Why is tan skin not considered attractive in Asia? (life, country, people)
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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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I've heard the explanations, that being tanned was associated with being poor. So is Asia just where Europe was like 80 years ago? Pale skin has always been valued in Europe until recently, but since it's so common it wasn't seen as THAT exception. However, it seems in Asia VERY WHITE skin is really valued even today, with few exceptions. This trend seems the most prominent in East Asian nations. I know many of these women aren't naturally anywhere near as pale: in Vietnam the men often were several shades darker than the women BUT in rural areas the women were often the same shade. Japanese women seem the palest, although many of the men look quite brown, and some women who follow American pop culture also dig the tanned look.
I always see advertisements for skin bleaching.etc in Asia. Do you think Asia will follow the Western penchant for tanned skin? I mean most Asians are still darker than Europeans anyway, so it's not like having a tan is that special. I think some Asian women are too ghostly white, and are obsessive about keeping that porcelain hue by staying out of the sun etc.
Whites want Tan/Dark Skin and a Dark/Tan Skin would like to have white skin.
mostly that is the mentality of people. They like the opposite color of their skin & for them it is more sexy and attractive.
Toronto has a huge amount of older immigrants from China....If the sun is out- ALL of them use an umbrella or huge hat- or big visors...some go as far as covering their face with a cloth..It's as if they are terrified of direct son-- this is not uncommon--it is very common- You will almost never find one of these people with out a shield--The other habit they have are mouth covers- heaven forbid that so much as a bit of dust enters their bodies-- the last thing is about health- They also hark and spit..believing that any thing nasty in their throats or nose is full of disease and has to be ejected from the body immediately.
As for the sun issue and the pale skin- These old school females from China are very class minded - even if they are poor they want to appear rich- Only PEASANTS worked out in the fields in the sun- and dark skin was the mark of the slave...IF one of these people allows themselves to get a tan- and I see it in the men- Some literally can reach the dark shade of an the classic African living close to the equator------------They do not want to be dark...dark means you are a worker...so they all pretend to be high class---it's cute in a silly sort of way....You can see them coming in groups- a dozen umbrellas and no rain in sight.
To enrich the story - these old ladies - some of them widows and some not- have figure out if you go to the local abused woman shelter- You can get things for free- there are line ups of these Asians...getting a free lunch - I wonder what they say....I guess someone teaches them some English - like "I am afraid for my life- my husband beats me..now what are we having for lunch" lol.
I've heard the explanations, that being tanned was associated with being poor. So is Asia just where Europe was like 80 years ago? Pale skin has always been valued in Europe until recently, but since it's so common it wasn't seen as THAT exception. However, it seems in Asia VERY WHITE skin is really valued even today, with few exceptions. This trend seems the most prominent in East Asian nations. I know many of these women aren't naturally anywhere near as pale: in Vietnam the men often were several shades darker than the women BUT in rural areas the women were often the same shade. Japanese women seem the palest, although many of the men look quite brown, and some women who follow American pop culture also dig the tanned look.
I always see advertisements for skin bleaching.etc in Asia. Do you think Asia will follow the Western penchant for tanned skin? I mean most Asians are still darker than Europeans anyway, so it's not like having a tan is that special. I think some Asian women are too ghostly white, and are obsessive about keeping that porcelain hue by staying out of the sun etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trimac20
This trend seems the most prominent inEast Asian nations.
You probably know more about Asia than I do, but I seem to hear far less about colour obsession in East than South Asia. I wonder how the two compare?
Toronto has a huge amount of older immigrants from China....If the sun is out- ALL of them use an umbrella or huge hat- or big visors...some go as far as covering their face with a cloth..It's as if they are terrified of direct son-- this is not uncommon--it is very common- You will almost never find one of these people with out a shield--The other habit they have are mouth covers- heaven forbid that so much as a bit of dust enters their bodies-- the last thing is about health- They also hark and spit..believing that any thing nasty in their throats or nose is full of disease and has to be ejected from the body immediately.
