text: Michael Jackson didn’t choose to be white. He had a skin condition that caused his skin to become paler as he grew older. He was also still considered black even when his skin got pale.
  Put simply, he chose to use makeup and potentially skin-lightening treatments to cover the uneven patches of color that vitiligo creates. By his own words, he was not trying to be "white."
  I say this to forefend anyone trying to technicality the "didn't choose to be white" statement by bhull. Michael chose to have a uniform skin appearance. That's it.
  I actually learned about this from a friend who has the same condition (vitiligo). It really changed how I saw MJ.