Skin Lightening in Asia
Source:http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/05/14/world/14thailand.xlarge1.jpg
Skin lightening is a procedure practiced by many Asian cultures, which involve the use of various cosmetic methods in the attempt to lighten the skin of Asian females. Having fair skin is a desired characteristic for Asian women not only superficially but culturally as well.
Skin lightening has extensive history in Asia, and stems back to traditions of China and Japan. Their saying “One white covers up three ugliness” was passed on generation to generation. However the color of a woman’s skin did not only affect the perception of her beauty, but her marital prospects, job prospects, social status and income potential. Having a light complexion was regarded as aristocratic and noble because only wealthy people could afford to stay indoors and avoid performing intense outdoor labor, while the lower classes baked under the sun in the fields. It also Men preferred pale women because their fairness symbolized that they were pure and innocent, untouched and unseen by other men.
In earlier days Chinese women would ground pearls from seashells into powder, and digest it in order to lighten their skin, while across the Yellow sea in Japan, Geishas would power their faces chalk white. However, there is also the ideology that Asian women desired pale skin to imitate western women.
Although time has passed, the concept that pale skin is better than tanned skin still remains. There are various products in the market today which help to lighten skin including topical creams, diamond peels, soaps, oral medication and even surgeries.
Questions1. Do you think skin products and the desire to have light skin is purely superficial?
2. Do you think that having fair skin affect a woman’s marital prospect, job prospect, social status and potential income in modern day Asia?
Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/world/asia/14thailand.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=skin+whitening&st=nyt
http://www.romow.com/culture-blog/asias-obsession-with-skin-whitening/
http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/05/13/asia.whitening/
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v35/naacr_vol35_273.pdf
