Why do many Thai people prefer to have lighter skin?

Oct 5, 2020
4 years ago
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi Guys

Does anybody know why Thai people attempt to whiten their skin almost to the point of looking like a complete ghost? I think Thai people possess a graceful and noble nature but this issue was brought to light by a sweet Thai girl I met who suffered constant harassment at school wholly and directly because she appeared a little bit too dark for the others who saw this as ugly and uncool. In Africa, a song was made by a musician called Fela Kuti to tackle this self-hating problem. It was simply entitled 'Yellow Fever.'

historical content:

......When it became fashionable for women to cover their upper bodies, different kinds of blouses began to be worn. It is thought that the custom of wearing blouses began at the end of the reign of King Rama V (1900) due to the influence of western fashion.

......and now from this point, they have taken it further by bleaching their skin...

Thoughts on this, please.i
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The discussion highlights the widespread cultural preference among Thai people for lighter skin, often perceived as a status symbol linked to wealth and beauty. This phenomenon is attributed to historical influences where darker skin was associated with manual labor and lower social class. The conversation reveals that this issue is not unique to Thailand but is prevalent in various Asian cultures, influenced by media portrayals and the global beauty industry, leading individuals to feel pressured to conform to these standards.
Finn ******
To attract farangs
Jia **********
It's their trend... White people go sunbathing for sun tan.. Sunbathing is not a safe activity also.

People with curly hair will straighten the hair, people with straight hair will want to curl it 🤷‍♀️
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
My friend just sent me this song from Taiwan. The people singing in it are of a darker skin tone and with it you see they can sing about their rich Taiwanese heritage and also talk of other relevant topics. The youtube song was interupted by a commercial at some point with a guy in that who looked super white and muttering something about Shopee. K.A.B - Keep Asia Beautiful.

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Buffy Liao
Tom *******
I wrote about this in my book, Watching the Thais and explained in detail why Thai people use whitening cream. There is, or at least was, even a whitening cream for your vagina at one point!
Tom *******
Indeed, but that is not altogether all that healthy. Left unchecked, it produces an inward-looking populace, wary of foreigners which of course leads to xenophobia, or worse still, excessive nationalism, which leads to fascism and we know how that all turned out during the Second World War.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
The Thia people are the best when they are happy to be completely Thai. In fact, in Europe the people there are in awe of the Thai culture and style so i hope this never dies.
Shayne **********
My underarms are white as snow, they nearly glow. I am so happy! Although you may be blinded if I lift them up.
Julian ********
The Tanning trend in the west is not better / not less unhealthy. I find white skinned woman more attractive, personally, especially in Thailand.
Mark ***********
Very good point. You can find tanning-bed salons in every city, town, small town, village. Not healthy.
Melissa *******
Life is easier as a lighter skinned person.
Gerhard ***********
And westerners like to get tanned
Bill **********
yup; spend lots of money to look like that.
Gerhard ***********
Gerhard ***********
@Bill *********
also both whitening and tanning products have cancer causing ingredients in them. Paying to get skin cancer lol
Tim ******
In most Asian cultures they believe the light skin is higher society people, dark skin is lower working class people..
Jedsada ***********
So many farang here. 😀
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jedsada **********
Yes they are discussing why many Thai people wish to look like them.
Jedsada ***********
@Jaye *******
it because k-pop and jav idol🤣.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jedsada **********
Yes there was something similar in England so people stopped buying pop music🤣
Neil **********
They think having tanned skin means your poor and work on a farm all day in the sun , so people with out tanned skin have better jobs because they don’t work on the land ! It’s as simple as that , stupid I know as most farang like tanned skinned girls 555
Thomas **********
@Neil *********
yep..thats it basically!
Ahkim ********
they are fucking racist
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
I disagree! They are warm and loving people who will do what they have been told to do to feel wanted and loved. They did not start the fire amigo.
Ahkim ********
that applies to us all. nobody living now started the fire, yet we all have a responsibility of what our behaviour expresses.

their behaviour towards their darker skinned brethren is neither loving, nor warm.

thus your feel good post is a contradiction, for the responsibility for their behaviour is not taken, it is just easier to find the excuse of simply following.
Donal *********
Labourers who spend a lot of time exposed to the sun will have darker skin. Thais do not want to be identified as labourers.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Donal ********
but now they look super ill.
Donal *********
@Jaye *******
I don’t think they look ill.
Robert **************
Probable laos 100 years a go picture
Clint *********
Lol
Xtina ***********
The dangers of this whitening is that it destroys the protection of the skin, hence skin cancer
Peter ***********
That comes from China...
Nathan *******
In India beauty is considered for light skinned women . The more fairer she is the better her chances of getting a good husband or a job or s modelling contract. All ad agencies hire only fair models. All the newspaper classifieds specify ' wanted fair bride only " no matter how ugly af the groom maybe.

