To people of all colours :)
Chinese are usually labelled "yellow-skin people".
Actually, we're a range of colours.
THE fair complexion: often the ideal. close to paper but one is blessed if they are rosy (goddess level)
yellow-skin: not so bad, the stereotype.
brown/tanned/dark : only envied if you are good-looking, otherwise smoking hot~ even then, you could still be labelled "too dark" and been under the sun too much.
I'm not so sure about the rest of Asia or the World but it seems that a fairer complexion is valued in Chinese, Japanese and Korean societies.
But why do we label people with colours?
Remember racism? There is less physical violence involved but just as damaging on the mind.
It is true that across time, we developed stereotypes that a fairer complexion is linked with wealth and status. We even have a Chinese saying "一白遮三丑", literally fairness of the skin makes up for (three) other physical flaws.
My family has pretty fair skin but I was born tanned.
As a kid, I've never voluntarily considered myself "tan" or "uglier than my friends because of my colour". It was the adults around me.
They would comment on my colour.
They would tell my parents "it's okay. She's just a kid. When she grows up, she'll become fairer."
My mother herself wished I was fairer. (Took 20 years and she has finally accepted my colour/her fate.)
Still, the people around me would drop comments.
It usually starts with "wow, you're really tanned! What sports do you do?"
I'll just tell them it's natural with a smile.
Here's when the awkwardness sets in.
Somehow, there's sudden silence and the look on their face says "urh-oh!"
They start sounding apologetic and they don't find it a bad thing.
It ends off with "but it's okay" as if they're encouraging me.
I'm sorry but what's okay?
Was there something wrong from the beginning? Why did you have to comfort me with "it's okay"?
Why do you look at me like "oh poor girl, she was born tanned."
Girls have been made to think that they have to be fair to be pretty.
It's similar to being skinny/slim/tiny, whatever.
On the other side of the world, white people are sunbathing on the beach after soaking themselves in sun tanning oil. They have also invented something called the "sun tanning salon".
When papers compliments a good performance, they write "America's TV personality" or "her character on abc was much celebrated".
People don't write "America's TV colours" or "her fair skin won her this year's Golden Horse Award".
So whatever those marketing tactics are going on about "fairer, more radiant skin".
Go for "more radiant". Colours make life more exciting.
We love Casper not because he's ghostly white. We love him because he's the friendly ghost.
We celebrate women like Alek Wek and Lupita Nyong'o because they are inspirational and they've worked hard.
They would comment on my colour.
They would tell my parents "it's okay. She's just a kid. When she grows up, she'll become fairer."
My mother herself wished I was fairer. (Took 20 years and she has finally accepted my colour/her fate.)
Still, the people around me would drop comments.
It usually starts with "wow, you're really tanned! What sports do you do?"
I'll just tell them it's natural with a smile.
Here's when the awkwardness sets in.
Somehow, there's sudden silence and the look on their face says "urh-oh!"
They start sounding apologetic and they don't find it a bad thing.
It ends off with "but it's okay" as if they're encouraging me.
I'm sorry but what's okay?
Was there something wrong from the beginning? Why did you have to comfort me with "it's okay"?
Why do you look at me like "oh poor girl, she was born tanned."
Girls have been made to think that they have to be fair to be pretty.
It's similar to being skinny/slim/tiny, whatever.
On the other side of the world, white people are sunbathing on the beach after soaking themselves in sun tanning oil. They have also invented something called the "sun tanning salon".
When papers compliments a good performance, they write "America's TV personality" or "her character on abc was much celebrated".
People don't write "America's TV colours" or "her fair skin won her this year's Golden Horse Award".
So whatever those marketing tactics are going on about "fairer, more radiant skin".
Go for "more radiant". Colours make life more exciting.
We love Casper not because he's ghostly white. We love him because he's the friendly ghost.
We celebrate women like Alek Wek and Lupita Nyong'o because they are inspirational and they've worked hard.
Then, put on sunscreen. It's not supposed to prevent you from getting darker.
It's supposed to protect your skin cells from harmful rays or developing pigmentation.
Quit being a bimbo.
And have some confidence in yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment