embedded in the floating world
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nmazca.blog embedded in the floating world |
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When I lived in Qatar, I'd read the weekend magazine in the Khaleej Times from Dubai. Among other things, each issue had a health & beauty section that invariably contained several people's letters imploring the columnist for advice on how to lighten and whiten their or their poor daughter's dark skin. At one point, I tore out and saved one of the full-page ads, which showed (to my eye) a Latina model's powdered and brightly lit face alongside what I believe was the L'Oreal White Perfect skin cream shown below.  I was really surprised by all of this because, being in the Middle East, in a region that was predominantly populated by Bedouin Arabs, Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis and other South Asians, I just figured that skin color (and product consumption to deal with it) wouldn't be such a concern. This wasn't the West, after all, so why would people feel the need to be lighter when their ethnicity and darker shade was the majority? But alas, after being in Egypt, Thailand and now Taiwan these past several months, I have to declare the skin-lightening mindset to be in full effect (among some). I can't quite tell you how bizarre and disappointing (and a bit discomforting) it is to observe this in a country where I already stand out as the Ghanaian chocolate-brown, transgalactic wordsmith that I am, but where the not-quite-declared preference for English teachers is a nice, white (preferably female) face.  Some of the exchanges and reactions that have occurred since I've been here can go into another post. For now, let me stay on the skin: Wall Street Journal, 2002: "In an ad running on Malaysian television, an attractive Malay college student can't get a second glance from a boy at the next desk. 'She's pretty,' he says to himself, 'but...' "After using Pond's Skin Lightening Moisturizer by Unilever PLC, she reappears, brightly lit and looking several shades paler. The boy exclaims, 'Why didn't I notice her before?' "Women's groups in Malaysia certainly noticed. "'It's a bit offensive,' says Loga Chitra, a lawyer and an executive for the women's wing of the Malaysian Indian Congress, a component party of the ruling National Front coalition. 'Black is beautiful,' she says. 'You don't have to be fair to be beautiful.' "Equating lighter skin with beauty is a deeply rooted perception across much of Asia. But Unilever, a unit of Anglo-Dutch concern Unilever Group, which is known for its sensitivity to local cultures, may have crossed a line by discussing openly a prejudice that usually lurks just beneath the surface. "For many Asian cultures, light skin historically conveyed wealth and status, while dark skin was associated with those who toiled in the fields. It is a stereotype that persists today. [House v. field? --Ed.] According to a survey conducted in February by Asian Market Intelligence, 74% of men in Malaysia, 68% in Hong Kong and 55% in Taiwan say they are more attracted to women with fair complexions. About a third of the female respondents in each place said they use skin-whitening products." Taipei Times, 2004: "While Westerners spend cash topping up their tans to appear attractive, many Asians are slathering on lotions to reduce skin coloring as they embrace a different concept of beauty that for them says white is right. "Studies by market research company Synovate say sales of skin whitening products in Asia are soaring as the region's beauty-conscious try to lose the pigmentation they consider unattractive... "Associating lighter skin with beauty is a deeply rooted perception across much of Asia. As the Chinese say: 'One white makes up for three bad things.' "'The definition of beauty for Asians is definitely different from that of the Western countries,' said Bernice Tse, product manager of L'Oreal Paris skincare products in Hong Kong. 'Asian women dislike freckles. Nowadays, they are not only asking for no freckles, they neither want the yellow color on their face. The "white" concept is core.' "Tse said the extent of the popularity of skin-whitening products could be seen by the wide range of products available in market that began booming in 2000. They all claim to be able to eliminate skin pigment, bleach the skin or lighten skin tone and dark spots. "Among them are Olay White Radiance Purifying Cloths, L'Oreal White Perfect Triple Whitening Body Moisturiser, Ponds Double White Eye Stick, Nivea Whitening Toner, and Neutrogena Fine Fairness Essence. In late 2002, whitening products also found their way into deodorant roll-ons in Indonesia..." Phillipine Center for Investigative Journalism, 2005: "Today the pressure to look good starts years before girls even hit puberty. The other day, my friend's niece wistfully said she wished she were more maputi (fair-skinned). She is only six years old. Perhaps she aspires to be Snow White and she wants her very own set of seven dwarfs. Or she may have just walked away from the television set in which ads were extolling the virtues of fair skin and the other supposed standards of beauty... "According to market research company AC Neilsen, the personal-care industry poured P23.4 billion in advertisements in 2004, a quarter higher than in 2003. In comparison, telecommunications is a distant second at P13 billion, and we already know how ubiquitous mobile-phone ads are. At P6 billion a year, skincare is second to haircare in ad expenditures, which stand at P10 billion (oral care is third at P3 billion). These numbers probably come as no surprise to people who drive down EDSA or read newspapers and magazines, and especially not to those who watch television, the most popular ad outlet. "But it's the skincare ad category that has seen the highest rate of growth. This is largely attributed to the increasing popularity of whitening products. According to a 2004 Synovate survey, skin-lightening products are popular across Asia. Some 38 percent of women surveyed in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines use skin-lightening products. "Filipinas, however, are the most avid consumers with 50 percent of respondents reporting current use. My neighborhood Watson's store displays shelves upon shelves of skin whitening products. Most companies now include a whitening component in their entire product line, from soaps and moisturizers to toners and sunblocks and creams." Whiten up. |
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