Exploitative Marketing - The case of tanning products in Greece
Companies utilize numerous unethical marketing tricks that play with people’s insecurities and the desire of many marginalized groups to feel that they can also become part of the wider “in-group”. As our case showed this week, the Indian market of fair skin creams is one paradigmatic such case, primarily for women. Similar examples can be found all across the world, especially across Asia (e.g. Korean women and eyelid-altering surgeries, Japanese women and the quest for the perfect thin body and Chinese women and fair skin).
It is particularly interesting (and worrying) to note that when it comes down to skincare products, exploitative brands tend to predominantly target women, often of unrepresented backgrounds, lower incomes, and younger ages. This is an important commonality across geographies and ethnicities that points to the ubiquitous nature of such preying tactics, and the fact that this is a much more global problem than often understood.
Another interesting case that comes to mind is (self-)tanning creams and Greek women. Contrary to the desire to look fairer found in many parts of the Eastern world, many Greek women prefer to tone up their darker-skinned characteristics – not only during the summer, but all year long. Having a darker (and well-tanned) skin in Greece is considered particularly appealing, and in many ways sexier as well, making it a desired end-state for many women.
To be fully honest, I am not exactly sure of the exact reasons behind the dark-skin preference in Greece, but I have four basic hunches:
1) Tanned skin exudes a constant "summer state of mind" that most Greeks want to be in.
2) Greece has traditionally been placed between two worlds, East and West, through its long history in the world. While siding firmly with the West, it always had deep roots in the East, and liked to "protest" many of the more Western-like features of its identity.
3) There is a palpable admiration of strong and "seductive" Latin/Spanish/Italian women in Greece, which is why women with darker (and well-tanned) skin are also very appealing to Greek men.
4) It's an Eastern Mediterranean thing!
Most Greek women tend to do a lot of tanning once the summer begins to achieve the perfect bronze skin that will last them well into the Winter. Many even frequent tanning salons as the summer season begins in order to have a heads-up once the first few beach-bound photographs will start to be uploaded on Instagram. Over the years, Greek women have also turned towards tan-enabling products – from hydrating creams for their hands and organic body/face “glow” lotions to tanning sprays, bronzers, and tanning sunscreens – that are advertising a darker-skin style of beauty.
Unexpectedly, various brands have been toying with this particular cultural affinity of Greek women towards darker skin. Fairer skinned women are often seen as weaker on Greek TV advertisements, while well-tanned darker-skinned women are often portrayed as stronger, much more desirable and in control (of their sensuality), especially by young influencers on Instagram.