Should Thai Ladies Make Their Skin Whiter? Why Is This Happening?

[WaiWai]

Many of the 'whitening' creams do not have any chemical effect on the skin, they are in truth 'reflective emmulsions', the quality of which varies from the top end Estee Lauder et al, down to something which I guess contains reflective road paint.

I had understood the topic to mean (attempts at) permanent lightening a.k.a. "skin bleaching".

[buffcoat]

According to my Thai lady white skin is seen as attractive by Thai men when they look at women which is why so many Thai ladies hide from the sun and buy these creams,there is a big existing demand which is being exploited by the manufacturers but they did not create it in the first place albeit they now reinforce it.

Thai men however do not care what shade their own skin is since it is the girls job to be beautiful and she should be grateful that she has a man at all.

The social reasons for these views are clearly related to status and wealth in the past in Asian countries (only the poor have to work out in the sun etc).

Since my own skin in the sun changes from pale blue to offwhite and then screaming crimson I can usually be found under the shade with the Thai ladies (that's my story and I am sticking to it).

[totlanh]

According to my Thai lady white skin is seen as attractive by Thai men when they look at women which is why so many Thai ladies hide from the sun and buy these creams,there is a big existing demand which is being exploited by the manufacturers but they did not create it in the first place albeit they now reinforce it.

Thai men however do not care what shade their own skin is since it is the girls job to be beautiful and she should be grateful that she has a man at all.

The social reasons for these views are clearly related to status and wealth in the past in Asian countries (only the poor have to work out in the sun etc).

Since my own skin in the sun changes from pale blue to offwhite and then screaming crimson I can usually be found under the shade with the Thai ladies (that's my story and I am sticking to it).

Its really sad that these women have to be made to feel inferior merely because of dark skin.Its the same in Vietnam infact i suspect worse.Myself and my wife(who is vietnamee)go back there once a year and always the first thing that is commented on is the fact that she still is "black"as if by living in the west she is going to experience a miracle and turn white.I really feel for my wife in these occassions as she too appears to experience mildly delusional thoughts relating to her skin colour and attempts to convince herself over the year that she is going lighter.Even if she has gone "slightly"lighter within a day back in the sun(despite wearing multiple layering of clothing and covering her face scarily resembling some sort of crazed gangster)she is back to her normal colour.Despite now living in the west and thus being exposed to the reverse opinion amongst women pertaining to their skin colour ie:dark is beautiful she remains as deeply convinced that she is "ugly"merely because she is dark.

[rainman]

I'm betting 1 Baht right now that this thread will be closed by a moderator.

I'll raise you 50 satang.

C'mon guys... you know that gambling is illegal in Thailand...

Is it still gambling if it's a sure thing ? It would be kind of like betting on whether or not the sun will rise in the east tomorrow !

(ps: I've got a shiny new 25 satang coin burning a hole in my pocket right now, so I'll throw that in the pot !)

We're up to 1 Baht 75 Satang now. Come on ..don't stop now. Keep bidding.

[MyPenRye]

Some more insight about this topic in this well-written article from the Tyee, a Canadian website.

Dove and many other cosmetic companies definitely profit from this in India (and no doubt other Asian countries). Africa? Of course, in Western countries, they sell suntan lotion!

BUt what is more alarming is how the use of these products can damage the skin of the user. Are these companies any different than cigarette companies of the past selling the merit of their product?

However, can you blame those companies? If it is not Dove, it will be another company. After all, they do have employees and shareholders to satisfy. This is another strong case for governments to put a stop or a break to this nonsense. Can you help? Can you boycott companies (and shareholders) that show no ethics and encourage others that do? Actions speaks louder than words!

(http://thetyee.ca/Views/2007/08/30/RealBeauty/)

Edited August 30, 2007 by MyPenRye

[Jimjim]

They just view light skin as being more beautiful in Thailand and I think other parts of Asia. There is probably more than one reason for this.

