Asia’s addiction to whiter skin runs deep – but the backlash has begun
- The multibillion-dollar skin-whitening market in China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea is rooted in unrealistic beauty ideals
- However, a push to embrace darker skin and more Asian-seeming features over Eurocentric beauty standards is picking up in the region
GROWING UP IN Canada, Holly Ngan (not her real name) loved climbing trees, riding bikes and playing outdoors.
Being in the sun was never an issue for Ngan, who says she has always naturally been tanned.
“I have never been called fair in my life,” she says. Her awareness of skin colour changed drastically when she turned 10 and travelled to Hong Kong with her family to visit relatives over their summer holiday.
I realised how important having pale skin was in Chinese culture
One afternoon, Ngan’s cousin took her on a boat trip. It was a sweltering hot day, the small cabin and deck of the boat were heating up, and yet she noticed most of the women stayed on board instead of cooling off in the sea.
“All the girls were covered up,” recalls Ngan, noting their long sleeves, wide-brimmed hats and oversized sunglasses. “My older cousin kept telling me how good and effective her sunscreen was. That was when I realised how important having pale skin was in Chinese culture.”
She says she returned to Canada a lot more conscious about her tanned complexion.
Ngan who is now 27, has returned to Asia several times over the last few years, travelling through countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and China. She noticed how little had changed, and that pale skin was still the dominant beauty norm.
“When I went to China last fall, women were all covered up with sleeves and holding parasols while they hiked in the mountains,” Ngan says.
“In South Korea, I saw so many whitening skincare products.”