The Skin Color Conundrum / Phenomenon

[cognos]

Hi Folks..before meeting the wife I dated some various Thai women from different walks of life..Does the following STORY sound FAMILIAR ?? We will call her "Boom" for arguments sake.

You (farang) meet (educated) Thai lady named Boom on the internet.. you and her chat, email , phone back and forth between your home country and LOS for several months..a WEEK before you are going to LOS, only partially to meet her, you get a phone call from Boom... " I have to tell you something " ..(yes, you reply??..) " I am sorry..I am browner (more brown / darker/ more natural melamine in my skin) than in the pictures that I sent you... are you angry ??" ( you reply to her...no..that's okay, no problem , don't worry, I like tanned ladies..) Boom replies.. " I will use skin whitener " to which you reply, my bpen rai khrap.. I admit freely that I like dark color skin, but I am not sure why, beyond perhaps beauty is in the eye of the beholder..

The point is, WHY do many young Caucasion women in farang lands go to tanning booths, tan on the beach, in order to get more brown ?? Conversely, WHY do many young Asian women (in this case Thai women) use whitener soap, stay out of the sun, in order to be "whiter" ?? Neither likes the way they naturally are..

I have my ideas on why this is, but I was looking for some ideas from some of you, who very likely can shed better light on this skin color conundrum than I can..

[sanmiguellight]

WHY do many young Caucasion women in farang lands go to tanning booths, tan on the beach, in order to get more brown ??

Many men do aswell, lots of tight shirt wearing geezers as black as the ace of spades in LOS these days ... but to answer your question i personally never sunbathe but do think i look healthier/ more hansum if thats possible with a bit of colour to my face, im sure women think the same.

Conversely, WHY do many young Asian women (in this case Thai women) use whitener soap, stay out of the sun, in order to be "whiter" ?? Neither likes the way they naturally are..

They stay out of the sun as it ages them, and want to be white as its deemed more attractive and all the pretty girls on the TV and Magazines are lighter, but they dont want to be white like farangs more like Koreans who i was told only the other day by a Thai women are said to be the most beautiful women in the world ... with Thais merely coming in at no.3.

If it makes them happy to be lighter skinned let them get on with it, IMO lighter skinned Thai girls are cuter but thats more to do with the structure of their faces as opposed to skin colour.

Edited June 13, 2009 by sanmiguellight

[cognos]

good point about color.. we all need vitamin D, and sunshine provides that, and its great to get some sunshine in places where there is a lot of winter, like in Canada. I am a farang, and also feel a little tan is nice, but I don't sit in the sun in LOS, you just get a little tanned by normal everyday activities like walking from one end of the parking lot to the other at Lotus or Supercheap.. and sweating from a little to a lot inside the latter

[TheLaughingMan]

Really? You don't know? Thai women want to be whiter as it looks higher caste. The same reason they want light skinned men. The whiter and more Chinese looking the better, in their view. We do not have a caste system and we do not look at darker (tanned or naturally) people in our home countries and think "poor, uneducated, crass, not as good" but the Thais definitely do.

You ever see what Thai women think as handsome and a great catch when it comes to Thai men, its not the muscular athletic dark guy, its the weenie skinny lilly white look like a girl fall over if you blew on him guy. He looks higher caste.

This is why Thais think we as falangs are so strange, we "get off the boat" and right away hook up with some ugly dark skinned farm girl (the ugly part is just coincidence). The kind of girl that is last on the list of a Thai mans for picking up.

[Huey]

*shrugs* Some people just aren't secure enough in their beauty to like their skin color. Sucks to be them, I love mine and my wife (Thai) loves hers. The media here certainly doesn't help. From the time Thai girls are old enough to understand Thai they are bombarded by media telling them, you have to be white to be smart, pretty, rich, get a job, get a good husband, dance ballet...you would be surprised the shit these company's push (with the exception of DOVE...great company but thats another story). Anyway thats their cross to Bear, my community broke out of that shit in the 60's

[endure]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

[cognos]

Really? You don't know? Thai women want to be whiter as it looks higher caste. The same reason they want light skinned men. The whiter and more Chinese looking the better, in their view. We do not have a caste system and we do not look at darker (tanned or naturally) people in our home countries and think "poor, uneducated, crass, not as good" but the Thais definitely do.

You ever see what Thai women think as handsome and a great catch when it comes to Thai men, its not the muscular athletic dark guy, its the weenie skinny lilly white look like a girl fall over if you blew on him guy. He looks higher caste.

This is why Thais think we as falangs are so strange, we "get off the boat" and right away hook up with some ugly dark skinned farm girl (the ugly part is just coincidence). The kind of girl that is last on the list of a Thai mans for picking up.

