Would the media have been easier on MJ had he tried to formally raise public awareness about vitiligo?

Yes, probably. If he would've stated this when his skin pigment started to become lighter, and raised awareness, then it most probably would've been better for him. There wouldn't have been all this stuff about "MJ bleached his skin" or "MJ wanted to be white". People were seeing this change going on without any information on why it was happening. But, maybe Michael didn't feel that he had to reveal everything about himself because that was his personal business. Or, they would've found another way to say something bad about him. Anyway, people need to realize that MJ really had vitiligo.

Good question btw.

<3 mj

I agree. If Michael had been more open about his skin condition, I think the media would have possibly been more sensitive. But at the same time, it's a very personal issue. It was practically unheard of back then and he may possibly have felt embarrassed or ashamed (not that he needed to!).

He did speak up about it in some interviews, however, I don't think it would have made a difference in that awful Diane one. She made any excuse to ridicule him, I think.

I think that, had Michael not had the illness at all, the child abuse allegations probably wouldn't have occurred either. I think people look at his changing appearance as if he was some sort of freak and use it against him, whereas really, he was still the same man inside despite how different he looked.

I also think that the media didn't want him to open up about it. They put him in an impossible position, like in the Martin Bashir interview, where whatever he said sounded like lies or crazy. He was portrayed in a terrible way, and everything he said was twisted. They never let him fully explain himself because instead of addressing the fact that he had the condition, they simply ignored his defenses and tore into the fact that he looked different, weird etc, which is exactly what Sawyer did. She didn't once stop to question why he looked different, just that he did. And so, she was vindictive and cruel in her interviews, particularly the one with Lisa Marie in which both of them used as a means of emotionally torturing Michael. Acting as though he was something to be ashamed of, Lisa as well, acting as though it was embarrassing that she married him. From someone to have supposedly loved him, where is her compassion?

Had Michael spoken up about his condition, perhaps they would have been easier on him. At the same time, the media used any excuse they could to ruin him, so I'm sure they may have found some way to have used it against him.

At least now, he is in a place no one can hurt him like that again.

Yes, they probably would've instead of saying MJ Bleaches his skin!

It would've said MJ Raises Awareness for Vitiligo and the media would've been easier on him and people would understand he was trying to help raise awareness of it. He seemed ashamed to talk about it sometimes on interviews because of the media he wanted to avoid the problem.

P.S. The media is a bunch of BS never believe it.

It was ualmsot unheard of back then, not to mention the fact that he probably felt scared and embarrassed by it - he was hardly going to shout it from the rooftops. He was in a society where appearance meant everything and he had to look his best so he bleached his skin to make it even. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Also, he was painfully shy - he didn't want to extra attention. He lived really unique circumstances and did what he felt best at the time - he probably felt it was a really personal thing and didn't want people knowing about it. And in the end he did tell the world.

OH MY FREAKING GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my sister told me the EXACTTT same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i agreed w/ her that if he would have just really showed the public his vitiligo they would have probably actually believed him (well some people didnt believe him and some people did. i believed him. in fact look at these convincing pics of him w/ the disease http://floacist.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/vitiligo-... )

but when u REALLY think abt it, it was Michael's business and it's his privacy. but that's just the thing abt fame. when ur as big as a star as Michael was, every1 is going 2 want to know all this stuff abt u. they would always be in ur business. that's just unfortunately the way it goes.

if he showed Oprah and ONLY Oprah, that obviously means that he was self conscience abt his disease. and just think abt it!! if a person had something abt their apperance that was bothering them, they wouldnt just go around showing it. they would try 2 hide it from some1.

so yeah...i do think they woul have been less harsh on him.

btw......i just luvvv ur avatar!! Mike looks cute in it...................(ya didnt hear that from meeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jk)

I think so. Good question. I think he didn't because he felt ashamed of it, maybe? In general, this disease is not publicized much at all. I had seen it on people but didn't know what it was.

He definitely had the influence to do it.

I kid you not. i thought the exact same thing.

If only he would have spoke out about it when it first developed, the media wouldn't have been as harsh.

Michael was very quiet and even he admitted that most times when crazy stories came out about him he would not even dignify them with responses.

I thought that was the wrong decision on his part.

I think your right! If you had any chance to share this with mj before he passed then they probobly wouldn't say all the "bleached" skin crap

oh how i dislike what the media did to michael.

they just wrote a whole heap of BS about the skin bleaching.

the media will always find a way to twist the story.so maybe, but even so, they have tons of backup stories