There is a deeply rooted cultural norm involved with these debates over skin tone and beauty. In many societies, particularly in Asia, dark skin has long been related to working within the fields and, therefore, rural poverty. On the opposite hand, pale skin is related to living an easier, cosmopolitan life indoors, out of the sun. Skin color is thus a sign of social class.
Summary
Culture
Asian cultures feed people’s desire to become whiter not because of racism, but because these people do not want to be perceived as poor. Skin color in Asia became synonymous with cultural capital. People are very willing to achieve lighter tones in their skin to climb the social steps and be perceived as belonging to a superior social class.
Beauty is a social issue, a cultural issue, a political issue, an economic issue. I don’t think beauty ideals are a shallow thing to discuss. Promoting white skin is part of what beauty companies do to sell their products. They capitalize on our insecurities, selling the possibility of a better-looking, whiter us by using their products. We aspire not only to the luxurious lifestyles depicted in the ads but also to look that way. And both are unattainable for most of us.
The stigma related to darker skin can mean getting to some lengths to remain pale. In Bangkok’s streets, it is not unusual to see Thais shading themselves with umbrellas or wearing long sleeves even during the hottest months of the year, in an attempt to avoid the sun’s tanning rays.
The idea of a white ideal is highly promoted in Asia, as everyone is highly focussed on whitening their skin. Chinese usually say that whitening is everything, as a person can cover all of one’s defective parts if he or she is white. Another motivator for skin whitening procedures in China is the job markets that favor professional women wanting to start their careers and attract a potential partner.
Skin tone Taboos and Blackamoors
People claim racism is a western phenomenon and that it’s roots sprouted there. However, we forget the subtle, latent racism that flies by a day in our society.
It has merely been overshadowed by Pakistan’s other, bigger problems, like terrorism or corruption in the hype of these bigger issues; we let slide this subliminal racism and think that it’s not too big of a deal, so apparently, there is a disease in our society called ” Black color” and the patients are called ” Blackamoor ” because we are too dignified to call them ” Black ” Else we’ll feel bad off course? That’s not what we got creams and tons of beauty tips (home remedies) to treat it.
We feel Proud of being called ” Whites ” I don’t know how but the word Whitecap in our society is taken as a gesture of Respect. Which brings me to the question, who keeps this obsession with white-skinned (fair complexion) alive in our society? Males or females? I believe that it’s mostly the women folk, mainly in this Asian culture,
The same women who only settle for a fair daughter-in-law have also passed this check-her-shade-then-reject gene to their sons, which will ultimately lead to a White Pakistan!
Fairness is Business
In many countries across Asia, advertisements and billboards feature light-skinned models touting products such as whitening creams, tablets, sunscreens, and other related products. It’s a big business.
We have legit no rooms for the intellectually bright people because, for us, the actual worth of a human comes from his “SKIN TONE.” Even when we drag this dilemma to CAREER opportunities, we see the same regressive mind-sets of the people where your skin tone decides either you’re getting this job or not, and let’s just not talk about the number of opportunities. “Balckamoor Models” are getting in the showbiz Industry.
The pressure to be white does not only affect women. “There is a range of products and services aimed at men who are interested in becoming paler.” There are fairness creams to fix skin tones but ain’t no one got cream for regressive mindsets.
Standard Of Beauty
I mean, who sets these standards of beauty? For the basics, someone, please tell me,” what is the Actual meaning of this superficial beauty? How can you decide what’s beautiful and what’s not and on what basis exactly?
In my opinion, our obsession with a light skin tone stems from the fact that we were ruled by the white race, which was considered a supreme authority. This would explain why dark people’s stigma isn’t only specific to Pakistanis, as Indians and Bengalis share an equivalent obsession.
Fairness creams do nothing “FAIR” for skins; being dark is not a flaw or unjust or something that needs to be fixed. We should stop pushing people to be the ” fairest ” versions of themselves instead of being the BEST version. This preference for white skin is reinforced via the media: television, magazines, and billboards. Pharmacies stock an array of skin-whitening creams; some even promise to lighten the color of the foremost intimate body areas, such as nipples or armpits.
India is an example of a society where the social classes are almost entirely defined by skin color. It still rules a system of castes where the higher ones belong to the people with whiter skin. In contrast, the lowest ones belong to the dark-skinned people, culminating with the untouchables’ caste, who are the people with the darkest skin. Similar groups of people treated in similar ways, also defined by skin color to define their place in the society, can also be found in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and South East Asia.
Dark Is Beautiful
The “Dark Is Beautiful” media campaign in different countries, which aims to confront discrimination. Perhaps one day, a similar consumer-based campaign. “As a society, we have to understand our past and how it affects our present. The colonial and imperial past affected how we think about ourselves now,”
The need of the hour is to embrace every little bit ourselves; we should take power into our own hands. They will never make room for us; we have to shove ourselves in. work on our inner selves, make it beautiful, wear our skin with pride; this is what nature has designed for you, and nature is known for making no mistakes. Trust me; You’re beautiful just the way you are.
Thank you for reading!