Yes, I should know better..my wife is from Phuket,a Thai /Chinese and varies between very light brown and medium..I actually like her color when she is darker but I never say anything as it is trivial. I was cognizant of what you say, and you are right..I have seen a fair bit of Thailand, but not Issan, or the deep south near Malaysia, where Thais are generally more darker skinned. I would like to think there are exceptions to the rule,and more to it than simply a "black and white" issue ( pardon the pun) of lighter is superior and darker is inferior, but maybe its that cut and dried. I know the "black sheep" in our wifes large Thai family is dark skinned...but one of my wife's "hot" friends just remarried..to a muscular large younger( she 38, him 30) tall Thai guy, so there is one exception I guess..

[Absingjul]

piw-dam jai-dam

[cognos]

BTW, If I see a farang (in BKK, or Chiang Mai, or Ko Surin, or Tha Sala, or Issan, or ANYWHERE in LOS) with a very dark-skinned Thai woman I will not look down on the woman (or the farang), assuming she is from this or that background..because for me when I judge someone I end up having more negative thoughts, and conversely if I don't judge others I feel more positive and happy in general..however it is hard NOT to judge at times, although we should all keep in mind ..we aren"t so great as to have the right to judge or condemn others, especially for skin color. Where someone was born, the status of their family.. no one has control over that, hence no one should be seen as better or worse, but of course life is not like that..

[longstebe]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

[sbk]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

Yes, endure has it spot on. My husband likes to go fishing and is fairly dark because of it and often gets comments that he is too dark. Has had bad service from time to time from people who assume he's poor because he's dark.

[Livinginexile]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

Yes, endure has it spot on. My husband likes to go fishing and is fairly dark because of it and often gets comments that he is too dark. Has had bad service from time to time from people who assume he's poor because he's dark.

It goes something like this.

For farangs dark skin symbolises affluence, that is they have more time for leisure like going to the beach, golf or any outdoor activity that will make someone’s skin darker signifies someone is rich.

It is the opposite for Asians.

Dark skin signifies someone is low class as the only people that will expose themselves to the sun are farmers and labourers.

So at the end of the day it is all about money.

I think that is why farangs find dark skined asians atractive.

[cognos]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

Yes, endure has it spot on. My husband likes to go fishing and is fairly dark because of it and often gets comments that he is too dark. Has had bad service from time to time from people who assume he's poor because he's dark.

maybe your husband should "tell those people" that (as Livinginexile suggests in general) he is a man of leisure, and thus has the time to do activities like fishing which exposes him to the sun, thus making him darker.. people do get "stuck

on their improper assumptions"..and nothing can seemingly budge them from these incorrect assumptions..

[Patsycat]

Well, I for one, shall be down by the lake side in hot sunny Geneva for the next few days getting some colour onto my lily white skin - I feel and look healthier and it's fun to people watch!!

[cognos]

Well, I for one, shall be down by the lake side in hot sunny Geneva for the next few days getting some colour onto my lily white skin - I feel and look healthier and it's fun to people watch!!

Now don't get sun burned by Lake Geneva ! For the OVERALL tan..in Vancouver there is a sort of famous nud_e beach (Wreck beach its called)..haven't been there in years and years..used to go when I was about 25..once met 2 young 19 year old women... 2 WILD blond twins..never got anywhere with them except for partying with them..but when you took them to a party everyone was going...WOW!!.. after a few drinks they liked to go "au natural"..the women wanted to kill them and the guys...

[sbk]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

Yes, endure has it spot on. My husband likes to go fishing and is fairly dark because of it and often gets comments that he is too dark. Has had bad service from time to time from people who assume he's poor because he's dark.

maybe your husband should "tell those people" that (as Livinginexile suggests in general) he is a man of leisure, and thus has the time to do activities like fishing which exposes him to the sun, thus making him darker.. people do get "stuck

on their improper assumptions"..and nothing can seemingly budge them from these incorrect assumptions..

Well, to be honest, he doesn't give a fig what people think of his skin color. He is quite comfortable with who he is and what he looks like and enjoys seeing the astonished embarrassment when these same service people realize that he actually has plenty of money and can easily afford whatever good or service they are selling.

[bobbin]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Totally true.

Yes, endure has it spot on. My husband likes to go fishing and is fairly dark because of it and often gets comments that he is too dark. Has had bad service from time to time from people who assume he's poor because he's dark.

It goes something like this.

For farangs dark skin symbolises affluence, that is they have more time for leisure like going to the beach, golf or any outdoor activity that will make someone's skin darker signifies someone is rich.

It is the opposite for Asians.

Dark skin signifies someone is low class as the only people that will expose themselves to the sun are farmers and labourers.

So at the end of the day it is all about money.

I think that is why farangs find dark skined asians atractive.

The "dark skin = leisure time" has not been around that long in Western countries. Certainly much less than 100 years. Prior to that, the upper classes (those with leisure time) would have had much less sun exposure. We humans have evolved to notice things. People who labor in the outdoors get darker than those who do not.

