as an asian, i really wish we could acknowledge that colorism existed in asia long before "colonizers" (and judging by the language used in this article, we're really talking about white european/american colonizers, aren't we?) came to asia, as if throughout our history, nobody had the capacity to independently come up with shitty, harmful ideas. (also, let's stop pretending europe and america were the only places capable of colonization and imperalism. china and japan are right there.) it feels really, i don't know, almost arrogant? i would really like if western activists could stop acting like their countries are the root of all evil and everybody else was a morally flawless victim with cultures unworthy of examination. i would really like if western activists could stop centering their own cultures' baggage in discussions of other places' issues. (i have noticed this is a phenomenon that occurs quite commonly across all spheres among western activists, especially among white activists who have recently discovered their ancestors had problems other than racism, and are now desperate to signal their rejection of that history.)
in my own experience, asian colorism, at least in (south)east asia, actually differs quite significantly from the colorism i've observed in america. there's no pressure to appear /ethnically/ white; the expectation is to be as close as you can to literally /white/, to have as light as possible skin. it's an idea arising from classism; the upper class, having the leisure not to work under the sun, would have much lighter skin than those below them—thus, the paler your skin, the more evident your superiority. you aren't viewed more favorably compared to dark-skinned people if you're "merely" tanned; only the end of the spectrum is valued. people in asia are aware that the western beauty standard for white people is to be healthily tanned, while asians are encouraged to be as pale as possible, so whiteness (race) isn't generally looked upon as aspirational. our colorism has roots as far back as the han dynasty; of course, it's all ultimately an idea meant to exert control upon and create divisions within the population, as with all beauty standards, but i don't think we can properly address it if we don't acknowledge its long history and our forebears' own complicity in it. :(
Thank you so much for your feedback — and I agree with you!! Obviously all of these issues are layered and nuanced and there's no single, direct line that points to the "why" behind a certain beauty standard. It's for this reason that I've tried to create a really robust body of work that addresses specific factors in specific posts, as not every article can be about every thing. I have another post on tanning and classism from last year that covers on a lot of what you mentioned here. I also want to point out that Amira is from Somalia; her POV is not Western and her commentary here (and my commentary on her) applies to the specific areas she mentions her work with — Africa, Dubai, etc. I'm also reading an incredible (yet-to-be-published) book on K-beauty and Asian beauty ideals and Asian imperialism right now that will lead to a much larger post on many of the points that you mention when the book is published in May. I really appreciate you reading this and adding your thoughts here for other readers to appreciate & learn from xx
Thanks for bringing Beautywell to my attention, Jess. Skin lightening as an ideal in Asia (where I spend a lot of time) is everywhere, too, and clearly arises out of a racist/classist culture. xo
Thank you for this. I’m newer here and hadn’t heard of Beautywell. White supremacy is such a huge hill to climb and I’m glad there are people willing to keep going.
As someone who is South East Asian, I've always been told by my parents that I needed to avoid the sun. Because I would get darker and be perceived as lesser than. I had to unlearn that in my mid-20s (now mid-30s). Now I generally avoid direct sun, but for different reasons (skin cancer).
Jessica, as always THANK YOU! Thank you for sweeping this up. So we can see through this invisible dust that's clogging our instinctual hearts. This "lightening" crap is so blatantly repulsively racist. "They" want to keep us dumb and busy with our surface - wipe it down - make it shine.
They do not dare to venture deep in the well of our magnificent souls -That are connected to Mother Earth. Our wombs smell like fish? Because they are the ocean!
What a great shame you politicise this issue into a race-based problem, which it is not. It is an humanitarian one. But of course you Critical Race Theorists need racism to exist to justify yourselves, so you perpetuate it. Sadly, colonising the minds of young black kids everywhere, enslaving them to to your rhetoric and ideologies which inhibit them from taking advantage of all the wonderful opportunities available to them in a modern western democracy. The beauty industry targets everyone for the sole purpose of exploiting their vulnerabilities to make enormous profits. Why no mention of the toxic sun-tanning lotions and creams marketed to darken skin with the line that we will look fitter , better and healthier with darker skin? The SPF tanning creams that promise to help prevent skin cancers which make us stay in the sun longer leading to sun-spots and pigmentation which then makes us a target for the skin brightening and lightening industry. There are a few facts which you Cirtical Race Theorists chose to leave out of your rhetoric. 1: White people did not start slavery. It has sadly been imbedded in cultures from the beginning of time. 2: White people ended slavery. The ideals of fairness and equality were born with the birth of Western Civilisation, and these ideals were further illuminated and perpetuated with the enlightenment. Western democracies have made slavery illegal.