Men and women are subjected to taunts if they are dark skinned and all of bollywood imports foreigners for dance sequences. So its more of an Asian thing than a Thailand only thing
Mark ******
Why do white people get a sun tan to look dark ??
Ruan *****************
@Mark *****
because it shows you have money. You can go on holiday and spend time at the beach getting a tan. If a westerner has white skin it's shows they are the worker's class. Sitting in a office. No time for long holidays at the Beach
George ********
70 percent of Nigerians use skin whitening products, it is a worldwide business, sick and evil that has convinced people of color that they are inferior. Africa, South America, all of Asia, light skin is considered more beautiful.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@George *******
You must be on something very strong.
George ********
@Jaye *******
Latin America

Skin whitening practices have also been well documented in South America and the Caribbean. Sociologists such as Jack Menke noted that early skin lightening practices among indigenous women were motivated by the attentions of conquistadores.[73][74] Recovered journals from women in Suriname indicated that they used vegetable mixtures to lighten their skin, which produced painful side effects.[74]

Various studies have linked the prevalence of skin whitening in Latin American nations to their histories and legacies of colonization and slavery.[75][58][73] Witness accounts in colonial Jamaica reported that women practiced "flaying" and "skinning" on themselves, using astringent lotions to appear lighter.[75] Caribbean creole women were also observed to treat their skin with cashew nut oil, which burned the external layers of skin.[75]

Skin whitening practices grew in popularity, partly as a consequence of blanqueamiento in Latin America.[76] The ideologies behind blanqueamiento promoted the idea of social hierarchy, based on Eurocentric features and skin tone.[77]
George ********
@Jaye *******
that's right amigo, turn on a TV in panama, you see light skinned people. You know the truth. If you self loath it is not my fault
Eric *********
Every where the same, nobody want to look like is origin. Dark want light , light want dark. Straight hair want curly, Curly want straight hair. And so on
Rudolph ***********
@Eric ********
especially like beach resorts like Phuket, Koh Samui. Tourist doing sun-tan to become dark. OMG🤣🤔😂🙂
Dennis **********
That’s why you can only get creams and lotions with whitening effect
Felix ****
I’ve heard some king in the 20th century actually instructed Thais and especially women to dress more modern so as though they don’t appear to be “backwards/as savages”. That king also watched western movies, spoke English etc and afaik he did that to avoid getting invaded by certain Western democracy loving nations.
Bill **********
Was that the King who was born in the US?
Sam **********
Dark is a sign of a farmer. Poorer. Lighter skin was a look to be admired.

Its not just thailand but asia in general. Look at Vietnam and Korea. They bleach their skin and have plastic surgery to look western
Adam ****
Sad but true. Pretty sure China & a bunch of other Asian countries have the same attitude.
Sam **********
@Adam ***
yea. I tell my girl that Western girls pay money to have honey skin. Asians pay to get pale.... Women gotta love em 😆
Connor *********************
Those who are pale are weathy enough to not work the fields. Also western envy.
Jesper ***********
Pale and chubby is a sign of wealth.
Terary **********
Pretty sure not a Thai thing. Its been happening for 1000's of years (yes 1000s) and globally.

Sad really. I am as white as a ghost and have a preference for skin with color. I was watching a TV show the other day. The sexy lady in the show and she was grossly white. I had a hard time imagining people find that attractive.

But I am glad it works for us in Thailand
Terary **********
So what about Russians? They're not in the circle of your map. I believe they're Caucasian, according to wikipedia - they're not. Does that mean people from Russian ancestor (second generation immigrant) are non-white? I think when you start to circle all the places people are white what you will find is a map with circles of people who are not otherwise defined.
Julian ********
@Terary *********
that's your personal preference. I think the same about darker woman : very unattractive.
Terary **********
It's strange to me. All my life the federal government (USA) has this questionnaire: Race, Sex, ... Its seemingly harmless - their just collecting statistic information.

