Showbiz secrets have largely been revealed
when it comes to Michael Jackson's foray into plastic surgery,
and other physical enhancements, many of which have been covered by this channel.
But one question has remained largely on answered at least satisfactory enough
to end speculation that persists to this very day.
How exactly did Michael Jackson's skin tone go from black to white?
So let's begin with what we do know.
During his lifetime, Michael Jackson opened up that he had
a longstanding pigment depleting disorder, Vitiligo, that caused large patches
to appear on his skin and that he used make up to even out.
This was ultimately confirmed after years
of skepticism when Jackson's autopsy report stated that there were, quote,
patches of light and dark pigmented areas on examination of his skin
and that Vitiligo was listed as a diagnosis in his medical history.
However, vitiligo is rarely a condition that continues to spread over the body
until the skin is completely devoid of all pigment and consistent in tone.
Take, for example,
the beautiful and groundbreaking fashion model Winnie Harlow,
whose condition has progressed far slower during her years in the public eye.
Outside treatments had to be used to progress Jackson's disease,
with his death also revealing his use of skin lightning products when nearly 30
tubes of said creams were found at his home in 2009.
Despite consistently denying that he used such methods to bleach his skin.
As I know of, there's no such thing as
skin bleaching. The bleach skin rumor, which is a rumor.
I don't bleach my skin.
To this day, many fans defend Jackson's
use of such products with the argument that they were used to even out his skin
tone once the vitiligo had gotten to an advanced state,
which is likely to have some truth to it. Although little evidence has come to light
as to what treatments, if any, did Michael Jackson resort to during
the early stages of his disfiguring disease to maintain his original
complexion, with many now debunked doctored images
surfacing over the years as evidence of the early stages of his condition?
Despite popular belief,
Michael Jackson's skin tone didn't progressively get lighter as he battled
to cover up the visual effects of the disease.
But in reality, his skin tone appeared wildly different over the years,
appearing lighter on stage and during publicity shoots, versus images
from Jackson's private life, causing many to question how much
Jackson's lightened look was solely as a result of his condition.
Or was it, at least in some part,
a decision Michael Jackson made for himself?
In this video,
we delve deep into Michael Jackson's changing skin tone,
what treatments were likely to have been used to treat, conceal or accelerate his
condition, and a look into his motivations in doing so.
Here's the detail.
As the lead singer of the Jackson Five and part of Motown's historic movement
in music, Michael Jackson appeared much the same complexion to his brothers as
they conquered radio airwaves, releasing hit after hit in the early 1970s.
However, as Michael Jackson progressed into adolescence, his skin became a major
obsession for the increasingly self conscious star. Blighted with teenage acne,
many times Michael couldn't bear to look in the mirror.
Brother Jermaine,
writing in his autobiography, quote, he hated his skin and his nose so much
that he found it hard to look at himself in the mirror.
This wasn't just typical teenage self
consciousness, it became a full blown inferiority complex.
The more he looked at himself, the unhappier he felt.
Like many teens, Michael trialed countless
products to help clear up his skin and fade the scars left behind.
Jermaine Jackson also revealed that it was during this time Michael and himself
started using skin bleaching creams not to lighten, but to even out their skin
tone and help with hyperpigmentation caused by acne scarring.
Jermaine fiercely stated that Michael
never bleached his face or skin and was proud of being black.
It was during Jermaine's teenage years
that he also noticed a white blemish on his left thigh.
A doctor informed Jermaine that it was in fact Vitiligo, and not to worry unless
it spreads. Giving some insight as to when Michael may have first developed
the condition himself, as Vitiligo can be only genetically inherited.
As Michael Jackson progressed into early
adulthood, his complexion appeared much the same and there is little evidence
of him trying to cover up a pigment depleting skin condition.
In early 1983,
upon the release of Thriller and while attending the Brit Awards in London,
the first signs of a change in his skin tone surfaced.
During the glitzy event, Michael Jackson's face appeared slightly irritated.
