If Sunscreen Is a Necessity, Why Is It Expensive?
- SphiweC Mavhungu
- Jul 23, 2023
- 3 min read
In an era of skincare and climate change, social media is buzzing with talks of sunscreen and lotions with SPF to protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Although sunscreen can be seen as a necessity, it is important to note that it is expensive. The more SPF is in the sunscreen means more protection from the sun's heat and thus more expensive. Looking at the state of the socio-economic issues among majority of the population, it may be hard to have access to things such as sunscreens. The average South African can barely afford groceries for an entire month so South Africans living under the poverty line do not have the luxury of even thinking about sunscreen.
It is important to note that there has been an increase in skin cancer due to climate change. Social media, television broadcasts and many other media are advocating for the use of sunscreen as skin cancer can happen to anyone, even those with melanin. Growing up in rural Limpopo, we always ran barefoot in the sun as children. The scorching heat did not bother us. All we did was play outside and then go inside the house to drink water and then we were out again. My point is that although the use of sunscreen is important, there are communities that do not even know that sunscreen exists. I remember when I was five years old, the only skincare products I knew were the Sunlight green bar soap, Vaseline, Glycerin where I would dip my finger in and the sweetness would awaken my mischief, as well as tissue oil that stayed in the box it was bought in. I never understood why mother used it. I just knew she loved it.
Although I do not necessarily use these products anymore since leaving Limpopo and living in Johannesburg due to my father getting a better job, I understand that there are people who are still using these products and believe that they work well for their skin. This leads me to a myth that we, as black people (myself included), used to believe that black people were immune to sunburn or skin cancer because the melanin in our skin was made to protect us from the sun's heat. A lot of us thought that it was white and light-skinned people who were at risk of skin cancer. When sunscreens started being advertised on South African televisions, it was always modeled by a white person, which fed into the myth. I vividly remember the first time someone handed me a sunscreen before our swimming classes. I did not understand what I was supposed to do with it. I looked at my fellow black classmates who were turning dark blue-purplish due to the white cast. I asked our PE teacher if it was necessary and she nodded before telling my classmates to jump into the pool.
Although I own a sunscreen now as adult, one that does not leave a white cast, I consider myself privileged. In a country like South Africa, where people can barely put food on the table, owning a sunscreen is a luxury. The prices of sunscreens are so expensive which means that people have to prioritise their needs in a way that works for them and most people are obviously going to choose food and water over sunscreen. If you go into stores, you will notice that the sunscreen section is always full and the bread aisles are empty. Although social media makes sunscreen look like a great necessity and has proven to protect people from the harmful rays of the sun, it is something people can live without. I believe that if we want to prioritise needs, we need to think of people who are barely making enough to survive as food prices are getting inflated every few months. Because of this, I believe that sunscreen is a necessity to those who can afford it.
Comments