Of the race they ask; White, Hispanic - not white, African American, ...

I have never been able to figure out what is "Hispanic - not white" more importantly what is "Hispanic - white"

So I googled the Government's notion of what is "white"

Turns out, white people are just about everything that isn't something else. Descendant of Europeans, Persian, Egyptions, Arabs, Jews, -- Everybody.

I guess by US Federal government standards, Jesus was probably white. Although I dont know about eye color.

Also keep in mind the US federal Government is ran by an over-sized Oompa so it may not be the best source of information
Ivan ************
@Terary *********
Hispanic isn't a racial category, it means you come from a Spanish speaking/colonized country. You could be white, black, native American, Asian and Hispanic, while not a majority a large minority of Filipino Americans tick that box due to the Spanish colonial history there. About 50% of Hispanic Americans consider themselves white, when you consider that much of Latin America is of European descent this shouldn't be surprising, there are several Spanish speaking countries that have more people of European descent than the US does.
Terary **********
@Ivan ***********
It's the 'non-white' part the confuses me.
Ivan ************
@Ter***
non-white means non-Caucasian. I get you say the US Census definition seems to mean "everyone" to you, but it's not really, it's people indigenous to Europe and immediately neighbouring areas in North Africa and the Near East. The vast majority of people in the world are not categorised this way.

Non-white Hispanic in the US context usually means indigenous American ancestry, although it can also mean black, Asian, etc.

It's also self-identification, many people are mixed and so they can choose whatever category they self-identify as. The average African American has a quarter European ancestry. Very few people in America have no "white" ancestry, but they may or may not identify that way. That's up to the individual.
Rob ******
Its a follow on from Japanese and Korean fashion style .
Mark *******
@Rob *****
I was just about to say that, Japanese & Koreans women are the leaders in this because they want their skin to have no blemish at all so they bleach to be white, and now it’s catching on in Thailand unfortunately.
Ya ********
Not only Thai. Asian women most like white skin.
James ****************
And what is with the desire to have a big, ugly Euro-nose? In Cambodia, they call Europeans "sharp-noses" I have heard. I love my wife's cute button nose.
Michael ********
Its not just Thailand and been happening for hundreds of years
Shane **********
Dark skin is connected to those who work out in the Sun and are generally not wealthy, so my Thai girlfriend told me.
Steve *******
@Shane *********
, that is the reason my Belarusian girlfriend chooses not to tan.
Shane **********
@Steve ******
I like a tan, lots of vitamin D
Steve *******
@Shane *********
, me too, but it makes for a stsrk difference between Olya and I.
Gord ********
@Shane *********
correct..in Kazakhstan its the same many outside construction people are covered only see there eyes wearing balaclava in +56c heat. They believe being lighter shows you work inside and make a good wage like a boss or banker...darker means outside worker poor
Peetcharat ***********
😢😖😖😖
Greg *********
Its fashion
Nick ******
They think white people more beautiful not the case but a lot of them believe it
Steve **********
@Nick *****
simple marketing. We were sold " no cavities " with fluoride, result....low IQ. That 1 gallon looking bag of potato chips has a gallon of air and 9 chips.. coca cola is simply sugar. .......marketing !
Michael *********
They were simply being themselves, always modest and gracious.

I mean, a quick glance at Charles, Philip and Elizabeth ... what else could Thai school children say but 'beautiful" before scurrying away ?!
Andrew **********
My fiance is Thai. She doesn't use the skin whitening agents but always does her makeup very light. I love her mocha skin tone. But it is all about what is different to you. I am exotic in Thailand. 😂 It works for us.
Paul ********
Hammy *************
Helloooo Thai person here.

