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The real truth is that "whiteness" is highly prized amongst South Asians (Indians) so it isn't surprising that he would see non-white women as unacceptable partners.
Skin whitening has become the norm in many Asian countries.
The idea that white = pretty is pushed all over the World by Hollywood movies
White, blonde, blue eyes is always = Good and happy
Dark, brown eyes, African facial features = Bad and angry
Hollywood even put blue eyes on animal/things that everybody knows that don't have blue eyes
But hey, they are supposed to be "good" and to Hollywod that means that they have to have blue eyes.
The idea that white = pretty is pushed all over the World by Hollywood movies White, blonde, blue eyes is always = Good and happy Dark, brown eyes, African facial features = Bad and angry
Hollywood even put blue eyes on animal/things that everybody knows that don't have blue eyes
But hey, they are supposed to be "good" and to Hollywod that means that they have to have blue eyes.
Very true. Skin bleaching products are used ALL over the world....East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Latin America.
Steelers, I didn't quote you directly because your quote was so long.
Firstly, my sister married into a VERY prominent Cuban family in Miami. They were one of the few that were prominent in Cuba and came to the US way before the Mariel Boatlift in the 1950s. They do not consider themselves white. They are Americans of Cuban heritage. My family is very entrenched in Miami.
As a long time resident of Miami, this was the exact opposite experience I had. The newer Cuban arrivals (and their American-born children) with more African ancestry tended to recognize their minority status in the United States. I think it is less than a coincidence that Dominicans clustered around the NW 36th Street corridor to be near many of these Cubans due to their cultural and physical commonalities.
I stopped sharing my own personal characteristics and experiences on City-Data long ago but my social and professional life in Miami brought me into close contact with Cubans of many shades. Those who are blonde-haired and blue-eyed never had any qualms of identifying their "whiteness" if the rare occasion ever arose to do so. From my perspective, this brought Cuban Americans into social conflict with other Latin groups (particularly Puerto Ricans) who expected these Cubans to more so identify with being a minority; and of course the Anglos expected the white Cubans to assimilate (like other European immigrant groups) and become gringos.
Once again on a personal side note, when "talking to" my first Cuban American girl in my youth, I made a decided faux pas in judgment when I erroneously assumed she identified with being a "minority" rather than "white". That led to a very awkward and uncomfortable exchange! But I think I am in agreement with you in that Cuban Americans are more likely to identify with their nationality first before their "whiteness" if applicable. There are many white Colombians and Venezuelans in Dade and West Broward as well but it doesn't seem as if Cubans align themselves with them on the basis of being "white". If anything at all, it would be their relative wealth if they find common ground with each other.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blueherons
I never said MTV started off playing Prince right off the bat. I recall the early years watching MTV late at night and seeing Prince videos. In later years, I have no idea when but I'm guessing early to mid 80s Whitney Houston was so popular, they started playing her videos 24-7.
After over a year, MTV started playing Prince and Michael Jackson LIGHTLY but many of the prominent, chart-topping black artists and groups of the day (Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire, Kool and the Gang, etc.) never saw their videos being played on MTV despite being overwhelmingly "pop" crossover artists by the 1980s.
Whitney Houston is an interesting case. She really hit the scene in 1985 and was decidedly an R&B artist, but had the best pure voice in music at the time. She received major airplay but she had very much a "soul" image.
Clive Davis of Arista Records, being the music industry savant that he was, basically made the executive decision to ensure that Whitney Houston was essentially spray painted for her "How Will I Know" video in order to be played in heavy rotation on MTV.
But those of us who were Whitney fans from the jump remember her first singles (especially "You Give Good Love To Me"
and "Saving All My Love For You") as being very soulful and brooding and not pop at all. The major transformation came in 1987-88 when Whitney got serious play on MTV. But by this second album she was completely pop and literally would not be seen without a blonde hairweave in a music video:
I believe she even won an MTV Music Video Award during this time. However, she was heavily criticized by her original R&B audience for this shift. When she tried to come back as "soul" on her third album ("I'm Your Baby Tonight" is still probably in my top 3 or 4 Whitney songs of all time), the album didn't too well. To be sure, her "Bodyguard" soundtrack was probably the best selling soundtrack of all-time. But in the vein of this thread, Whitney very much played down her "black" appearance to achieve mainstream success.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyRider
>>While not white, all of the non-European models have a skin tone with a very "Western" sense of acceptability. <<
I have read that on Indian match boards, stating in your profile the you are "fair skinned" is a big plus. I know for a fact that in many third world societies when a new born is described as "so white", it is a statement of rarity or beauty. We have it here too when people talk about porcelain skin. I don't think there is an equivalent descriptor for darker skins. The way I look at it is that it is what it is. Again, this is all perceptions of outer beauty. I have known blue and blondes whom I would not want to socialize with even a minute.