Areas around the eyes,
nose and hairline appeared deeper when its cheeks, chin and forehead were lighter were
in comparison. This may have been caused
by the use of harsh topicals used to prevent acne breakouts or bleaching
creams to treat hyperpigmentation and in turn, lighten the skin.
Throughout 1983 and 1984, Michael Jackson appeared in public
on numerous occasions with what appeared to be angry red flush cheeks.
Many have speculated that these rashes
were caused by Michael's then undiagnosed lupus condition,
although after researching the type of rashes that develop as a result
of lupus, that typically leaves much more severe scarring, Michael's inflamed cheeks
would be more indicative of a reaction to harsh topical products.
During this period, Michael's skin appeared lighter and ashier in tone.
This could have been caused by the use of bleaching creams,
which can leave a greyish tent to the skin, or poor foundation
makeup products available at the time
for deeper skin tones, which often caused a similar effect.
However, during the Jackson's Victory Tour in the latter half of 1984,
Michael Jackson would appear noticeably lighter.
This is largely due to a lighter shade of base he would wear throughout the show
when compared to the stage makeup his brothers wore.
Some have argued that Michael may have
started using lighter makeup in order to conceal the early stages of his Vitiligo.
However, images of Jackson without makeup
prove that no blotches were visible on his face at this time.
Instead, it is more likely Michael used lighter makeup to complement his lightened
complexion in thicker consistencies to cover acne, scarring and redness
that persisted on his skin during 1985 and 1986.
Michael Jackson appeared increasingly
lighter during the few public appearances he made during this period.
Longtime producer, Quincy Jones, has since
stated that while recording the Bad LP, he complained to Michael about
the numerous skin peels he was having during this time, believing that they were
to lighten Jackson's skin rather than treat any other condition he may have had.
During the production of the Bad music
video in the winter of 1986, Michael Jackson sported a radically
lightened look that his longtime friend and self described former girlfriend,
Stephanie Mills, couldn't help but to pass comment on.
When he did the Bad video, he called me and he wanted my best friend,
who was Greg Birds, to choreograph the Bad video and I got in touch and they got
in touch with each other and then I went to visit the set.
That was the first time I ever saw him when he had totally changed.
What did you think?
I whispered something in his ear.
I whispered something in his ear and he didn't like it
What did you say Ms Mills. I'm not going to tell you.
During the promotion of Bad,
the ambitious release was accompanied by a variety of publicity shots of Jackson
that emphasized his new, lighter skin tone.
Moody black and white shots, as well as the album cover image itself,
were edited to manufacture a new, racially ambiguous image of Michael Jackson.
However, private images during this period would reveal that his complexion was,
in contrast, much closer to his original skin tone than you would have thought.
Especially when rehearsing and traveling around Asia
while on the first leg of the Bad tour
in the latter half of 1987. In the opening scenes of his music film
Moonwalker, Jackson performs 'Man in the Mirror' to a sea of thousands.
In this, he is seen singing the emotive track while sweating off his base makeup,
revealing in high definition his natural deeper skin tone.
As the Bad tour came to a close in 1989,
Michael Jackson appeared during his Liberian Girl music video and various high
profile awards ceremonies wearing noticeably deeper base makeup.
Private images that have surfaced reveal a Michael Jackson that had largely
returned to his original skin tone by this point.
In this candid shot of Michael with AIDs activist, Ryan White, taken on a Polaroid
camera while White and his mother were visiting Jackson at Neverland,
Jackson bears much resemblance to his image during the thriller days
of the early 1980s, including his original skin tone.
In early 1991,
Indian photographer, Dilip Mehta, spent five nights with Michael Jackson at Neverland,
as a result capturing some incredibly intimate shots of the artist.
Michael appears in his natural state,
unstyled, brows ungroomed with minimal makeup on. Although for the last few
years Michael had resorted to having his arms and legs covered,
for the most part his face and hands appeared lightened
but have little sign of the uneven blotches characteristic of vitiligo.