Unfortunately this is an issue in every countries all around Asia. But because I’m a Thai person I will speak for Thailand. growing up was not easy because I have an African heritage I’m not gonna go into a full story of how I was bullied because of my skin colour but the one thing I can talk about is the amount of people telling me that “ if I was white I would be a lot more beautiful “ or “ you should bleach your skin so you’re more beautiful “

I’m trying not to make this post about racism but unfortunately it doesn’t matter if your half African or from laos or from south Thailand you’ll cope it. If you have a dark skin you are not pretty!!! No matter how beautiful you are. this is because people are so brain washed by tv shows and advertisements showing people that you need to be white in order to be beautiful. another thing is we are so into the whole looking like Japanese and Koreans those two countries are our main idols when it comes to fashion and how we should look. Back in 2000s most of our singers or celebrities all look the fkn same because they all trying to look like Asian pop stars. Girls literally inject themselves so they can have a white pearl skin , all the creams in the supermarket or
****
it’s all whiten cream even the damn shower gels are all whiten products. But hey if your life you are entitled to do whatever you want to your body but I think Thailand should promote more about loving yourself. As I said before it’s not just Thailand. When I moved to Australia girls that have blonde hair dyed their hair to black hair and you have girls in Thailand that have black hair but they dyed their hair to blond! Thai girls wants to be white but Aussie girls wants to be black !! We are never going to be happy with ourselves.
Scott *********
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Scott *********
Not always.

Dark tanning oils are still a popular choice for a lot of Thais
Clarke ********
I remember looking for moisturising cream for 10 minutes in Tesco for our niece only to learn they only had whitening cream.
Steve **********
@Clarke *******
coconut oil
Alex ********
I gor one lament the historical change to wearing blouses.......

😉
Carles ******
A Ramkamheang University professor told me the origins of this were based in very old cultural traditions that were accentuated during the Rattanakosin period and the modernity changes in the early XIX century. Before that, Thai people or Siamese (from Sanskrit Syãma meaning brown/tan skin people) had no problem with the different skin tones at all.
Rob ******
@Carles *****
But the Chinese and The Thai and Asian culture I think it was also historically a way to define beauty and increased bride price etc , just maybe .
Ann *******
I am
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Vietnamese, and from my perspective it has everything to do with the appearance of wealth. If you are tan, that means you work in the fields and are poor. But this is also like in "Gone with the Wind," when after the war, Rhett Butler is disappointed to notice that Scarlett's hands are weathered from working in the fields herself.

And at times, being overweight is also a sign of wealth, as you can afford to eat well. Also, many Asians have hyper-pigmentation, so many of their skin products and sun screen has whitening agents in them. A lot of Asians are also doing upper blepharoplasty to remove the excess fold of skin to widen their eyes, and that of course, has to do with looking more caucasian. I flew Korean Airlines to Bali last year, and all of the flight attendants had the most beautiful dewy skin. Of course, the Koreans have top notch skincare products. And it was funny, how all of the Koreans and Chinese were using umbrellas to shield them from the sun, and were all covered up.

Being American, I'm anti-carb. I kept telling the Indonesians to stop putting the rice and noodles on my plate, and they wouldn't do it. I was surprised because in Chinese culture, it's offensive if the host puts rice on your plate, as it's a filler, and means you can't afford to fill your guests with meat and seafood.
Jeremy *********
It's the same in all Asian countries. It's a same in India. Is the same for at the middle East. They are the majority of the world population. So what they're telling you is that white is beautiful. It's only in Western countries white people hate themselves.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jeremy ********
not the middle east bro. Well it was not before the attacks.
Michael *********
And do people (unkissed by the sun) who hate themselves, travel to/stay in Meuang Thai thinking that they get another chance at self-redemption?
Jeremy *********
@Michael *****
No they just come for the cheep life style .lol
William *******
Phillipines is obsessed with whitening their skin sone Thai people too, it’s a cosmetic piece around status and class as the whites people are perceived as upper class and the darker as poor people , Phillipines sells soaps that claim they are for skin whitening and I’ve seen teens buying several bars in stores, clinics are all over Phillipines and some in Thailand now that do treatments using glutathione that claims it whitens skin. Big business over there.
Rob *********
It's just a reverse of western culture that love to get tan skin as white so it's the opposite for Thai
Rob *********
I like to get dam dam she likes to be light skin and we joke about it now but I hate the divide it brings and won't accept it myself and we are happy with how we are and try educate others if we can but I suppose like the blm thing that's about now it will always be their if not hidden sad but it's life🙂
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thai people do it to look like white people. White people darken their skin just to look healthier and pretty. They also do not need to throw formaldehyde over their skin to achieve darker skin. They will also not think their babies are ugly cause they are dark skinned. So conclusion! One is based on self-loathing, low esteem, and manipulation the other is just a conscious decision to darken one skin using THE SUN . A natural and god-given therapeutic remedy we have used since the dawn of time. Basic and simple . Any good book will tell you this.
Rob *********
@Jaye *******
my wife has told me that she is looked upon as ugly because her skin is dark meeting me and living on and off in UK she now lives herself and knows both side of the coin a bit like money most want to be rich and not worry financially about anything but it also destroys life

