(*Any ad that may appear in banners to promote skin lightening is absolutely not endorsed by the International Black Women’s Film Festival or it’s web-site.)

Beautiful Brit singer Leona Lewis was recently featured in British fashion magazine, “Grazia.” A wonderfully shot layout featured the season’s newest trends in pale pastels, and included a ballet theme.

What was the issue?

Well, Ms. Lewis is not as well known in the United States, so no one would necessarily remark on her extreme weight loss. But one thing we can remark on is the extreme washing out of her skin tone.

Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue. However, there are several issues going on with this particular layout:

1. It’s still a little to close to “Beyonce-Gate” when cosmetics giant, L’Oreal, was accused of intentionally lightening the already light performer in order to appeal to a wider audience

2. The pale pastel wardrobe selection for Spring 2010 is reminiscent of Vanity Fair’s recent “pastel cover” featuring “New Hollywood” …and not one Black woman (or Asian) was featured, and

3. Why is the media obsessed with making Black, multi-racial, and Latina women lighter than they actually are…even considering how lighting can change your skin tone?

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Brit blog Stylelist seemed more concerned with Ms. Lewis’ weight loss, but readers were a touchstone to the other issue of skin lightening, or at least the perception of skin lightening, to make non-white women appear more acceptable, even to their own community. Although Leona Lewis is multi-racial, one reader writers:

Leon is black, regardless how she is airbrushed to look more caucasian. Black is beautiful and nothing can change that! Why change her colour when she was more beautiful before. A paler skin does not prove anything….

I know very few examples (outside of the late-Michael Jackson) of this same principle being applied to Black men in fashion magazines. Hopefully, film, television and media will understand that women of African heritage come in a multitude of shades, colors, hues, and ethnicity,  and we don’t need someone else defining what is beautiful to us.