as an asian, i really wish we could acknowledge that colorism existed in asia long before "colonizers" (and judging by the language used in this article, we're really talking about white european/american colonizers, aren't we?) came to asia, as if throughout our history, nobody had the capacity to independently come up with shitty, harmful ideas. (also, let's stop pretending europe and america were the only places capable of colonization and imperalism. china and japan are right there.) it feels really, i don't know, almost arrogant? i would really like if western activists could stop acting like their countries are the root of all evil and everybody else was a morally flawless victim with cultures unworthy of examination. i would really like if western activists could stop centering their own cultures' baggage in discussions of other places' issues. (i have noticed this is a phenomenon that occurs quite commonly across all spheres among western activists, especially among white activists who have recently discovered their ancestors had problems other than racism, and are now desperate to signal their rejection of that history.)
in my own experience, asian colorism, at least in (south)east asia, actually differs quite significantly from the colorism i've observed in america. there's no pressure to appear /ethnically/ white; the expectation is to be as close as you can to literally /white/, to have as light as possible skin. it's an idea arising from classism; the upper class, having the leisure not to work under the sun, would have much lighter skin than those below them—thus, the paler your skin, the more evident your superiority. you aren't viewed more favorably compared to dark-skinned people if you're "merely" tanned; only the end of the spectrum is valued. people in asia are aware that the western beauty standard for white people is to be healthily tanned, while asians are encouraged to be as pale as possible, so whiteness (race) isn't generally looked upon as aspirational. our colorism has roots as far back as the han dynasty; of course, it's all ultimately an idea meant to exert control upon and create divisions within the population, as with all beauty standards, but i don't think we can properly address it if we don't acknowledge its long history and our forebears' own complicity in it. :(
Thank you so much for your feedback — and I agree with you!! Obviously all of these issues are layered and nuanced and there's no single, direct line that points to the "why" behind a certain beauty standard. It's for this reason that I've tried to create a really robust body of work that addresses specific factors in specific posts, as not every article can be about every thing. I have another post on tanning and classism from last year that covers on a lot of what you mentioned here. I also want to point out that Amira is from Somalia; her POV is not Western and her commentary here (and my commentary on her) applies to the specific areas she mentions her work with — Africa, Dubai, etc. I'm also reading an incredible (yet-to-be-published) book on K-beauty and Asian beauty ideals and Asian imperialism right now that will lead to a much larger post on many of the points that you mention when the book is published in May. I really appreciate you reading this and adding your thoughts here for other readers to appreciate & learn from xx
Thanks for bringing Beautywell to my attention, Jess. Skin lightening as an ideal in Asia (where I spend a lot of time) is everywhere, too, and clearly arises out of a racist/classist culture. xo
Thank you for this. I’m newer here and hadn’t heard of Beautywell. White supremacy is such a huge hill to climb and I’m glad there are people willing to keep going.
Incredible interview - I hadn’t heard of this organization before. Thank you!
As someone who is South East Asian, I've always been told by my parents that I needed to avoid the sun. Because I would get darker and be perceived as lesser than. I had to unlearn that in my mid-20s (now mid-30s). Now I generally avoid direct sun, but for different reasons (skin cancer).
Jessica, as always THANK YOU! Thank you for sweeping this up. So we can see through this invisible dust that's clogging our instinctual hearts. This "lightening" crap is so blatantly repulsively racist. "They" want to keep us dumb and busy with our surface - wipe it down - make it shine.
They do not dare to venture deep in the well of our magnificent souls -That are connected to Mother Earth. Our wombs smell like fish? Because they are the ocean!
What a great shame you politicise this issue into a race-based problem, which it is not. It is an humanitarian one. But of course you Critical Race Theorists need racism to exist to justify yourselves, so you perpetuate it. Sadly, colonising the minds of young black kids everywhere, enslaving them to to your rhetoric and ideologies which inhibit them from taking advantage of all the wonderful opportunities available to them in a modern western democracy. The beauty industry targets everyone for the sole purpose of exploiting their vulnerabilities to make enormous profits. Why no mention of the toxic sun-tanning lotions and creams marketed to darken skin with the line that we will look fitter , better and healthier with darker skin? The SPF tanning creams that promise to help prevent skin cancers which make us stay in the sun longer leading to sun-spots and pigmentation which then makes us a target for the skin brightening and lightening industry. There are a few facts which you Cirtical Race Theorists chose to leave out of your rhetoric. 1: White people did not start slavery. It has sadly been imbedded in cultures from the beginning of time. 2: White people ended slavery. The ideals of fairness and equality were born with the birth of Western Civilisation, and these ideals were further illuminated and perpetuated with the enlightenment. Western democracies have made slavery illegal.
Thank you so much for highlighting Amira Adawe and her work, humbling and so important to hear.