I guess it's just education and knowing from both sides you understand that in the end it's not important any way as long as your happy with yourself nothing is beyond happiness

Black white is irrelevant ask a blind person what they see
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Rob ********
Rob what part of Thailand is she from?
Rob *********
@Jaye *******
nakhon si thamorat south
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Rob ********
But they are dark skinned there.How can this happen?
Rob *********
@Jaye *******
I think because poor and mostly farming unlike big cities who knows I just love Thailand and all its peaple pale or dark
Rob *********
@Jaye *******
I have a house in Thailand my wife is Thai some of what you say may be true in some instances but but for the most part your wrong
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Rob ********
let me know where so i can make a better example.I spoke to a Thai girl who was bullied by other kids not yet 15 just because she had darker skin. How can i be wrong?
Mark **********
Dark skin is associated with lower working class .
Michael *********
Clever way to call out the prime minister, despite all his efforts to get ahead.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
And that is lower class thinking in a nutshell. They can buy all the cream they like but they will still be poor. Regardless, they need to make sure they don't look like one of those translucent chickens for sale in the marketplaces and who knows what this is doing to their skin pigmentation in the process. Regardless, any way you look at this its a lose-lose situation cause one day a child will be born from this obsession and it too will need REAL love.
แมทธิว **************
I think the similar applies to the Essex girls who tan themselves orange.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Totally agree but most people love the sun in the UK just to be healthy. 40% of all trips to Thailand for decades comes from the UK alone. Hence they did not go to Iceland.🤣
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
i been out with an Essex girl. they do it to hide their skin imperfections (spots and pimples) and how many times do they get to see the sun in Essex?
แมทธิว **************
@Jaye *******
Not to often the exact reason they are white, Lower skin pigmentation levels are for countries with less natural sun light. Hence the reason black people living in the UK are more likely to suffer vitamin D deficiency
Michael *********
Must be due to the constant and insidious brainwashing orchestrated by the TV stations and big business in Thailand, largely controlled by the fair-skinned Chinese-Thais.
Carles ******
@Michael *****
, you are pointing on the right direction, Rattanakosin era and the introduction of the Chinese in all levels in the society. It was conducted by the Chakri dynasty from Rama I to present Rama X.
Hugh ********
2 reasons

People like the oppersites, its why white people put themselves through much more dangerous levels of UV to try to be darker. Mostly it's this reason, they often find white skin more attractive throughout all of asia. They like Japanese and Korean fashion. The adverts really hasn't helped them as they obviously want to sell there product, wightening can be expensive

But also it's a status thing. It wasnt so long ago in England that people who were tanned were the poorer people working outside in the fields and people with status would try everything to wighten their skin. Same as Thailand today

It's also worth pointing out that it's not all thai people that think this way, just some
Michael *********
I took you hypothesis literally.

