no. 18 magnum opus [final]
The Asian Beauty Standard: Is White Right?
By Kristine Clarin
Umbrellas, sunscreen and shadows--these were some of the ways I was taught to keep my skin white and bright. Growing up in the Philippines, my grandmothers and aunts urged me to wear a hat and slather my body with SPF 55+ because as soon as I stepped out into the sun, the only potential threat was not the risk of a sunburn, but the mere idea of getting a few shades tanner. A subject that is often overlooked in mainstream culture is the problem that within the East Asian community, the idea of white skin and Westernized features are glorified while tan skin and Asian features are frowned upon.
For decades Westernized beauty standards have circulated within this community, and unfortunately, darker skinned Asians such as Filipinos, Malaysians, Vietnamese people and so on, are shamed for failing to strive or maintain white skin. My aunts would give compliments when my skin was lighter than usual but would scold me when I was a tad bit darker, describing me as “dirty”. Being surrounded by this mentality, I genuinely believed that white skin was the only skin that fit under the definition of beauty. Sadly, this childhood is not only exclusive to myself but to most, if not all East Asian girls. In history, skin colour determined social status. The lower class would generally be working tirelessly under the sun while people of higher stature avoided the rays by staying in the shade. While this mindset doesn’t apply to modern day as much, many people still see dark skin as something negative and undesirable. Fortunately in North American society, we are taught to love our features which increases self confidence. However, this isn’t the case in other parts of the world and skin colour is not the only issue.
In Asia, the use of whitening products and undergoing cosmetic surgeries to look “Westernized” are as popular as ever. Statistics show that there has been a 20% increase in cosmetic surgeries between 2011-2012 and the numbers continue to rise rapidly. A 12 year-old girl named Lee Min Kyoung in Korea lacked confidence growing up. Her mother’s solution to her daughter’s shyness? Plastic surgery. Min Kyoung did not ask for the procedure but her mother insisted because “this is a society where you have to be pretty to get ahead” implying that she did not think her daughter’s looks were adequate. After the surgery, she became confident in her appearance because of her new eye shape. Lee Min Kyoung, like many adolescents, are still learning to accept themselves and being constantly pressured to “look a little less Asian and look more American” restricts them from doing so. This way of thinking is just not acceptable. Western features became a “need” rather than a “want” as this glorification continues to spread through the constant advertising of skin whitening products, celebrity endorsements, white washing, as well as the mentality of older generations.
Growing up in a Filipino household, I’ve gotten used to the sound of my grandmother’s daily dose of teleseryes or “soap operas” echoing from our living room. It wasn’t long until I started to indulge in these addicting television series and soon became obsessed with the main leads. Afterwards, my addiction went further as I branched off to watching Filipino variety and talk shows. Looking back at that phase, I realized that most, if not all of the celebrities were advocates for skin whitening products. From creams, to soaps to pills, they’ve vouched for them all. There’s even a brand called “SkinWhite” selling a range of products dedicated to achieving a fair complexion. Being a darker skinned girl, it was very hard for me to resist the temptations of wanting to be as “beautiful” and “perfect” as my soap opera idols and I did everything I possibly could to keep myself from tanning. Staying indoors, using bottles upon bottles of sunscreen and using every kind of chemical there is to achieve “perfection” while my family encouraged and even participated. It is extremely saddening to know for a fact that others felt the same way I did and went to even greater lengths. Many people in the East Asian community have gone to the extremes to get the perfect pale complexion, even if it meant putting their lives at risk. An outbreak in Hong Kong occurred when certain whitening creams contained between 9,000 and 65,000 times more than the recommended dose of mercury, hospitalizing several women. However, women are not the only ones that feel the societal pressures of Eurocentric beauty because men feel the same way.
We often focus on how women see themselves and forget that the Asian beauty standard is a broad spectrum that shelters men as well. Many of my Asian-male friends are also surrounded by the idea that Western beauty is ideal. GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) is one of the most well known men’s magazines and released its first issue in 1957. Fast forward to present day, GQ has over 600,000 monthly subscribers with more than half of the demographic to be men. In its 60 years of publication, GQ has only featured one Asian male on the cover which was back in 1996 and that was Jackie Chan. Almost all of the men on the covers were white, but doesn’t reflect the audience that the magazine reaches. It is without a doubt that many East Asians boys and men read their monthly issues and it is discouraging to see that what society constantly idolizes are people that look nothing like them. Asian-men become alienated and it’s implied that they are not attractive the way they are. By the looks of it, they are not worthy of being on the cover of magazines, but the same white males are offered several features in their careers not only on the US issues but in Asian ones as well.
