Get Whiter!
Today I found an article on CNN that said skin whitening cream has become popular in Asia. It focused on how fair skin is en vogue in India. Whitening cream is being sold widely to both genders. It's even advertised on television with ads implying that whiter skin will get them a better job and a better chance at getting a nice life partner. India apparently has a stigma on skin colour, with many people who say that fairer-skinned people are treated better in the job market. India still has arranged marriages and newspaper advertisements for a spouse often say that a fair partner is desired.
I do think that the idea of fair skin being more desirable is the "lily of the field" idea. It was popular in Europe for many years. Those with tans were people who worked outside and the rich people could stay inside out of the sun and stay lighter.
I have found that this is common here in Korea. Just this week I went to a "Skin Food" shop to find a facial scrub for myself. I was shown a shelf of scrubs by a saleswoman. I was interested in their ingredients and scents. She picked up one rice-based scrub and said it was "whitening". She had a big smile on her face. I thought it was funny that she was trying to sell me something and just had to mention that it was "whitening". I already am white, even though I do have a summer tan. Yet, many Koreans do like skin products that will make them whiter. Parasols are popular, not just for shade, but also to keep their owners paler.
Yet, this preference for lighter skin is also racist. It isn't all about beauty, it's also discriminatory against those who are dark.
The preference for lighter skin is also carried to who is most desired for English teachers here. Many black teachers say they aren't treated fairly in the job market here. The white teachers are preferred. The bias doesn't end there, as American and Canadian teachers are preferred over South Africans, Britons, New
Zealanders, and Australians.
When I took my second job at a hagwon (language school), I was hired along with a black teacher from the USA. I was picked up at the airport a week before the other teacher. When I was in the car, the owner told me she and her husband had previously been afraid to hire a black teacher. It was not because they were racist, but they were afraid of what the students and their families would think. Yet since Obama had just been elected as president of the United States, they thought it would be safer. Truthfully, the students took some time to get used to her, but soon they began to respect her and some even began to love her.
I do think it's sad that societies have to put so much emphasis on outer appearances. When someone looks for a life partner, someone's character and compatability matters more than their looks. In the job market, people should be chosen based on their abilities and work ethic, not on what they look like and their origins. Yet we live in such a shallow world.
I do think that the idea of fair skin being more desirable is the "lily of the field" idea. It was popular in Europe for many years. Those with tans were people who worked outside and the rich people could stay inside out of the sun and stay lighter.
I have found that this is common here in Korea. Just this week I went to a "Skin Food" shop to find a facial scrub for myself. I was shown a shelf of scrubs by a saleswoman. I was interested in their ingredients and scents. She picked up one rice-based scrub and said it was "whitening". She had a big smile on her face. I thought it was funny that she was trying to sell me something and just had to mention that it was "whitening". I already am white, even though I do have a summer tan. Yet, many Koreans do like skin products that will make them whiter. Parasols are popular, not just for shade, but also to keep their owners paler.
Yet, this preference for lighter skin is also racist. It isn't all about beauty, it's also discriminatory against those who are dark.
The preference for lighter skin is also carried to who is most desired for English teachers here. Many black teachers say they aren't treated fairly in the job market here. The white teachers are preferred. The bias doesn't end there, as American and Canadian teachers are preferred over South Africans, Britons, New
Zealanders, and Australians.
When I took my second job at a hagwon (language school), I was hired along with a black teacher from the USA. I was picked up at the airport a week before the other teacher. When I was in the car, the owner told me she and her husband had previously been afraid to hire a black teacher. It was not because they were racist, but they were afraid of what the students and their families would think. Yet since Obama had just been elected as president of the United States, they thought it would be safer. Truthfully, the students took some time to get used to her, but soon they began to respect her and some even began to love her.
I do think it's sad that societies have to put so much emphasis on outer appearances. When someone looks for a life partner, someone's character and compatability matters more than their looks. In the job market, people should be chosen based on their abilities and work ethic, not on what they look like and their origins. Yet we live in such a shallow world.
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