#DemABleach: Sources’ Roles and Functions in Health Information Seeking Behavior in a Cultural Health Practice

Abstract

Taking a domestic approach to understanding a global phenomenon, I seek to illuminate how Black women communicate about, receive, and understand health information concerning a cultural health practice: skin whitening. Triangulating semi-structured in-depth interviews, autoethnography, field and participant observations, I completed a close look at skin whitening over four weeks of intensive observation and self-introspection. Findings reveal a complicated understanding of familial exchanges and non-knowledgeable representatives of products that vie for skin whitening products use without proper representation of health information and impacts. Implications reveal particular sources of health information as cultural reinforcers of skin whitening use.

Keywords:

• Auto ethnography
• Black women
• health communication
• skin whitening