Michael Jackson, an idol of many, left the universe in the year 2009, but his death did not cut off his popularity at all. Apart from his amazing voice and stage presence, which many try to imitate even today, the change of his skin color to white grabbed the attention of many.
Today, there are many stories on the Internet about Michael Jackson’s transformation from black to white and how the king of pop, Michael Jackson, radically changed his appearance. Many people wrote about it either in an attempt to belittle his merits or in a desire to reveal the truth about the king of pop music. But what’s the truth about it? Let’s find out in this article.
What Happened To Michael Jackson’s Skin?
The discussion of Michael Jackson’s skin color started after the release of his solo album Black or White. That’s when critics questioned that if he really believes that it does not matter whether you are white or black, then why is he changing his skin color?
To this day, the arguments have been going on that Michael Jackson was ashamed of his race and deliberately went through the knives of surgeons. In contrast, others believed that it was impossible that a pop star had such a complex as he was famous already and would lit the stage only by his appearance. So what really happened to his skin?
Skin Bleaching
Many people speculated, including J. Randy Taraborrelli, a biographer, and John Landis, an American director, that king of pop bleached his skin to lighten its tone. However, in the 1990s, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the star revealed the actual reason for his lightened toned skin color was a skin disease named vitiligo. But the truth is always less sensational than fiction so rumors continued.
Vitiligo
It was still strange to believe for some that a successful performer, the idol of millions, could suffer from a rare autoimmune disease. The public believed that the artist did all this to grab attention, forgetting about the fact that artists are not magicians or celestials; they are ordinary people and are subject to the same problems as we do. However, the truth eventually came out with Michael Jackson’s autopsy that confirmed he had vitiligo.
Michael Jackson Skin Disease
The disease that overcame Michael is called vitiligo. This disorder causes the skin to gradually change its color. For a while, this was not a problem because the performer already had a light brown skin tone, so the patches were covered through makeup. But the bigger problems started when the white spots became larger and more noticeable. The doctors also explained to Michael that he was highly sensitive to ultraviolet light.
Journey With Vitiligo
Vitiligo became a real rock for all the men of the Jackson family. But for him, an idol and a genius, it was especially difficult because he was almost around the clock under the sights of cameras and also had to read all sorts of fables about himself. He was in a constant fight with the skin disease, and it grew to the extent that he had to cover himself by wearing gloves, masks, long-sleeve shirts, sunglasses, and hats.
In an interview, Michael Jackson said that he had no control over his skin disease as it was drastically destroying skin pigmentation. According to him, the fake stories that were written about his skin color hurt him more than the skin disorder itself. The singer further added that he is proud to be born black and would never be ashamed of it. This spirit let him fight against all odds, and he continued to perform on big stages across the globe and won several awards.
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Truth Behind Michael Jackson’s Plastic Surgeries
Gossips were active in relation to the appearance of Michael Jackson. He was unnecessarily thin as it became known that he was not allowed to eat many foods. A lack of nutrients did the trick and he became irritable, dizzy, and unwell. Therefore, Michael was also suspected of deliberately mocking his body for the sake of PR. Critics began to notice that along with his skin color, his features ceased to resemble the former.
Nose Job
For many, the singer wanted to attract attention. However, it was just the opposite. The singer got his first cosmetic surgery after falling during a dance practice that broke his nose. But it did not end there; he started to have breathing problems due to his new nose, which then led to several other surgeries. In the process, his nose, which was initially wide, became narrower.
However, some believed that he had gone through surgeries deliberately to look like a white person.
Other Cosmetic Surgeries
There were speculations that apart from the nose job, the pop star also had other cosmetic procedures done to his face. Some of them were forehead lift, lip surgery, cheekbone surgery, and lower-eyelid surgery.
Autopsy Report
According to the autopsy report, Michael Jackson tattooed his lips pink and also tattooed his eyebrows. Besides, he also had a tattooed hairline as he was balding and wanted to have a look of thicker hair. The report revealed that there was some skin bleaching done as well, whether as a way to treat his vitiligo or as a way to change his race, as some conspiracy theory claims.
Despite the struggle, backlash, and constant health problems, Michael Jackson emerged as a star and won the hearts of many. Thus, black or white, we will always remember him as a pop star who brought the revolution to the music industry.
FAQs
According to some sources, Michael Jackson continuously bleached his skin. However, neither Michael Jackson nor his family members ever confirmed this to be true.
Michael Jackson wore white gloves to cover the white patches that started to appear on his hands due to the skin disorder vitiligo. With time, wearing a white glove became his trademark.
