Along with Beyonce’s media frenzy of her sixth studio album release ‘LEMONADE’, another ‘Queen Bee’ is making headlines this week. Ladies and gentlemen it’s Lil Kim. The rapper uploaded a collage of selfies that caught the world by surprise and everyone’s talking. Surprisingly, there is no overwhelming love being thrown her way like her R&B counterpart ‘Bey’.
In the recently released photo, Lil Kim looks completely different than her previous surgeries and appears ‘whiter’ in complexion as if she’s been ‘bleaching’ her skin for some time. Now, we can’t rule out ‘photoshop’, ‘contour’ and ‘translucent’ make up powders that also help celebrities skin tone appear lighter in magazines and photo spreads but when one’s facial features and skin is completely altered we need to examine carefully.
Now its no secret that many folks [black brown, white and yellow] included celebrities option for ‘Skin Lightening Creams’ and or undergoing ‘Facial Transformation’ to appear more beautiful or appealing to their peers. Michael Jackson is a prime example of one celebrity who had it all in our eyes; the looks, the music, the moves, and the talent. Aside from his announcement of ‘vitiligo’ disease and hair freak accident, somewhere on his musical journey he became unsatisfied with his looks, and we all bore witness to the result.
I reference MJ because as a fan of the ‘queen bee’ I find that my feelings are quite similar. Despite MJ’s appearance I continued to love him and his music til this day. I was a teenager when Lil Kim emerged on the hip hop scene, and like many, I fell in love with her entire persona. She was a reflection myself and most of my high school peers – petite , brown skin and beautiful, serving us hard core rap lyrics, embracing her femininity and sexuality with bold confidence, and she was from my hometown New York City. While celebrities contend that they are NOT role models for the youth at large, their ‘celebrity role’ has a direct impact and influence to the youth; thus making them a representation of such youth whether they choose to be or not.
As a fan I can be empowered, inspired, and enthused by my celebrity crush, role model or any person that I look up accomplishments without ever having to meet them directly. When someone from your hometown, your neighborhood, or block ‘make its’, it feels like a win for the entire community. What is that win? It is the Hope, Faith, and Perseverance that make others feel that they too can attain their dreams if they keep at it. Kim had a major influence to her young girls as she rose to fame and her imprint undoubtedly can be seen on other celebrities today.
So What’s With The Skin Bleaching?
In a recent interview, Lil Kim admits that she has always been put down by men, including her father, and never felt that she was pretty. While she confesses that Biggie has always seen her as a beautiful girl, she’d often dealt with the challenge of infidelities with men she dated, and the ‘other women’ were always more ‘European Looking’ which often made her question herself. Biggie’ decision to marry his then girlfriend singer, Faith Evans [a lighter HUE who too adorned the blonde hair] was yet another reminder to Kim that she needed to become more ‘desirable’ to men she’d love.
” All My Life, Men Have Told Me That I Wasn’t Pretty Enough – Even The Men I Was Dating. And I’d Be Like, Well, Why are you with me ? Its Always Been Men Putting Me Down, Just Like My Dad. To This Day When Someone Says I’m Cute, I Can’t See It. I Don’t See It No Matter What Anybody – Says Kim .
Guys Always Cheated On Me With Women Who Were European-Looking. You Know The Long Hair Type. Really Beautiful Women That Left Me Thinking. How Can I Complete With That. Being A Regular Wasn’t Good Enough. ”
As Kim’s popularity grew, as did her appearance, and Kim desired a new look for herself. She aimed to become America’s beauty proto-type. The new kim, got breast and butt implants, she wore blue or green eye contacts, altered her nose to appear more narrow, underwent facial plastic surgery, and her skin tone has lightened tremendously over time.
Kim was no longer self-assured, self-aware- or self-conscious of who she was and when the opportunity came for her to enhance particular body aesthetics that would make her a more ‘desirable’ woman she never turned back.
Lil Kim’s appearance has changed drastically over the years, and the ‘Queen Bee’ is far from home these days. My disappointment and hurt in Lil Kim’s appearance is similar to MJ. I still adore her music, and wish her the best in life, but the role she serves in my adult life is nothing more than artist who gave us great music; nothing more or less.
Rather than spew hateful criticism to the star, I am more at ease to have learned about the ‘root’ of her problems’. A while back I uploaded a photo of my daughter in which I captioned: ‘A Daughter Needs A Dad To Be The Standard For Which She Will Judge All Men’. Many people [including celebrities] have alot of ‘issues’ buried in their ’tissues’. It is evidently clear that Kim’s father rejection and resentment of her is the root cause of her low-self-esteem issues. When the first man in your life does not affirm you, your beauty, and makes you feel worth-less all the time, how do you begin to heal those wounds? When you start to date men, or fall in love with a man and they produce the same results as your father, how do you heal from that?
From the evidence, it seems that Kim has yet to heal from past wounds, so while she appears to be content with herself but she showing us the damage signs of low-self esteem and my heart hurts for her and the message that she is sending to her daughter.
One Love PLUMS!