Why white skin is all the rage in Asia

Ironically here in the US everybody wants to look tan. I guess it would be very difficult to sell tanning beds in China.

Now that millions of Chinese can afford to aspire to a more affluent "Chinese Dream," of course they'll go to the look of the pre-communist upper classes -minus the foot binding- in a Beijing minute. Further exposure to the sun of global influences might eventually convince the Chinese that darker is beautiful, but it didn't happen for the Japanese.

As Phillip notes, "whiteness" is reflected in Asian history as a reflection of economic status. Workers in the fields had tans/skin burns. Upper classes who did not labor in the fields had lighter skin. This is no different from the U.S. Ask anyone who grew up in the 1920's - 1950's, and you will hear comments about working people having "farmer tans", being field workers vs. town folk.

It wasn't until the 1960's beach surfing movies that tanning gained a healthy living status. Tanning became a status symbol of being on vacation vs. physical field labor.

This is the case the world-over. Look at any latin american soap-opera and the actors are all white as day when most of the population is much darker and less european. The reality is that Europe's domination of the world through colonialism over much of the last 250 years has created a subtle and not so subtle caste system in many nations where those who are whiter and have more European features are often in the elite classes and those with darker skin and more non-european ethnic features are in the lower classes. India is the same. All the actors are basically white and look startlingly European for a country with hundreds of millions of darker Dravidian citizens. You'll rarely see them on a tv commercial for toothpaste. And of course the same has been true here in the U.S., although that is slowly changing...

Not to be a jerk but "Shisedo" is actually spelled: Shiseido. Most Americans pronounce it in that misspelling. If you care to know, it is pronounced: shee - say - ee - doh.

Also, I'm inclined to believe self hatred and self prejudice are significant factors at work. I'm an ABC (American Born Chinese) and when I was young, I was a self-racist.

Let's not forget that the $250 billion beauty industry spends huge amounts of money bombarding women in Asia with images of light-skinned (airbrushed) models, in a relentless effort to expand the market for expensive skin lightening creams that can cause lifelong skin damage. It's unconscionable. The beauty industry needs a makeover -- and it needs to start with women just saying no to toxic products and toxic messages that we aren't good enough the way we are.

Stacy Malkan, author of "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry"

Look what it did for MJ.
I agree with the idea that in Asia especially it is a sign of prosperity, it says "I never had to work in the fields under the hot sun to make a living." This reasoning does not work so well for those of African descent.
Personally, I like darker skin, but I don't like the freckles and dark spots which are becoming more prominent as I age...

The Asian women should realize they have a beautiful skin tone. Many Canadian and American women would love to have a darker complexion. I suppose the concern is mainly subjected to the women of Asia because men tend to place a significantly higher value on physical appearance. It's unfortunate that women feel the need to change their appearance to feel aesthetically pleasing in the eyes of society.

Agree 100% with nhr_215. It seems the whiter you are the more successful you are. I have noticed this myself facing everyday problems with my own identity. Most people think I'm white of Anglo ancestry. When they find out my family is from Mexico, they all of a sudden change their attitude towards me. IDK why as I'm still white, just Mexican of Spanish and French ancestry. Same as someone being American of Chinese ancestry or whatever other ancestry you want to throw in.

“Who’s that white lady? (.....) Asia is seeing a boom in skin whitening products, as evidenced by this advertisement in Shanghai”.

Are you kidding me??? This is a Dior add for a lipstick (not whitening products) featuring Monica Bellucci (not an Asian woman).

This is the thing that worries me about GlobalPost - badly researched articles with really weird ethnocentric slants which are then taken up and disseminated as objective truth.

White skin ha been all the rage in many more parts in the world than just Asia - even white people wanted to be whiter for most part of the last century and before.

Is this really a hard question to answer ? I guess not after asking around that question all across south-east asia. The most common answer and the only one that did really make sense was that if your skin is dark then your work on low wages like your ancestors in a rice paddy where there is more sun. But if you are light in color you have a good job in an office or you were back then part of royalty or part of the high society.

Ditto for Thailand, where I have lived many years. People here will come right out and say that they think dark skin is ugly, even those with dark skin! I mean literally. Someone with a tan complexion that people would kill for in the USA will tell you that their skin is ugly. If you are a fair skinned visitor one of the first questions you might get asked here is "Why do so many farangs (Europeans) like the Thai girls with dark skin?" Makes no sense to them at all.

So true that people want what they don't have. Many Thais want lighter skin, more prominent noses, and western eyes, while Europeans tend to want exactly the opposite, except perhaps the eyes. There's nowt so queer as folk!

this is the rage around the globe - when I lived in India they too wanted to have light skin, creams were sold to make them have fair skin. Part of this is a slick advertising campaign-after all if ppl were happy with who they are what would cosmetic companies sell?

I don't understand the desire for white skin over black skin. Any dermatologist will tell you that it's prone to skin cancer, wrinkles easily, and doesn't hold its shape with age. Take a look at any dark African woman in her 60s and many of them still have tight skin and that youthful glow.

This is really funny because as a Chinese I see exactly the opposite. White has heen the favorite for centuries in Asian and it only appears as a trend now because tanning becomes a trend in the West in recent years. Asian's preference for white is not what changes here, it's the taste of the West.

I'm glad this issue is finally getting more coverage. but I was hoping the conversation might then turn back to how Black people in the West perceive the appreciation of lighter-skin as being 'beautiful' with the assumption that it's a 'beauty myth' based on trying to look Caucasian. I used to buy this argument wholeheartedly until I came to China and realized that 'white' skin had been admired well before the arrival of western people, due to the fact that it implied high social status (ie you weren't working in the fields). I wonder how many African Americans are aware of this fact? it certainly adds an interesting dimension to the whole debate...

As pskearns pointed out, white as opposed to tanned skin has always been a preference in agrarian societies - pre-industrial revolution Britain had the same obsession with its own sometimes dangerous methods of obtaining the perfect look of social success, the "I don't have to work in the fields" look. A hundred or so years later a pasty face was the sign of a lowly factory/office worker - the tanned face then symbolised success, of those who could afford foreign holidays in the sun. Trends change; no doubt they will in South Korea too as it become ever more affluent and confident in its own beauty.

Concepts of beauty are closely linked to the search for good breeding genes - flawless skin and symmetrical features are health indicators, skin colour a social success indicator. It would be as pointless to try to stop women trying to achieve the ideal as it would be to try to stop men being attracted to it. The only issue to be addressed is dubious, dangerous practices sold to attain the ideal, and this applies to the Western cult of breast implants and fad diets as much as Eastern skin whitening.