When Tan France was nine, he stole his cousin’s skin bleaching cream. Yet as the show progresses, it becomes obvious that the subject under discussion does not quite chime with France’s own experiences of her. France’s experiences of him do not lend themselves to such a trajectory: he remains severely traumatized by the racism he endured, and does not live in the UK any more because of it. France finds that influential black editors, such as British Vogue’s Edward Enninful, are slowly improving prospects for darker-skinned models. As an evocation of the racist trauma this country has bestowed on so many, it is both damning and completely devastating.

Source: The Guardian April 27, 2022 22:01 UTC