As for farang "preference" for dark skin, I believe it is a myth. We simply have more opportunity to meet the darker Thais in the tourist towns we frequent. It is more that we do not discriminate (hopefully) based on skin tone. This answer always confuses the Thai people who ask me why farang like "black skin".

[cognos]

Your man has the right attitude, being himself..

[Heng]

Wealth in general trumps the skin color issue, especially for men. Because being dark is only a general indicator of your working class (or not) status. If you are dark like a bar of chocolate but show up at the land department with a 50 page stack of chanotes, it's of course a much clearer indicator and you'll likely not receive an oz. of discrimination.

[bobbin]

Wealth in general trumps the skin color issue, especially for men. Because being dark is only a general indicator of your working class (or not) status. If you are dark like a bar of chocolate but show up at the land department with a 50 page stack of chanotes, it's of course a much clearer indicator and you'll likely not receive an oz. of discrimination.

^^

We humans can be practical to be sure.

[cognos]

You have a point..when I met my then future wife I fell in love with her not really knowing or caring about her financial status..( she had a university degree.. believe it or not before I met her I later found out she gave 300,000 Baht to her church, half her savings..) it turned out she was from a middle class, or fairly well off family..

[sanmiguellight]

It goes something like this.

For farangs dark skin symbolises affluence, that is they have more time for leisure like going to the beach, golf or any outdoor activity that will make someone's skin darker signifies someone is rich.

I think that is why farangs find dark skined asians atractive.

After spending the majority of my 34 years in England ive never been aware that English folk link dark skin with wealth, where were all these dark skinned whiteys when i was growing up? as the only time i saw any was in the summer months of July and August ... not that im saying you've just made it up or anything!

The reason why most farangs are seen with a dark skinned Thai girls is the fact that they picked her up in a bar or freelance nightclub where the girls are predominantly from Isaan and darker skinned.

[cognos]

is it just coincidence that a Meladerm skin whitening advertisement is at the top of this posting??

[Lancelot]

It goes something like this.

For farangs dark skin symbolises affluence, that is they have more time for leisure like going to the beach, golf or any outdoor activity that will make someone’s skin darker signifies someone is rich.

Huh? I am caucasian and in another life I had to work out in the hot sun and I hated it. I'm with the Thais on this one-I avoid the sun as much as possible. People that lay around in the broiling hot sun do it because they have a choice and have never had to do it for a living.

[WaiWai]

Just a few points:

If of Anglo-Saxon/Scandanavian origin, you may be more aware of the dangers of skin cancer than those of darker skin types.

That is not to say that those with darker skin are immune to skin cancers, which can be fatal (and swift).

[patklang]

Really? You don't know? Thai women want to be whiter as it looks higher caste. The same reason they want light skinned men. The whiter and more Chinese looking the better, in their view. We do not have a caste system and we do not look at darker (tanned or naturally) people in our home countries and think "poor, uneducated, crass, not as good" but the Thais definitely do.

You ever see what Thai women think as handsome and a great catch when it comes to Thai men, its not the muscular athletic dark guy, its the weenie skinny lilly white look like a girl fall over if you blew on him guy. He looks higher caste.

This is why Thais think we as falangs are so strange, we "get off the boat" and right away hook up with some ugly dark skinned farm girl (the ugly part is just coincidence). The kind of girl that is last on the list of a Thai mans for picking up.

Spot on laughingman.Also these pathetic stupid soap operas with white lighting and tons of white paste stuck on their faces tells the wrong story to the average silly thai girl who is very gullible.

Have to say too,that Bangkok farangs are just as bad,concepted and arrogant just like the so called middle class whity thais.Think i will stick on the side of the darker skinned thai as thats a huge part of the population and if there is a race war we will crush you racists heheheheheheheheheh.

[cathyy]

In the end, it's all about trying to conform to whatever the standard of beauty and femininity happens to be in your culture. It's the reason for the deeply tanned bleached blonde with breast implants in the US. It's the reason African Americans straighten their hair, and why women with straight hair get perms. It's why women get acrylic nails and polish their toenails.

[Birdman]

Thais (and other Asians) prefer to be light skinned as darker skin is an indication of engagement in manual labour. Dark skin = low class job.

Same attitude like in the West in past centuries.

[bikerman]

In the end, it's all about trying to conform to whatever the standard of beauty and femininity happens to be in your culture. It's the reason for the deeply tanned bleached blonde with breast implants in the US. It's the reason African Americans straighten their hair, and why women with straight hair get perms. It's why women get acrylic nails and polish their toenails.

Beauty is only skin deep depends on what’s on the inside for me.

[sanmiguellight]

Think i will stick on the side of the darker skinned thai as thats a huge part of the population and if there is a race war we will crush you racists heheheheheheheheheh.

Mr Pat if you choose one side in a race war due to the colour of their skin, you cant be calling the opposition racists.

And lets be honest skin whitener or no skin whitener most of them birds in the soap operas are fit as <deleted>!