Many people have labelled Asians to be those nerds that don’t know how to have a good time and all of them happen to be Chinese. Asian girls are submissive and cute, while Asian men are weak, short and have small--- nevermind. Society has painted this picture for the whole world to look at East Asians as nothing more than their stereotypes, that they’re not complex human beings like everyone else and we can give credit to the lack of representation in Hollywood. Recently there has been a rise in the remakes of movies and shows originating from East Asia, some of them I personally loved watching growing up. I was absolutely livid to discover that Scarlett Johansson would be the leading actress for the movie Ghost in the Shell which was once a Japanese animated film and that the show Death Note based in Japan would have a Netflix remake with no Asians in the cast whatsoever. The thought of Hollywood taking shows and movies from East Asia but have the audacity not to cast a single Asian, aggravates me. There is a plethora of roles to be filled by white actors and actresses while Asians aren’t even able to play characters that represent or supposed to represent their ethnic backgrounds. How are aspiring actors and actresses of Asian descent supposed to work for their dreams when they aren’t even given the chance to? Many people let go of their aspirations because it seems nearly impossible to be casted, no matter how hard they work. The roles that are available for them are the stereotypical nerds and immigrants with Chinese accents, not allowing these young actors and actresses to experiment and grow as artists. I grew up with very few role models in Hollywood because I had no one like myself with the same background and upbringing to take inspiration from. I looked up to actresses like Anne Hathaway, and Meryl Streep, not that I’m saying they are not talented, but I believed that I had to look like them in order to achieve anything in life. Although there have been steps taken to diversify Hollywood and the media, I still believe that even now, the mentality is “white is right”. Besides American culture, whitewashing is also a huge problem within East Asia itself.
In the past couple years, I found myself delving into the world of South Korean pop music. At first, I was in it for the head-bopping tunes, but then I slowly got deeper and deeper into the fandoms as well as the basic structure of the music industry in that country. I discovered that my beloved k-pop idols are constantly under the pressure of having porcelain skin. Fans take pictures of the stars and photoshop them so that their skin is whiter, smooth, clear and completely free from imperfections. The celebrities too, become ashamed of their skin and pile on products to remove the dark pigments because they feel as if the fans will not support them if they looked a certain way. Fans bash on their idol’s natural complexion because they think that it’s ugly and dirty. At one meet and greet of a group called Winner, a fan came up to a member named Mino, begging and pleading him to use whitening creams because he was dark. In a once and a lifetime event, the fan chose to criticize their idol, rather than expressing their gratitude for their music. How crazy is that? Another idol, Hyorin from the girl group Sistar has noticeably tanner skin and the public is blind to her talent and beauty because her “scandalous” complexion is what makes it on the headlines. I am in a constant state of confusion when it comes to this issue because not only are the celebrities already being targeted in the public eye, but picking on their slightly tanned skin makes them even more vulnerable. Skin colour has no correlation to one’s talent and ability to entertain, so what’s the big problem? It all stems from the idea that white skin is the right skin and that Western and European features are desirable.
Women and men of Asian descent as a result, detest their appearance and strive to Westernize because of the lack representation, the glorification of white skin and the constant shaming of those with darker complexions. Being a South East Asian girl, it took time and an accepting environment to realize that the Asian beauty standard is indeed a serious problem. I would look at myself in the mirror and wonder why I tanned so easily and why my eyes were so small. It’s sad to know that I was not alone in those insecurities. Why is light skin, a taller nose and bigger eyes deemed to be exclusively beautiful in the East Asian community? Shouldn’t we embrace our differences and accept that being unique is not a bad thing? My hope is that Asians and even non-Asians will learn to accept, admire and appreciate their features while educating others on inclusivity and self love. In the past, it was definitely not easy but now, I see beauty in myself and in others. Tan skin and all.
