Beauty Diaries: In this Skin (Part I)
I do not like tanning. I don't believe in it, and I do not think that it is good for you. There, I've said it. Now, if you are an Asian reader who grew up in a traditional, Asian household, the statement I made is of no shock to you. Recently, a colleague of mine complimented me (or at least, she meant to) on my "tan", saying that I looked "radiant", or something along those lines. Of course, the only word that the Asian part of my brain zeroed in on was "tan", to which I grimaced. Although some readers may find this weird of me to say, I actually take it as a compliment when someone assumes that I am half-caucasian because to me (and mostly because of the way the idea had been drilled into my head), it meant that I was seen as beautiful.
In Asian culture, white skin is revered. It was seen as an indicator of your socioeconomic class. If you had tan, leathery skin, chances were high that you were poor and had to work outside, in the hot and unforgiving sun. If your skin was white, you were rich enough to hire people to work for you out in the rice fields or on the farm, and you were able to stay indoors without lifting a finger.
Another Asian beauty standard that I was exposed to while growing up was that the Western characteristics of deep set eyes (most Asians have monolids), and a cute little, pointed nose are the ideal. There are women in Asia who will go under the knife to achieve this, and most (if not all) face/makeup products (that I noticed, anyway) in Asia claim to have "brightening" or "whitening" effects.
Unfortunately, even though I was born and raised in Canada, and I am fully aware of Western beauty standards (most women here want to have bronzed/sun-kissed/glowing/tanned skin), my mother and grandmother did a pretty good job of brainwashing me to believe that "white", be it skin and/or characteristics, is better. I reflect on this realisation about myself, and find it embarrassingly sad. Why can't I be happy with what I was born with? Why did I think that my colleague's comment about me being "tan" was an insult, which then caused me to immediately go out and buy moisturiser/make-up that contained SPF?
The standards of beauty that my mom and maternal grandmother instilled in me since a very young age were only exacerbated when I took a good look at the condition of my skin (see the photo above). The amount of sun damage that I have cannot be mistaken. I was not born with all of those dark spots or "freckles" on my cheeks. They developed after years and years of exposure to the dangerous UV rays of the sun. Looking at my mother and grandmother, I can actually get a glimpse into the future of my skin. Both of them are riddled with sun spots, and I know that it is in direct relation to the sun because my grandmother's legs, which have never been exposed to the harmful sun (thanks to Asian modesty), are porcelain white. The skin on her legs looks more young than my own, and there is a 57-year age gap between us. This, to me, was proof that I had to take charge, and take good care of my skin.
Stay tuned for Part II of Beauty Diaries: In this Skin for details of my skincare regimen (both morning and night) which will include links to the products that I use.
Stay tuned for Part II of Beauty Diaries: In this Skin for details of my skincare regimen (both morning and night) which will include links to the products that I use.
It's interesting to see what different culture perceive as beauty. It's too bad that we can't be satisfied with what we have. Even me - I'm ghostly white, to the point where people will ask me if I'm sick. Or tired. Because I don't have any colour. My skin is almost translucent and you can see veins in my arms. Some days I wish I had more colour, or that even exposure to the sun would give me a hint of "glow" but with this white skin, I don't even tan. I just burn. Oh well, we all need to learn to love what we have because it's beautiful no matter what anyone says :)
ReplyDeleteYou are beautiful as you are, miss Ivy. However, SPF is important to prevent cancer!! In my early 20s, I started being more diligent about sunscreen, at the least, on my face... :)
ReplyDeleteKelly, you would be a tourist attraction in China, with your blue, eyes, blonde hair, and white skin. My caucasian friends that have either studied, taught or travelled abroad have all experienced being treated like a "celebrity" by being asked to take photos with the locals, or they're swarmed by Asians wanting to take a closer look at them. I agree that we do need to learn ourselves, no matter what!
ReplyDeleteKimiko, I only started wearing SPF on my face a few years ago, and I make sure to do it everyday, even if it's cloudy out! Thank you, lady, for the lovely comment <3
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