Actress, Beverly Naya while shedding light on what inspired her documentary, ‘Skin’, the movie star said because most black women don’t appreciate their colour. Beverly said; “I was very passionate about the topic and I am still passionate about it. Many women in our society ‘bleach’ their skin because they want to be seen as more desirable.
They feel like having dark skin is not beautiful. According to the World Health Organisation, 77 per cent of Nigerian women bleach their skin. Understanding the facts and realising that a lot of people in our society do not have a clear understanding of what colourism is inspired the documentary. It was about creating awareness and allowing people to learn about colourism,”
she said during nkblot’s ‘Meet and Greet’ podcast.
The actress also said people usually love it when she plays bitchy roles in movies.
“Wedding Party’ was influential. It did a lot of things for my career. But then, what came of that was a typecast thing and the idea that that’s the only kind of role I can play. I know my range as an actor. The audience loves it when I play bitchy roles but they also appreciate it when I play the role of a downtrodden person, especially if it’s done well.”
Asked about the kind of films she would love to make, she said, “I want to make films that have the capacity to go worldwide; great movies that are challenging and innovative.”
Why was it important to reveal the reality of skin bleaching?
Revealing the reality of Skin bleaching she said according to the WHO, Nigerian women are the highest consumers of bleaching cream in Africa. A lot of women are silently battling with their self-esteem because of the never-ending beauty standards being forced upon us. Choosing to educate women on the ills of bleaching is important because sadly enough, a lot of women are oblivious to how detrimental it is to the skin and are only thinking about the immediate [or] temporary gain.
When asked about the difficulty she experienced while filming the project, she said,”I would say being vulnerable for the documentary was a tough one for me and talking about the fact that I was bullied as a child for my physical attributes, was really hard. But I’m glad I was able to see it through because I’ve inspired a lot of young girls just by sharing my story”.
Beverly said the best part about filming this project was visiting Makoko, Lagos and itwas a fascinating experience for her. She said,” I’ve always known about it, but it’s a place that most are afraid to visit. I’m glad that we were able to speak to a few of the women there about their experiences with bleaching cream and colorism. It was a very enlightening experience, definitely one of my favorite parts of the documentary”.
Naya wishes the film impacts people to feel empowered after watching Skin,so they realize and accept that they are enough just the way they are. She also want parents to learn how to build their children’s confidence and ultimately. Naya said if she can get at least one person to reconsider their choice to alter their skin tone, then it’s mission accomplished. Naya has received a lot of heartwarming messages from young women who have said the documentary has inspired them to learn how to appreciate their beautiful black skin. Messages like that make it all worthwhile.
