The "Bleaching Syndrome": Implications of Light Skin for Hispanic American Assimilation

Abstract

Light skin is an ideal in the United States because it is indicative of the dominant mainstream population. For Hispanic Americans whose skin reflects a range of colors, this causes distress. In their efforts to assimilate via a domination model, they are forced to internalize norms that conflict with that range. A result is the "bleaching syndrome, " manifested in the preference for light skin where applicable. The alternative causes them to su;ffer depression and other mental health disorders. Only by adhering to the internalization of nonns that idealize their population in toto can Hispanic Americans assimilate fully without incident.