Nollywood actress Habibat Jinadu has admitted to bleaching her skin so that she could get roles in movies when the directors kept telling her that she was too dark for the film.
This revelation came during a BBC Yoruba interview in which the actress spoke of the pressure she had experienced on her road to success in the world of acting. The Nigerian movie industry seemed to prefer women who are fair-skinned and full-figured compared to those with darker skin and slim figures, Jinadu said.
During movie shoots, the light would be turned on, and the directors would say something about her complexion, Jinadu said. She had scanned the comments, but she stopped doing that eventually as they continued to pour in and made her feel bad about her looks.
She explained that she chose to bleach her skin as she thought it would give her a better chance of being cast in movies.
The actress explained that she tanned herself to get a part because she didn’t believe that dark-skinned people would get parts.
She also said that thin models were difficult to find in the past as well, especially actors who didn’t look the part for them.
Bleaching Helped Her Get More Movie Roles
Eventually, her determination to lighten her complexion led her to the acting career she had dreamed of, Jinadu said.
The actress claims that she began to get more roles in the movies after she bleached her skin. But it also had an impact on people’s ability to recognise her away from the film sets.
She said that many people would say that she looked familiar, but they didn’t always identify her as an actress.
Though there have been more acting jobs, Jinadu revealed she was not happy with her choice, but continued to pursue her career because she wished to get established.
Her experience exemplifies some of the pressures actors can come under in order to change their appearance to fit the casting.
Actress Reveals Skin Problems After Bleaching
In addition to the emotional stress, Jinadu told a News School reporter that the physical stress she faced during the bleaching process was also an issue.
The actress revealed that she was being injured by minor bruises on movie sets, and that her skin was getting blisters.
This she continued to do until 2023, when she became pregnant and had to put down the bleaching mask.
Ending the practice meant that others started insulting her for the color changes of her face, Jinadu said.
Her experience brought her to the realization of the hard situation she was in. She altered her image in order to land acting jobs but then received criticism when she changed her image.
Habibat Jinadu’s Experience Raises Questions About Colourism in Nollywood
With Jinadu’s coming out, the issue of colourism has come into the spotlight, where people are treated differently based on their skin tone.
Her account comes with some questions about the pressures that may be put on actors’ careers based on their looks, especially when they don’t align with industry standards.
In an interview with the Talk To B podcast in 2024, the actress spoke about the challenges she faced due to her dark complexion. She claimed hurtful comments from a colleague were a factor in her decision to bleach her skin when she was pregnant.
She made her latest revelation on the same issue as the ongoing discussions about representation, beauty requirements, and the Nigerian movie industry’s treatment of dark-skinned actresses.
Changing her appearance was only part of the experience for Jinadu. Not only was it about looking for opportunities in an industry she thought that her natural complexion had become a hindrance to her career, it was also about trying to find opportunities in an industry she thought that her natural complexion had become a hindrance to her career.
