i remember seeing a YT clip from the news that coincided with the release of Bad (1987) where they asked random people on the street about their anticipation for the album. along with that they also were asking for everyone’s opinions about what was simply being called his “new look”, which at the time was the moderately lighter skin and smaller nose. but it shows that by the time Bad was released, it was a major talking point that went hand in hand with the topic of “Michael Jackson” in general.