Watch Beauty and the Bleach Tan France

Tan France: Beauty And The Bleach is the Queer Eye star’s powerful reckoning with his past and colourism in his community and viewers are hailing it as an “important” documentary. Here’s why you need to watch it.

When we think of Tan France, we picture his style, poise and how he empowers strangers on hit Netflix makeover show Queer Eye. Starring alongside Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Bobby Berk, France completes the fun-loving group as the stylist extraordinaire.

He’s regularly on our screens instilling confidence and concocting dream outfits that leave many in (happy) tears and looking at themselves in a newfound light. But in his new BBC Two documentary, viewers can prepare to see France in an entirely new and enlightening way.

Tan France: Beauty And The Bleach aired last night on BBC Two (27 April) and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer. It follows the presenter as he uncovers the truth behind skin bleaching, why people do it, his own personal connection to the beauty trend, as well as hearing personal anecdotes from celebrities including Kelly Rowland.

Upon airing, viewers were quick to take to social media to express their praise for such an “important” show:

Fans of France’s were pleasantly surprised to see him in a more candid (and emotionally honest) fashion:

More than anything, though, the documentary provided incredible insight into a topic that hasn’t widely been spoken about on mainstream television:

In the documentary, we learn that France first bleached his skin at the age of nine. And at the heart of his fascination with the practice is a widely held belief that having a lighter skin tone directly correlates to your success, wealth and status. Where does this thinking stem from? Well, France uncovers that, at least for him and many other people of colour, it comes from within your own community. 

Tan France now lives in America with his husband Rob. (Getty/IMDb)

The documentary features France examining the spread of skin lightening treatments in the beauty world and includes a segment in which he speaks to Kelly Rowland.

Rowland admits she struggled with being the darkest-skinned member of Destiny's Child and compared herself to the other women in the group.

Read more: Rochelle Humes received death threats amid colourism row

France said he hopes the documentary will help to "break the cycle that pushed me and thousands like me to bleach — and still does".