Race Relations

Pepe the Frog cartoonist kills off character that became hate symbol

A Pepe cartoon released on Saturday in comic book stores shows Matt Furie's creation in an open casket.

In a Time magazine essay last year, Furie described Pepe as "chill frog-dude" who debuted in a 2006 comic book called Boy's Club and became a popular online subject for user-generated mutations.

But internet trolls hijacked the character and began flooding social media with hateful Pepe memes more than a year before the 2016 presidential election.

Skin-whitening uptake sparks concern among Australian dermatologists

"Chinese people like whitening, [they consider it] beautiful — whitening and brightening because it's good," she says, smiling.

The smile is genuine, as Amanda is a fan herself.

"I use this one in the morning and at night … it can make your skin look very healthy, very clear," she says.

"It's very popular."

And this popularity is on the rise with the market for skin lighteners projected to reach $US23 billion ($30.5 billion) by 2020, according to market intelligence firm Global Industry Analysts.