Dencia Wants to Set the Record Straight on Whitenicious.

Cameroonian Pop star Dencia says her product 'Whitenicious' is not a skin bleach and that African-Americans are the ones rushing to buy it!

 

Dencia, launched a new skin care line, Whitenicious. Within 24 hours, it allegedly sold out---and "before" and "after" pictures of the entrepreneur set the internet ablaze. Although the product promotes itself as a “7 day fast acting dark spot remover,” many have criticized Dencia for not only promoting skin lightening, but self-hatred among women of color and more specifically, African women. Despite the backlash, Dencia stands behind Whitenicious and believes that she is in fact helping women overcome an obstacle.

 

She sat down with Ebony to tell her side of the story.....

 

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

 

EBONY: So…you haven’t bleached your skin, is what you’re saying? You were tan in the before pictures?

Dencia: Have I…Has my skin lightened from when…like from the past five years? Yes it has. It has. Has it drastically lightened? No it hasn’t. Is it what people are saying? No it’s not.

 Look who's talking!!!!!

EBONY: Good question. So why did you decide to lighten your skin?

Dencia: Why did I get a couple of shades lighter than I was? That’s a personal choice. That is what I wanted to be. And honestly, I just wanted to. I’m very daring. I like trying things. I’m not doing it because I wanna have boyfriends. And I’m not doing it because I want anybody to accept me. It’s because I just wanted to do it.

Read the rest of this foolywang material after the cut..............

EBONY: Did you think it would make you more successful as an artist?

DENCIA: No, it wouldn’t and it didn’t. But you see what just happened in America with this whole Whitenicious thing? Last year I was telling my sister and her husband that I’m gonna take over the world in 2014. I’m gonna be talked about every where in this world. And that is what happened. But unfortunately it happened…well it’s not unfortunate, but it happened with Whitenicious. …

EBONY: So then you lightening your skin got you the attention that you wanted?

DENCIA: Actually, you know what? I’m not looking for attention, I’m not trying to be famous, I’m trying to be rich. Don’t get it twisted. I’m not trying to be broke and famous.

EBONY: But Whitenicious is making you rich.

DENCIA: Is Whitenicious making me rich? Whitenicious is putting money in my pocket but it’s not as much as the money that I have spent being a celebrity.  It hasn’t gotten to that point. Trust me I’ve made a lot of money off Whitenicous in 3 weeks. A lot of money. A lot of money that I didn’t even expect. And I’m using it to build an orphanage in Cameroon. I’ve always wanted to build an orphanage but the only way that I could really realize this project was by starting a business. And then Whitenicious fortunately happened.

EBONY: But what about you? Now when I look at the before picture, and I know you said you were tan, but I’m looking at a woman who’s beautiful. Beautiful skin color, rich skin tone. And then the after picture I see a woman who’s very pale. I can’t see any color, or any undertones. When you look back and you look at those pictures, when you see Dencia before, what about her? Did you think she was pretty?

Dencia: I’ve always been a beautiful girl. It didn’t matter if I was Black, White, yellow, blue, green. I have always been a very beautiful girl. It didn’t matter. Do I look more beautiful than I was before? Did I look more beautiful before than I am now? No. My beauty is who I am inside and out. It’s what is in my heart, it’s what I do for people, [and] it’s what I read in the Bible that makes me a better person. Do you get what I’m saying? I read the Bible a lot and I don’t see any place in the Bible that says that “If you bleach yourself, if you change your skin color, it’s a sin.” I have never seen that so please, if you’ve seen it let me know so I can go read that part of the Bible.

EBONY: Okay so I’m looking at this one article online, and it has the same picture you were talking about on it. The before picture with you in the leopard underwear and the title says that skin bleaching is self-hatred and it suggests that you have a lack of self-love.

Dencia: (laughing) That’s funny. Do you know why I’m laughing? It’s funny because I come from a really large family but I have always been the center of attention in my family. I get everything I want. My family told me every time I was beautiful. They treated me like a princess. And in school I was always the popular girl everybody wanted to hang with, everybody wanted to be friends with. I was loved. Do I love myself? Hell yeah! I love myself a lot. I love myself, my family loves me, I’ve gotten nothing but love from people. Do I get hate from outside? Yes. Did I get insulted? Yes. Did I let that get to me? No. Was I ever bullied? No. You can’t even bully Dencia. You can’t. So it’s not about self-hate. Do the people who bleach their hair, the people who put perm on their hair, do they hate themselves? No. I don’t think they do. People who wear contacts, do they hate themselves? No. I don’t think they do. People who put fake nails, fake eyelashes, fake Brazilian hair and all those things, do they hate themselves? No they don’t.

EBONY: But why Whitenicious? Out of all the business that you could have engaged in, why Whitenicious?

DENCIA: Why Whitenicious? Because that’s a business that no celebrity is doing. A lot of celebrities have lightened their skin, we all know them. Them Beyoncés, them Rihannas, them Nicki Minajs.  But nobody has been honest. This is about honesty. This is about being yourself. You get what I’m saying? For me, Dencia to step out and do this thing knowing that I’ll get so much backlash that is because I’m honest with myself and I’m comfortable with who I am.

EBONY: So you don’t really care about the backlash?

DENCIA: No. No, I do not. I have more important things going on in my life. I have my health, I have my career, I have so many things. I have an orphanage I’m trying to build. Where do I have time to sit and think of these people? I don’t. Because I don’t really feel bad about everything you guys are saying, I don’t.  Because “she, me, her I don’t care” in my Tamar voice. You guys talk sh*t about everybody. You guys have said too much sh*t about Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, but guess what? They’re winning. They’re at the top of their game. Why don’t you just see that what you’re doing is not helping you

So sad!