Atlanta, Georgia – Shaquana Barrett, age 16, of Atlanta was found dead in her home by authorities this evening. Reportedly, the teen sat inside of her bathtub filled with Bleach to “lighten” her skin to look more like Lil Kim.
Moments after the New York rapper, Lil Kim, posted photos of her “new look” on her Instagram page, the photos instantly went viral. As many are aware, Lil Kim has battled with physical dysmorphia, which some believe may be a result of years of physical abuse she went through. Whatever her reasoning, Lil Kim has been under scrutiny for many years due to the multiple plastic surgeries which transformed her from the Brown skin, Junior Mafia rapper to a face that many find hard accept.
The Lil Kim Challenge
According to several blogs, the Lil Kim challenge was set up as a joke which prompted teens to soak their hands or feet in bleach to lighten their skin. The challenge requires that the participant keeps their body soaked in bleach for at least 30 mins or more. The longer the soak, the lighter the skin.
According to reports, Shaquana Barrett, a young teen from Atlanta believed she had a connection with Lil Kim. Barrett was taunted for many years for being short, overweight, and “dark skin”, according to her family. Barrett had a difficult time adjusting to high school her freshman year which resulted in her becoming Bulimic to rapidly lose weight.
Barrett was obsessed with Lil Kim as her father used to be a DJ in New York in the late 90’s which is how the teen learned about Lil Kim. Barrett learned more about Lil Kim’s music but also her “transformation”. Barrett would wear long blonde weaves to school with tons of makeup to try and lighten her complexion. According to her family, the other kids at school would make fun of Barrett.
Barrett tried several skin lightening creams and soaps but she did not get the results she wanted. Her parents tried to encourage her to be proud of who she was but it did nothing to help her self-esteem. Barrett found out on an online blog that she could “bleach” her skin to get a lighter complexion. Unfortunately, the teen did not known the proper medical procedures that were required to go through the process which resulted in a fatal decision.
At approximately 11:15 P.M., authorities responded to an emergency call placed by Monique Barrett, the mother of Shaquana. When police and EMT arrived at the scene, they had discovered the teen’s body in the bathtub filled with bleach. A timer was found next to the tub which was set for 3 hours and 30 minutes. EMT removed Barrett’s body from the tub however the teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I got home from Lenox Mall at around 10:50 after having dinner with my co-worker. When I got home, I smelled bleach but I knew my daughter wasn’t cleaning because she’s lazy. When I went upstairs to see what she was doing, that’s when I found her body in the tub. Her skin was peeling off and her hair was coming out. I was so scared,” said Monique Barrett.
Authorities found Lil Kim’s Instagram page loaded on the teen’s phone along with a website referring to the Lil Kim Challenge.
As of now, no one was charged for the death of Shaquana Barrett.