This is a recurring theme throughout the "colored" world. The most striking experience I've had has been Hawaii. Native Hawaiian women are absolutely drop dead gorgeous but it seemed as if the standards of beauty were either California-type blondes or absolutely pale skinned Japanese women. However, I did think it was kind of cool that "thicker" Polynesian women would often lock eyes with me because they could detect that I recognized their good looks when on the mainland they would probably be considered fat. Man, women are cool like that sometimes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by calipoppy
I wasn't implying that ALL people think this way. But if I were to give the average American guy the choice between dating an African woman or a European woman (without even seeing pics) most guys would chose European based off of the stereotypes of how each group's perceived attractiveness. However, in actuality the respective women could look like this....
Nigerian
British
LOLROTFLMAO. Another thread on this forum is about when women started shaving. I find "whiteness" and "thinness" are this co-conspiring ideal of media beauty. However, before shaving and thinness came into vogue, wouldn't your average European woman looked something like this?:
Or this?:
I guess the media can thank goodness for Gillette and Weight Watchers! It's funny that this discussion is talking about "whiteness" as the ideal standard of beauty because while magazine covers and TV shows would indicate one thing, the sheer volume of European DNA in Latin Americans, Native Americans, and African Americans would indicate something far different.
In India, I used lots of skin whitening products as sunscreen as sunblock substances were either very expensive or unavailable. For some odd reason me, my brother, and my cousin sister born naturally fair and burn crisp in heat + sunlight. My parents and other relatives on the other hand are golden brown. hence, they can handle hotter weather and more sunshine hours without any problem.
Last edited by Adi from the Brunswicks; 06-03-2014 at 06:09 AM..
most guys would chose European based off of the stereotypes of how each group's perceived attractiveness. However, in actuality the respective women could look like this....
Nigerian
This is just brown skin on an otherwise white face, so it is not a good example. In fact, most examples of black beauty that people post are really white faces in dark tones which leads me to believe it goes beyond skin color.
The idea that white = pretty is pushed all over the World by Hollywood movies
White, blonde, blue eyes is always = Good and happy
Dark, brown eyes, African facial features = Bad and angry
Hollywood even put blue eyes on animal/things that everybody knows that don't have blue eyes
But hey, they are supposed to be "good" and to Hollywod that means that they have to have blue eyes.
Not only that, but white characters do get to have a range of archetypes. Cheerleader, goth girl, preppy, girl next door, bubbly, nerdy, over achiever, student council president.....
Other ethnicities are limited into playing a very small list of roles. For black women it is either sassy, funny friend or something akin to a King model, or hood rat. Not particularly positive or wide reaching.
Being a little personal here, over the years I have met many people that were a bit "surprised" by my personality. But if they have bought into stereotypes, then someone like me (aka a black woman wit a bubbly personality) doesn't exist or I get my other favorite comment -- acting white. As if it is not possible for black women to come in a variety of temperaments.
This is just brown skin on an otherwise white face, so it is not a good example. In fact, most examples of black beauty that people post are really white faces in dark tones which leads me to believe it goes beyond skin color.
Rukaiya Indimi Dantata is 100% Nigerian, from the Kanuri tribe, so it doesn't get more "African" than that.
I guess the p0rn industry oddly enough rarely has certain women in it. Hot Latin, White and Asian women dominate it while Indian and Black women rarely are in any of them
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my first Cuban American girl in my youth, I made a decided faux pas in judgment when I erroneously assumed she identified with being a "minority" rather than "white". That led to a very awkward and uncomfortable exchange!
But I think I am in agreement with you in that Cuban Americans are more likely to identify with their nationality first before their "whiteness" if applicable. There are many white Colombians and Venezuelans in Dade and West Broward as well but it doesn't seem as if Cubans align themselves with them on the basis of being "white". If anything at all, it would be their relative wealth if they find common ground with each other.
