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Many people assume Michael Jackson used plastic surgery and skin lightening creams specifically towards the goal of looking more like a white man.

Is this true, and if so, is the reason behind it his hatred for his black roots or is it something else?

Chris Sunami
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SovereignSun
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    Why the downvotes? – SovereignSun Jan 31 '17 at 06:33
  • Hi. I didn't downvote and I think people shouldn't do that without explaining. My guess is your question looks opinion oriented and lacks of sources. When you say "I know that Jackson wanted to be white.", could you share your sources with us? – Bebs Jan 31 '17 at 08:33
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    I was considering closing it, until I read Chris' answer. I think if you added some details and sources it would be better received. As it is, it comes across as supposition and rumor. – Donald.McLean Feb 24 '17 at 12:55

1 Answers1

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This isn't a question with an easy or unambiguous answer. On the one hand, we have the following:

1) Jackson seemingly wasn't a fan of his own personal appearance. Over the course of his adult life, his appearance steadily grew more Caucasian, presumably because of the deliberate use of plastic surgery and other techniques.

2) Jackson seemingly wasn't interested in continuing his own genetic legacy. It's widely believed that he used donor sperm to conceive his children, who don't seem to have visible black physical features.

3) Jackson had many white friends and both of his marriages were to white women.

On the other hand:

1) Jackson frequently celebrated African and African-American culture in his music (with songs like "Liberian Girl," about a beautiful African woman) and typically featured black women in his videos.

2) Jackson had many black friends, and didn't distance himself from black culture, except visually. He also disclaimed attempting to look more white, although most people didn't find his denials plausible.

It's worth noting that Jackson claimed to have vitiligo, a real skin disorder that causes skin to spontaneously lose pigmentation. The disorder creates spots or patches of light skin --sufferers can choose either to darken the patches with makeup to match the natural color, or, if the pigment loss is extensive enough, to lighten the remaining skin with creams.

It's probably fair to say that Jackson had complex and ambiguous feelings about his racial heritage, and that his appearance changes were probably more personally motivated than a statement about race. I've heard some armchair psychologists theorize he was actually motivated by destroying his resemblance to his hated and feared father, rather than obliterating his racial identity, but we'll almost certainly never know the answer for sure.

Chris Sunami
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  • It's an interesting answer Chris. It would be nice to add some sources if you can. I always wondered if some of these statements aren't gossip rumours... – Bebs Jan 24 '17 at 14:30