[donna]

the simple reason is this:

we always want what we dont have.

big people want to be small.

skinny people want to be a bit more filled in.

big boobed women want to have small ones.

small boobed women want to have big ones.

not so well endowed men want to have a big one.

well endowed men want a 'slightly' smaller one. (not sure if this is 100% true)

dark people want to be fair skinned.

fair skinned people want to be darker and more healthy looking.

the grass is always greener.

[zaza]

the simple reason is this:

we always want what we dont have.

big people want to be small.

skinny people want to be a bit more filled in.

big boobed women want to have small ones.

small boobed women want to have big ones.

not so well endowed men want to have a big one.

well endowed men want a 'slightly' smaller one. (not sure if this is 100% true)

dark people want to be fair skinned.

fair skinned people want to be darker and more healthy looking.

the grass is always greener.

I guess you are right about that!

[canadiangirl]

For all that people say "beauty is skin deep" -- beauty is far from a superficial quality.

Economics play a big part in what is considered beautiful at any given time and place. What is rare and difficult to achieve, indicating that one has the resources to make a significant investment of time, effort and money, is usually what is considered beautiful by the fashions of the day. Food is scarce? Fat people are beautiful. Junk food is abundant, gyms and healthy food are expensive? Thinness is beautiful. The same with pale skin/tan skin in tropical countries vs. northern countries. In another thread I was posting that big breasts used to be considered ugly in medieval times/antiquity -- noble women would pay wet nurses to nurse their babies, and big breasts were associated with these peasant women.

Just look at that crazy stuff with braces being a status symbol in Thailand!

[lazeeboy]

I look forward to your views on this poll.

if they think they will be prettier white then its up to them ,personally i prefer dark ..........

[leisurely]

I think it is horrendous the quest for fair skin. It can be seen the world over, from India (where a woman who is described as being fair is more attractive than one with a wheatish complexion) the Middle East to Thailand. I actually wrote to anita Roddick to comment on what I saw as an injustice with the Body shop selling some whitening products. I thought they were supposed to be an ethical company. I was still waiting for a reply when we left Thailand.

I think that advertising has a lot to do with it too. If you look at the big billboards on the expressways, you will see that the models are either totally farang or very pale mixed thai/western.

[kmart]

Some of those "whitening" products are dangerous / carcinogenic. Especially stuff that is being produced in China.

Every pharmaceutical product that my missus buys seems to have some sort of alleged whitening properties. I think supermarkets should have just two sections; "Whitening / Non-Whitening" to save time. Also, unlike my missus, some supermarket trolleys seem to have minds of their own...

[JohnnyThai]

people everywhere want to look more attractive. white skin is more attractive than dark skin, just as the thai chinese long smooth jaw lines are more attractive than the huge round isaan faces. even people from isaan will tell you directly that thai chinese are more attractive.

can you tell me why farang chomb pooying see dam? i was asked yesterday by a young confused girl. I gave her the excuses given in this thread about dark meaning healthy, but she knew it was a lie. farang dont choose pooying see dam, they choose the farang.

Edited August 30, 2007 by JohnnyThai

[sukanyacondo]

Dark skin = Field worker.

Light skin = Office worker.

In western countries, it would be something like:

Dark skin = Rich enough to spend most of the time on holiday.

Light skin = Just got out of prison.

Victorians had the same outlook as today's Thais ie dark farm worker.

[jumnien]

Racism clothes itself in many disguises. The OP and the poll seemed fueled by a fierce racism against those Thais with Chinese ancestry, a fairly large group indeed. Very sad.

[kmart]

Racism clothes itself in many disguises. The OP and the poll seemed fueled by a fierce racism against those Thais with Chinese ancestry, a fairly large group indeed. Very sad.

Just because something is liable to be deemed "racist" doesn't necessarily make it untrue. Chinese influence is prevalent amongst SE Asian cultures.

[Naam]

Should Thai Ladies Make Their Skin Whiter?

what a stupid question! it's none of my or anybody else's business!

