I Wonder If Harry Reid Will Do An Endorsement?

Since this didn't happen on NBC (at 10PM, or 11:30PM), and it's not something that Martha Coakley botched a joke over, you may have skipped by this story, from the NYT, the other day;

Creams Offering Lighter Skin May Bring Risks

After months of twice-a-day applications, her skin was not only fairer, it had become so thin that a touch would bruise her face. Her capillaries became visible, and she developed stubborn acne. A doctor told her that all three were side effects of prescription-strength steroids in some of the creams, which she had bought over the counter in beauty supply stores.

[snip]

Some users are seeking to lighten dark spots caused by acne or brown patches known as melasma, which are triggered by pregnancy, menopause or birth control pills.

But many others seek to lighten their entire face or large swatches of their body, a practice common in developing countries as disparate as Senegal, India and the Philippines, where it is promoted as a way to elevate one’s social standing. A small percentage of men in such countries also use the creams.

And, as if he didn't do enough chemicals in the ballpark, steroid-aided baseball cheater, Sammy Sosa has a bit of a problem;

In November, some fans of Sammy Sosa, the former Chicago Cubs slugger, were surprised when photographs from the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony showed his face as uniformly lighter. Online critics accused him of wanting to be white. Mr. Sosa, a Dominican-born American citizen, told a reporter from ESPNDeportes.com that he had used a cream nightly to “soften” his skin and that it had bleached it, too. “I’m not a racist,” he said in the interview. “I live my life happily.”

And, of course, it's the woman's fault;

Moreover, it is not as if dark-skinned women are imagining a bias, said Dr. Glenn, who is president of the American Sociological Association. “Sociological studies have shown among African-Americans and also Latinos, there’s a clear connection between skin color and socioeconomic status. It’s not some fantasy. There is prejudice against dark-skinned people, especially women in the so-called marriage market.”

Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast

Funny, the song, devoted to celebrating love, doesn't have any reference to skin-color.

Oh well, those mutant cream companies can always call on Harry Reid, to do their endorsements.