal of beauty.