"Beauty is only skin deep." This expression means that beauty is only a temporary surface quality. And some beauty products can cause lasting damage that goes far below the surface of the skin.
“Beauty is only skin deep.”這句話的意思是美貌只是一時的表面品質。而且一些美容產品可能會造成深入皮膚表面以下的永久性傷害。
But people, especially women, will risk a lot for beauty.
但人們愿意為美貌冒很大風險,尤其是女性。
In the United States, many people use sunlight and non-natural light to darken their skin.
在美國,許多人利用陽光和非自然光線讓皮膚顏色變深。
Health experts advise against what is called "tanning" because of its links to skin cancer.
健康專家不建議所謂的曬黑,因為它牽扯到皮膚癌。
In the African country of Senegal, some women take health risks trying to do just the opposite. They use products that lighten the skin.
在非洲的塞內加爾,一些婦女冒著健康風險進行與此相反的事情。她們使用各種產品美白皮膚。
The World Health Organization says that 25 percent of Senegalese women use skin-lightening products on a usual basis. These products can contain chemicals such as mercury, hydroquinone and sodium hydroxide. These are dangerous ingredients that can cause cancer and possibly other physical damage to the skin. They can actually burn the eyes and skin.
世界衛生組織表示,25%的塞內加爾婦女會日常使用美白產品。這些產品包含汞、對苯二酚和氫氧化鈉等化學物質,這些都是危險成分,可以導致癌癥以及對皮膚造成其它物理傷害。他們甚至會灼傷眼睛和皮膚。
An average beauty supply shop in Dakar has many kinds of skin-lightening creams and soaps.
達喀爾市的一家普通美容用品店有許多種皮膚美白霜和香皂。
Shop worker Adama Diagne advises her visitors to avoid the stronger products that promise fast results. She uses a cream that is made from carrots and not the strong chemical, hydroquinone.
店員阿達瑪?迪亞涅(Adama Diagne)建議顧客避免使用承諾立竿見影的產品。她使用的一種面霜是用胡蘿卜制成,而不是強化學物質對苯二酚。
She says that it is a personal choice and that no one pressures her. She says that some women want to be black every day. But for her, she likes to be a shade of brown.
她說,這是自己的選擇,沒人強迫她。她說一些婦女希望皮膚黝黑。但對她而言,她希望自己的皮膚是暗棕色。
Women in Senegal say they lighten their skin for the same reasons women all over the world make changes to their appearance. They say they want to look beautiful, to find a husband, or to stand out in a crowd.
塞內加爾女性表示,她們美白皮膚的原因和世界各地女性美容的原因相同。她們希望自己看上去漂亮好找個老公,或在人群中顯眼。
But some products are so strong they must be mixed with others before they are used. One such soap is called "Day Before the Wedding."
但一些產品過于強烈,必須同其它產品混合使用。這類產品就包括所謂的“婚禮前一天”香皂。
This thinking troubles Senegalese filmmaker Khardiata Pouye Sall. So, she made "This Color That Bothers Me," a film about the subject of skin lightening.
這種想法困擾著塞內加爾導演薩勒(Khardiata Pouye Sall)。所以她拍攝了“膚色之擾”這部關于美白主題的電影。
"I used the most shocking images so that women would see the dangers. It is hard to understand why a woman would tell herself that dark skin is not beautiful. It is in their heads. They want to please a man, to be loved. Or they want to please society, to succeed."
她說,“我使用了最為震撼的畫面,這樣婦女們就能看到其中的危險性。很難理解為何女性會認為黝黑的皮膚不漂亮。這點深入了她們的腦海。她們想要取悅男人,被人愛。或者她們想要取悅社會取得成功。”
Ms. Sall says the government needs to better control the marketing and sale of skin lighteners. But she adds education is the best way to persuade people against using them.
薩勒女士表示,政府必須更好地控制皮膚美白產品的推廣和銷售。但她補充說,教育是說服人們不要這么做得最好方式。
This Health Report was written by VOA's Anne Look in Dakar.
本篇健康報道是由美國之音駐達喀爾市的安妮?盧克(Anne Look)所撰寫。
I'm Anna Matteo.
我是安娜?馬特奧(Anna Matteo)。
See more information, you can visit us
英語口語測試 http://www.rjcnn.com/daily/