Michael Jackson suffered from vitiligo which causes loss of patches of pigmentation. Jacko is said to have bleached his skin to even out the colour. Those who hold this view cite Michael Jackson’s admission to Oprah Winfrey back in 1993 that he was a victim of a depigmenting skin condition.
Others state that by bleaching his skin, Michael Jackson was denouncing his blackness. They dismiss Michael’s assertion on the Oprah Winfrey show that he was proud of who he was.
Still, indirect but compelling evidence suggests that the King of Pop at least aspired to be seen as a white man. There is reason to believe it was an attempt to de-racialise himself. Vitiligo, however debilitating it may have been, seemed to have provided an opportunity and an excuse for MJ to acquire a white skin.
The problem with both positions is that they seem to suggest that it was either out of the question for the King of Pop to aspire to be white, or that such a desire was motivated by shame over his African-Amercian identity respectively.Read more: http://racism.suite101.com/article.cfm/michael_jacksons_white_skin#ixzz0Q0hNFcU9