大家好, hello everyone!
Sooo, for my first blog post I will be explaining some terminologies and the overall purpose of this blog.
Firstly, we need to differ some definitions here. Colourism is not the same as racism!
The Oxford Dictionaries defines the term, as prejudice and discrimination based on skin colour and lighter skin tone are being preferred over darker skin tone. Unlike racism, discrimination of colourism occurs within the same racial and ethnical group.
The perception of “fair is lovely’’ is spread around the globe including the United States, England, South Africa and Asia. While researching for this post, I was astonished to find out that already in 1992 South Africa banned skin whitening products, because in China it’s the complete opposite!
As I am of Chinese origin myself and lived in Shanghai for nearly 10 years, I have realised that many Asian women strive to become whiter (…or at least not trying to get darker). Whenever the sun is out, pedestrians, mostly woman would rip out their sun-blocking umbrellas to cover their faces and the rest of their body. To be honest, the sun can get blazing hot, temperatures rising to 40°C (104°F) in the summer but this is also why I couldn’t apprehend why people would wear long-sleeved clothing. After some research, which consisted of talking to my mom, I understood one thing: Chinese women prefer l having white skin, because it is seen as a beauty standard.
Visitors at the Bund in Shanghai using umbrellas to block out UV…
When I was still younger I didn’t understand why some Chinese ladies, including some of my relatives were so obsessed with skin whitening products. As I grew up in Switzerland, with the majority being white Europeans, people around me were being probably more concerned getting their skin tanned.
Colourism is a social issue that is being intensely discussed and complained about in some other countries, however I personally think Asian countries don’t have enough awareness of how harmful, both on a psychological and physical level, it can be.
Therefore I’m here to write about it ? On this blog, I will try my best to discuss this issue, but I am in no way an expert. By combining personal experiences, other helpful blog posts and also some scholarly articles I hope to raise more awareness to this issue. I will touch upon on how modern technologies encourage whitewashing. And also how social media facilitates the awareness of it.
A bit of Chinese history…
The colour white is being associated with purity, innocence and everything good. In ancient Chinese history white skin is being coined as beautiful. In the Ten Commandments of Classical Beauty of ancient China, there is one point stating women are the prettiest when having a skinny waist and snow white skin. Back then, Chinese people would already use skin whitening products, like consuming crushed pearls powder.
Also, there is a common perception in China for having a darker skin tone, as it is seen as being from a lower social and economic status. Only workers from a lower social class, who would work outside for a long period would get tanned skin, while economic wealthier people have the luxury to stay indoors.
Asian workers who have tanned skin due to labour work outdoors.
Achieving a certain white skin tone dates back to ancient China. Therefore this “fair is lovely’’ consciousness is already deeply engraved in the Chinese and also Asian culture.
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