Beverly Naya Warns Against Colorism, Says 77% of Nigerian Women Bleach Their Skin
- Beverly Naya opened up about what drove her to create the 2019 documentary 'Skin', linking colourism in Nigeria to a deeper history
- The actress shared a striking statistic about skin bleaching among Nigerian women while speaking to One54 Africa
- Naya also described the unexpected timing of 'Skin' arriving on Netflix amid a global reckoning on race
Actress Beverly Naya has explained the personal mission behind her 2019 documentary "Skin", saying the project was born out of a desire to push conversations about colourism into the mainstream and encourage Nigerians to take pride in their natural skin tone.
In a recent interview with One54 Africa, the actress described colourism and skin bleaching as deeply rooted problems in Nigerian society, pointing to a striking figure to illustrate just how widespread the issue remains.
Source: Instagram
"Seventy-seven per cent of Nigerian women bleach their skin. When you think about it, it takes you back to slavery because we are still being divided. There is this hierarchy of beauty where the lighter you are, the better," she said.
Why Naya Felt 'Skin' Was Necessary
The actress recalled that when she first began developing the project, colourism was almost never spoken about openly, even though dark-skinned Nigerians regularly faced discrimination and hurtful language without a widely understood term to name what they were experiencing.
"People could look at a dark person and say, 'Blackie,' and it was derogatory and offensive, but there was nothing to define what that act was. It was colourism, and they didn't know what it was," she said.
She intended the documentary to serve as both an educational resource and an emotional push towards self-acceptance, shining a light on the health dangers tied to bleaching products while also humanising the people affected by these social pressures.
"I was able to shine some light on colourism, what it is and how it is affecting Nigerians. The whole idea was just to inspire people to love the complexion they are in and appreciate themselves for who they are," Naya added.
The Impact of Netflix Release Timing
Naya also reflected on the moment "Skin" landed on Netflix, noting that its arrival coincided with a period of intense global attention on race and anti-Black discrimination.
"It came out on Netflix literally two weeks after George Floyd died. So many people watched it, and the impact was insane," she said.
Source: Instagram
Fans pray for Nkiru Sylvanus' marriage
Legit.ng also reported that Nkiru Sylvanus’ fans reacted to her marriage to her beau, Sammy Riches, on social media.
Shortly after photos and videos from their traditional wedding ceremony emerged online, some netizens stormed the actress' husband's page.
Many Nigerians bombarded the young man’s comment section with words of advice and other funny comments.
Source: Legit.ng
