Whiteness is a form of resignation from the self, a wish to erase oneself from an existence which has become nothing more than a sort of heavy weight. Indifference to oneself leads to self-exposure to a danger that is no longer perceived as such, since the youngster no longer inhabits himself completely. It is an unconscious form of will, not so much to die as to not be here anymore. It attests to the impossibility of being an individual and of investing oneself as the subject of one’s own existence. Whitening techniques are so many attempts to get rid of oneself in order not to have to put up with the pressures of an unbearable identity.

Adolescence, 2008, T. 26, n°4, pp. 841-849.