What is that?

A quick trip to our local cheap market called Souq Al-Shati in the north of Jeddah for some head scarves for the kids. As we stand at one stall negotiating a price for a pack of head scarves my attention falls on this pack of liquids.

As I watch my wife negotiating away I start dreaming about a nice jelly dish. How nice of the vendor to have pre-made jelly for parents to take home as a simple treat for the kids.

'Excuse me what is this?' I inquire just making sure that it was jelly before agreeing to buy it.

'That's ...' he pauses for a moment and then continues in Urdu, 'not for you, it's for black people.'

My dreams about jelly vanish into thin air, 'It's what?' the rise in my voice goes unnoticed and my wife is still busy with the head scarves but her attention has shifted to the neatly arranged box of liquids.

'African people use it to lighten their skin.' he continues folding the open head scarves in a matter of fact way oblivious to my concern.

I recall a story of a man who ran a shop in London and was arrested by the Health and Safety officers for selling illegal products to lighten the colour of skin. The man was taken to court and the judge found him guilty and charged him over a hundred thousand pounds. His lawyer was about to appeal for leniency when he found his client the guilty business man was already leaving his chair. A cheque for the amount lay on the table. The lawyer ran to his client and said, if you give me a moment I can try and appeal for leniency.

The business man shrugged his shoulders telling him not to worry he was making much much more than this. Skin care products was one of the most lucrative items possible. Especially the ones full of illegal and very potent steroid creams. Steroid creams in the long term are known to damage skin by thinning it irreversibly. But the combination of money and vanity are symbiotic.