Tan skin: east and west perspectives
@bumblinbetty31 (121)
Philippines
September 1, 2007 3:44am CST
I live in a tropical paradise. Six months of the year, we get nothing but sun on our beautiful white sandy beaches (The other half of the year is rain-soaked but I'm digressing). Filipinos are naturally brown or olive-skinned which makes us the envy of Caucasians who freckle and get burned when they hit the beach.
But here is an amazing fact: the number one beauty product in my country? Skin bleaching lotions and solutions. That's right, most people here would rather have rosy and fair skin. They slather on whitening lotions, or else drink meds that can inhibit the production of melanin. I've not jumped on this bandwagon and never will. I have nothing against pale people. They can be beautiful too (Think Winona Rider.)But I just love what I've been born with. Besides, it's highly impractical to walk under the burning sun with white skin.
It's funny that in the west, white people love to tan. They spend hours sunbathing or else they flock to tanning salons. Is it the lure of the exotic, of having something that we don't have, that drives us to either tan or whiten? What are your thoughts?
2 people like this
3 responses
@wisedragon (2325)
• Philippines
1 Sep 07
Well if you women are just trying to attract men, then there's no need to worry. Men have different tastes. Some like white women, some like "exotic" women.
That's why here in the Philippines there's not much rivalry between Filipino men and white men. The white guys go for the exotics, while Filipino men go for the "mestizas" or light-skinned women.
So the moral of the story is, be happy with what you were born with!
@Malyck (3425)
• Australia
1 Sep 07
people just seem to be unhappy with what they have.
i suppose it's "the grass is greener on the other side".
a white woman may think that men are more attracted to darker skin, whereas some darker skinned women may believe the opposite.
they also may just prefer that look, and aspire to be more 'exotic', or more 'normal'; it's not always to attract a lover etc.
I don't know really. I am fair-skinned, but Olive, having Greek & Lebanese heritage.
I don't much like going out in the skin to sun-bake or anything like that, and I don't like the look of a tan on me.
I think it's just having something we don't have - aspiring to have or be something different.
I'm happy with what I have =D
2 people like this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
2 Sep 07
I think it's the same thing that drive people to the palstic surgeon. The media tells what is beautiful and like fools we believe it and follow like sheep. the so called beautiful people have all sorts of nip and tuck to keep them young and beautiful. Young girls become anerexic or boluemic because of the fashion indrusty. I really would like to understand why we especially as women allow a shallow industry to tell us we are not beautiful as God made us.