As for the sun issue and the pale skin- These old school females from China are very class minded - even if they are poor they want to appear rich- Only PEASANTS worked out in the fields in the sun- and dark skin was the mark of the slave...IF one of these people allows themselves to get a tan- and I see it in the men- Some literally can reach the dark shade of an the classic African living close to the equator------------They do not want to be dark...dark means you are a worker...so they all pretend to be high class---it's cute in a silly sort of way....You can see them coming in groups- a dozen umbrellas and no rain in sight.
To enrich the story - these old ladies - some of them widows and some not- have figure out if you go to the local abused woman shelter- You can get things for free- there are line ups of these Asians...getting a free lunch - I wonder what they say....I guess someone teaches them some English - like "I am afraid for my life- my husband beats me..now what are we having for lunch" lol.
I live in Toronto too, and I've seen that among many people which appear to be of Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern descent -- basically covering up, holding a parasol/umbrella etc. and avoiding walking in the sun as much as possible in the summer. It seems so odd to see people tanning/sun-bathing at the same time this is happening and almost comical to see one person soaking up the sun as much as possible lying on the bench in the park and another one, walking by, the exact opposite, trying to avoid the sun's rays like the plague.
Though you mention older immigrants on the streets here, if you're talking about Toronto my impression oddly enough seems to be that this is a much more recent phenomenon -- I've actually noticed people doing this more in the last few years or in the 2000s, here in the city for some reason.
I mean, Toronto has had a Chinese immigrant community, like you mention, going back for quite a number of generations, and yet even in the '90s, I didn't even see many people, of any race or ethnicity, being obsessive about avoiding the sun as much as now -- maybe our summers have gotten hotter (though that shouldn't affect UV, just people's perception of the sun being stronger) and sunnier (maybe -- no stats to prove this?), and people are more conscious about getting tanned ?
It's nuts because after a long relatively sun-deficient winter at this latitude, (doesn't hold a candle though to what some tropical immigrants to the UK, who originally are coming from sunny climes, face) you see people avoid even the amount of sun which should be natural and good for us, to get enough vitamin D and cheer up your mood while we're at it, especially for the time coming out of winter and into spring. Not getting enough sun can be bad for the immune system (though you can get vitamin D from food to compensate), just as too much sun is harmful and can cause skin cancer.
Balance is key, and neither extreme (going out of the way to avoid sun year round or obsessively trying to spend long hours tanning) can be good for you.
Oh it's big in South Asia too, but Indians are naturally darker than East Asians, so even in India the 'ideal' is more like what Westerners could class as 'tan.' I was referring to ghostly pale skin, more like what would pale even for Europeans.
yeah in the Philippines they find this look attractive. Really pale skin and jet black hair. I'm not sure why. This commercial is 5 years old though, so hopefully things have changed
I've heard the explanations, that being tanned was associated with being poor. So is Asia just where Europe was like 80 years ago? Pale skin has always been valued in Europe until recently, but since it's so common it wasn't seen as THAT exception. However, it seems in Asia VERY WHITE skin is really valued even today, with few exceptions. This trend seems the most prominent in East Asian nations. I know many of these women aren't naturally anywhere near as pale: in Vietnam the men often were several shades darker than the women BUT in rural areas the women were often the same shade. Japanese women seem the palest, although many of the men look quite brown, and some women who follow American pop culture also dig the tanned look.
I always see advertisements for skin bleaching.etc in Asia. Do you think Asia will follow the Western penchant for tanned skin? I mean most Asians are still darker than Europeans anyway, so it's not like having a tan is that special. I think some Asian women are too ghostly white, and are obsessive about keeping that porcelain hue by staying out of the sun etc.
I don't see it going away. Suntanned skin in Asia is a sign that you are poor and work out in the rice fields all day. Since most of Asia, isn't too far removed from that, it seems to still signify that to some degree.
JAPAN, however, does have a little fashion scene that idoloizes the tanning salon. But, it's certainly not the norm in Asia by any means.
If you look at most of Asian nation's history like China and Japan, royalties or courtesans make them selves appear pale or have fair white skin. And I guess it works for them. Most Asian women look better in fair skin than tan skin. While many white people look ugly as hell with tan orange skin. But I've seen many beautiful dark skinned Southeast Asian girls.
I guess fair white skin brings out their delicate gentle feminine features more.
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