Snow White Complex(ion)

Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony    

 Everyone is familiar with Snow White’s story. Although it was popularized by Walt Disney, sure enough we all had a version of the Grimm Brothers’ tale on our bookshelf. Well, I must say that my complexion is close to Snow White’s skin white as snow, which leads to a complex when having my picture taken next to my friends who, WOW have spent 5 whole minutes in the sun and are already super tan!      

 Snow White Inspiration    

So imagine my excitement on a recent trip to Thailand when women kept telling  me how beautiful my light skin was! Which reminds me of the expresion “blue blood”, referring to nobility. According to Wikipedia, it distinguished an upper class in the mid 19th century, whose superficial veins appeared blue through their untanned skin, from a working class of the time, mainly agricultural peasants who spent most of their time working outdoors and thus had tanned skin (through which superficial veins appear less prominently.    

 Back to Thailand, not only did they admire fair skin, they also use products to make their skin a few shades lighter. I bumped into an entire aisle of skin-whitening products in a drugstore in Bangkok. Skin-whitening products work in various ways. Some contain acids that remove old skin to reveal newer, lighter skin underneath. Others inhibit melanin, like those with mulberry extract, licorice extract, kojic acid, arbutin and hydroquinone, an ingredient in prescription creams for blemishes as well as in photo processing materials.    

   Variety of skin whitening products, prices ranging from 1 to 2 euros. It might seem cheap but probably it isn’t for Thai standard of living    

I am aware of this products in the European market, but usually they are more expensive and must be prescribed by a dermatologist. However, in the Asian market brands like Nivea, Pond’s or L’Óreal sell them as over-the-counter creams and scrubs, proving that market niches appear as a consequence of culture  idiosyncracies. Vive la differénce! Although, is this a trend only in Asia or is pale skin making a comeback?    

  Who is the fairest of them all? Celebs who have “declared war” against skin cancer by ditching tanned skin    

However, it seems like some designers still promote looking excessively dark-skinned  

Just a reminder: keeping out of the sun means skin ages more slowly plus you are avoiding the damaging effects of the sun like cancer.  Check out minute 3:12 of Sex and the City’s “Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women” episode (Season 2, Episode 29) to see their approach on tanning.  

So, have fun this summer but remember to lather up sun protection and embrace fair skin!   

XOXO, 

Cyn