Appearance

When I was little. ‘You look so… you
don’t look like my child. Your nose
is so big,’ and this and that. They
used to call me Big Nose and stuff.

And instead of retaliating on them,
I just did it with myself.
Michael Jackson, Glenda Tapes, 1991

Our Fundamental Principles and Convictions:

We are not here to judge.
We are guided by the principle of charity, try to approach any given context carefully, assuming there is a reasonable explanation for everything.
Michael Jackson never owed us an explanation regarding his deeply personal choices, such as how he chose to manage or address his vitiligo, lupus, body dysmorphia, anorexia, PTSD, and the repercussions of his childhood experiences.
When he opted to offer an explanation, he might have gone as far as he possibly could, both towards the public and in his own self-reflection.

People can be in denial, and particularly body dysmorphia inherently involves a fundamentally distorted self-perception. To assign blame for someone’s actions in this context would not only be unkind but also irrational.

In addition to the feelings of shame, guilt, and insecurity that often accompany (mental) health challenges, many people retreat and conceal their struggles.
It is perhaps one of the most significant injustices that, following a childhood marked by exploitation and severe abuse, Jackson was not afforded the freedom to navigate his life independently. Instead, he faced scrutiny for nearly every aspect of his existence.
Michael was consistently othered, perceived as either god or freak, rarely regarded as an ordinary human being who is allowed to make mistakes. While he played a role in this perception (See: Image Manifestos), it is important to acknowledge the underlying racism that contributed to this treatment.
Personal note: He should have at least known that he was gorgeous, that he had value, and was worthy of love, exactly the way he was. [JS]

Did MJ really have vitiligo/lupus? (coming soon)
Did Michael Jackson bleach his skin?
… and more

Here:

make up

Triumph tour (1981)

▢ Covering the lighter spots on face and neck, the green-orangey make-up clearly visible

Michael Jackson Ebony Jet Interview skin tones 1987

Ebony/Jet Interview (1987)

▢ Evening out the face with lighter make up – ears, neck, hands are still dark

Bad era (ca. 1987)

▢ Face/neck vs inner ear/hand

Speed Demon MV 4K (3/1988)

▢ Wouldn’t you cover that too if you wanted to be white?

Karen Faye, ‘The Footage You Were Never Meant to See’ (2003)

▢ From ->covering the lighter spots to ->covering the darker ones
as the vitiligo progressed

Katherine Jackson interview (unknown date)

MJ: “I don’t want to be spotted like a cow”

Source: Celebrity Classified – The Unfiltered Truth
with Katherine Jackson – Uncensored & Uncut

▢ What we know so far:

1. Covering up – The effects of makeup

We should ask ourselves which part of skin lightening is just the effect of camouflage makeup Jackson used on his face. There are photos showing him with minimal, or no makeup, where he, appears to have a lighter complexion on his face then on his hands. All we know so far is that it has been the combined effect of skin depigmentation as it occurs in vitiligo plus makeup. But we will carefully research this and put our findings up here. Stay tuned.

2. Depigmentation as therapy in vitiligo

“His skin color changed drastically in the late 1980s which fits the timeline, that he was diagnosed right after Thriller in 1982, tried to cover it up for a while and then decided to change course and use Benoquin to not look spotted. Benoquin is the right treatment for someone with vitiligo prefering to completely remove their remaining pigment than have spots all over. According to Oprah his hands had no pigment and were translucent in 1993, which is what Benoquin would do after about 12 months of use.”¹

The aforementioned source indicates that the process of skin depigmentation typically spans around 12 months. In that time frame depigmentation therapy would have been successful in an individual meeting the right conditions. Michael’s skin appeared to show the effects of successful therapy. Partially.

There were still lighter/darker patches, up to his death

There are numerous photos and videos of Michael showcasing two distinct skin tones, as evidenced by the photos above. Between 1983 and 1990, his face and neck often appeared considerably lighter than his hands and ears.

Even as late as mid 1990’s and post 2000 there are photos showing darker and lighter patches. The Autopsy Report states there are darker and lighter patches, still.²

Did he want to be white?

This raises an intriguing question: Why would someone who is attempting to lighten their skin only do so to a certain extent? Either with makeup early on or by depigmentation in the later stages – someone determined to be lighter would maybe opt to lighten all his skin.

What we see in Michael is more indicative of a person who evens out any patches, when there is more light skin on their face than their hands, whose intent however is not to actually change their complexion.

Michael Jackson Victory Tour Announcement 30.11.1983

Victory tour announcem. (Nov 30, 1983)

Michael Jackson (1998) AI enhanced

Moonwalk

Source: Jackson, M. (1988). Moonwalk (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday.

“Living with Michael Jackson” (Bashir, 2003)

two nose jobs, and a chin cleft

▢ Some people argue there was more surgery necessary due to lupus-related
scar tissue on the nose, which is not cosmetic surgery but corrections of
prior surgery for medical reasons. Source: Reddit/LSA/MJJ

Source

Katherine jackson interview (2010)

He had other operations on his nose,
but any other thing, he didn’t,
except his vitiligo.

Autopsy report (2011)

The following scars are present:

1. There is a 3/4 inch scar behind the left ear and a scar-like area behind the right ear.

2. There are scars at the lateral border of the alae nasi³, 3/5 inch in length on the right and 5/8 inch in length on the left.

Rogers, C. (2009). Autopsy Report (Case No. 2009-04415 Jackson, Michael), 4. County of L.A., Department of Coroner. Retrieved October 12, 2024.

Source: Autopsy Report

▢ The autopsy report reveals no additional scars beyond those associated with the acknowledged nose jobs and two scars located behind the ears.

No other observations are made regarding the face or its surrounding areas.