Here it is cultural, black people are seen as dirty and poor, the rich do not have to get out in the sun, in movies the bad guy/girl is always played by a dark-skinned person so you get fed this view constantly.
You can not believe how hard it is to find deodorant, body lotion, facial creams, etc. without skin whitening chemicals. I do my best to avoid that as I have a hard time believing that it can be good for you.
I agree with you about the chemicals. They probably are not good for you. This time period also has a proliferation of tattooing. One study found that 13 out of the 21 inks tested were found to contain cancer-causing agents. It is unfortunate that the wealthier people in your society tend toward skin whitening. You become like the five people you associate with the most.
Happy to see you return to Steem. You are like a window to a world that I haven't been to and allow me to give thought to conditions that I cannot experience.