[ElectricNorth]

I'm betting 1 Baht right now that this thread will be closed by a moderator.

I'll raise you 50 satang.

C'mon guys... you know that gambling is illegal in Thailand...

Is it still gambling if it's a sure thing ? It would be kind of like betting on whether or not the sun will rise in the east tomorrow !

(ps: I've got a shiny new 25 satang coin burning a hole in my pocket right now, so I'll throw that in the pot !)

We're up to 1 Baht 75 Satang now. Come on ..don't stop now. Keep bidding.

<---- ups the bidding to 2 Baht

[tijnebijn]

strange isn't it ?

We want to get dark and they want to get white .

I prefer the dark skinned , but for here it means you are a farmer working in the sun all day or

a meaningless job. the more white the better of you are , a bit logic but does not mean

it is more beautiful. I think they look rather sick , its yellowish white .

dark colours look much healthier , my opinion though.

In the village the prefer my wife as 'dam' , but I think they are rather jealous .

[JohnnyThai]

Thai and white people have a different type of skin. Thai people have much smoother and nicer skin. I believe that they look more attractive with lighter skin, unless of course they have bad skin (acne) in which case dark is better as it hides these imperfections.

Another factor is that people with dark skin in Thailand have Lao origins. Their facial features are also different than the light skinned Thais w/ northern/Chinese origins.

The funniest thing though is Thai's love of the mixed look. You figure the majority of these kids Thai parent is from Isaan.

[mikethevigoman]

Its all about opposites, they want to be white for the same reason western women lie in the sun to go brown,.these whitening creams are about as good as a bottle of fake tan,. worthless and will wear off in no time,.have you seen the fuss they make over blond blue eyed kids ? same thing, they dont have them,.

[tracer5050]

years ago i lived in Korea , all the ladies I knew there wanted to have round eyes and white skin.Now in Thailand the people I know think they need light skin. I tell my wife that ladies in the US spend $100. s of dollars to get her color skin. Funny that no matter where you go they alway want what is different

[jumnien]

Why do farang men color their hair? Why is this happening?

[tracer5050]

color hair on my god never heard of that

[mikethevigoman]

Why do farang men color their hair? Why is this happening?

I met a weslhman in pattaya, 64 year old, bought an orange motorbike, went and died his hair the same color !,. is it soo much sun sends them mad or something ?

[peter991]

Even under-arm roll-on deoderant in Thailand comes with a whitening agent ... Can't have dark under-arms now, can we ?

Peter

[Tony Clifton]

Lack of consumer protection allows these scams to advertise "miraculous" products, some that have been banned and widely proved ineffective in many countries already.

The whitening creams are nothing but one more rip-off from the cosmetics industry. Some were found to actually cause skin cancer.

The electric belt that jolts your abdomen will make you thinner (it may cause you to soil your pants daily after lengthy use though ). It was banned in Canada and all customers had to be reimbursed.

Other devices promise weight loss without voluntary muscle movement but by shaking your cell structure and vertebrae to sh!t.

"Space technology" car products using the space shuttle for a logo, promising more mileage to the liter. Car wax that will protect your car against flames should you ever park in a cave where a dragon awaits.

Infomercials selling overpriced cheap crap made in China. I'm a fan of ASTV but highly disapprove their advertising of such products.

Nowadays, one could say there are two suckers born every minute

Edited August 31, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[WaiWai]

The tanning salons in our home countries are now being sued by clients with (fatal) skin cancers.

[meemiathai]

Wanting to look white has got nothing to do with the west!

It is as simple as them thinking that white skin is attractive. Asian men who particularly love white skin are usually the same ones who have not much interests in western women.

[Andrew Hicks]

I look forward to your views on this poll.

It's primarily a quest for the exotic and unattainable... and all the other things too.

For me golden and honey-coloured are adjectives that spring to mind that I could never aspire to be. Pasty and grey more like and they want to be like me, with my probiscis-like nose too.

Strange!