However, 1991 would see Michael Jackson's most drastic and permanent change to his
skin as he began to use stronger lightening topicals, Benoquin
and Hydroquoinone. Only effective on those with vitiligo
already, such FDA approved creams are used
to treat those in the advanced stages with over 50% of their body covered
in pale patches to start the process of complete depigmentation of the skin.
Recommended to be applied two or three
times daily, depigmentation may begin in one to four months.
However, professionals say complete depigmentation can take between one
to four years, with the effect being permanent and irreversible as it results
in the death of melanincytes, the cells that make skin pigment or melanin.
Following treatment, Jackson's skin would become forever
sunsensitive, and it would be recommended to avoid the sun where possible and apply
SPF 50 plus broad spectrum sunscreen at least daily. During this process,
Michael was shot by famed photographer, Herb Ritts, in June 1991.
During the shoot, the artist's skin tone
appeared vastly different, deeper in some shots as well as ghostly
white in others, depending on the lighting and body makeup used.
The following month, Michael Jackson would visit Disney World and vacation in Bermuda
with friend Macaulay Macaulay. During which the artist was photographed
wearing a thicker, paler base on his face when compared to his hands.
Guests also took note of Michael's full head to toe covering look,
despite the humid climate on the island.
That September, when Michael Jackson began filming
for the 'Black or White' video, it's obvious that Michael was attempting
to disguise his natural skin tone with heavier amounts of face and body makeup.
Throughout the shoot,
the artist is seen being patted down and new makeup applied in the brakes between
the exhaustive shoot. For his next video, 'Remember The Time' Michael Jackson appears
even more covered, wearing long sleeves, black jeans and boots,
when compared to the dancers and his co-stars in the video. Uncharacteristic
of the ancient Egyptian setting, suggesting that the treatment may have
caused so much unevenness to his skin tone that it was far easily to reveal as little
as possible and cover him in thick stage makeup.
In stark contrast, when Michael Jackson appeared in his
'In The Closet' video just a few months later, the King of Pop appeared stripped
back in a simple white tank top with bare arms and chest out in the desert setting.
The uncontrolled and humid environment
would suggest less of a reliance on body makeup to even out his skin tone,
and that the depigmentation process was largely complete.
Home footage of Michael taking his shirt off after being pushed in the pool
at Neverland documents a freer Michael Jackson, who outwardly appears
unencumbered by the visible effects of vitiligo as he spontaneously rips his
shirt off, revealing his depigmented chest and body.
However, although permanent, depigmentation must be maintained with regular
applications of lightning topicals. With higher strengths available for more
stubborn areas like the knees and elbows. Throughout the coming years,
many images have surfaced of Michael Jackson that in some way show
the battle he had to conceal and even out his depleted skin tone.
Particularly troublesome areas appear to be the arms, chest, ears and eyelids.
As such creams were not recommended for thinner areas of skin, which may
explain Michael's heavier use of eye makeup in later years
as a result.
Michael Jackson's drastic quote race erasing transformation was ridiculed
in the worldwide press for many years ahead, compounded by the persistent
struggle he faced covering dark spots and maintaining a consistent look to his
complexion. Former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, revealing that in private Michael was so
self-conscious about his condition that he would very often sleep in his heavy makeup.
After years of humiliation and having to hide the true extent of his condition,
Jermaine Jackson in his autobiography recounts a vulnerable moment in 2005.
He stands in front of us head bound as if he feels shame. It is the first time I have
seen the true extent of his skin condition and it shocks me. His self consciousness is
such that he has kept his body hidden from even his family until now.
His torso is light brown splashed with vast areas and blotches of white
spreading across his upper chest. One patch of white covers his ribs and stomach.
Another runs down his side and blotches cover one shoulder and upper arm. There is
more white than brown, his natural skin color. He looks like a white man splashed
with coffee. This is the skin condition, the vitiligo, that a cynical world says he
doesn't have. Preferring to believe that he bleaches his skin.
Subscribe for part two where we theorize Michael Jackson's mindset and possible
motivations when it came to his altering skin tone.
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Thank you for watching the detail. We'll see you next time.