Some people are really fascinated with dead people.
Hugh ********
Okayyyyyyyyyy, nice racist there, some people are naturally white you know lol
Michael *********
You are right, as some people CAN'T RESIST NECROPHILIA.
Matt *******
It’s dumb to think they have status just because they white. Thats just a false belief. More people who have tan skin have status in Thailand. Just look at who’s in charge, they don’t look like ghosts
Julian ********
@Matt ******
Thailand is owned to 80 % by white skinned Sino-Thais. Those are just facts, not saying that it's fair. Almost all famous actors are white as well.
Michael *********
@Matt ******
I beg your pardon ... your girl Narumon always looked ghastly in every Bangkok Post photo. Is she trying to pass for a geisha with a PhD in statistics?
Jon ********
Status
Bill **********
I constantly encourage my Thai family to be proud of their heritage, mostly to no avail. No need for hair color, skin whitening; they really don't need makeup as they are naturally beautiful. TV & internet has convinced them otherwise.
Rudolph ***********
@Bill *********
you are correct. TV and Western influences are hard to change. Luckily my gf, a sister and brother are originally from Issan raised by single parent( father). My gf, sister worked in Bkk and both have "Bachelors Degree". Brother works for automotive "Air Conditioning". All doing good. I'm just saying this in hardships that people in the world can overcome. Thanks.. 😂🙂
Bill **********
@Rudolph **********
Yes; my step daughter got her degree a year and half ago; first in the family. But still trying to be whitey white. To see her pic, you'd think she's a movie star. She really doesn't need fake stuff to look beautiful.
Bill **********
And . . the Thai soap operas . .
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
too true! So TV is saying don't be poor and ugly like your ancestors be like those superheroes on tv.
Mark *********
No different to westerners wanting a tan. they feel better.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Completely different you can put a football field between the two. The Thai girl thinks she is ugly cause she is dark. The german girl who is white and gets a suntan knows she is pretty and just wants to be a little bit prettier. Big difference!!! It goes way deeper but i am keeping it simple..
Frankie ********
Unfortunately, the media, global advertising companies, bombard us with people with white skin. In today’s culture , non-white youth edit your photographs to appear lighter skin. The social media image is their second self. Apparently, their not comfortable is the skin.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
An intelligent answer! 1 answer like this in 10 is not bad I guess.
Max ***********
What is the outcome you are hoping to get from this post? (Out of interest) - been interesting to read the responses
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi Max - did you not read my OP?
เอ็ดเวิร์ด *******
Thailand has a class system. The lower class work outdoors and overtime their skin becomes darker. So having lighter skin indicates you are of a higher class.
Paul *********
Xtina ***********
They think if they are dark they appear poor, because they associate it with

working on farms
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Xtina **********
they got all that from tv?
Xtina ***********
@Jaye *******
? Got wat? If you are referring to how they think yeah probably. Stupid way of thinking if u ask me, they wont pick an ugly over weight person to promote their products obviously lol.
Evan ********
Big business perpetuates it. Don’t stop at just skin, what about obsessions about noses, chins etc! 😂😂😂
Kevin ******
@Evan *******
yeah very true. They are very obsessed.
Janin ******
If they are brown it means that they work outside on the land, wich means (they think) they are pore. Kind of the same in Europa years and years ago...the whiter the wealthier....
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Janin any ideas when years and years ago was?
Janin ******
@Jaye *******
, it’s a whole story. About 1850 the high society was never in the sun because, brown skin means, working on the land= poor!

After when factories came, and a lot of people worked inside= white skin, brown turns into fashion, because high society had the money to go on holidays and showed of their brown skin.
Jessica *****************
@Janin *****
True, tanning was made popular in the 1920s partly by fashion icon Coco Chanel. Photographs of her surfaced after she had sunbathed on a cruise and became popular,
Oakley ******
why do white women seek to darken their skin ? Just a people ting
Kevin ******
Because It down classes them as people and is dirty !!
Paul *******
@Kevin *****
Yes dirty my gf says this all the time. Freaks out when i don't wear shoes outside
Kevin ******
@Paul ******
luckily my thai wife is not into the whitening. I always say why they put themselves through it. Most foreigner want the tanned darker lady.
Paul *******
@Kevin *****
no kidding. I dig the taned skin. So soft and nice.
Tracy *************
Honestly, this is a question for Thais not the farrang answering. There’s so much historical context to this issue that is not just limited to Thailand but the whole of Asia, Africa, South America and the diaspora living in Europe. Western beauty standards have been upheld for centuries and stems from colonisation and slavery and in some parts of Asia, the class/caste system.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tracy ************
total nonsense!
Kirstin *****************
@Tracy ************
That too. My Thai husband (when I ask him why he and others are wearing full length layers on a hot day) says it is both.. The stereotype of poor people working outdoors plus wanting to look more what they see in media. I am obviously white and so can't comment much but Thailand was never exactly colonised (though heavily influenced by surrounding colonial powers) so maybe that aspect is slightly less important here.
Nguyen *****************
The Vietnamese are doing the same and they do look like a ghost🤮
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Nguyen ****************
even translucent!
Nguyen *****************
@Jaye *******
Super sad that they hate themselves.
Andrew ******
Why do people from the West go to such lengths to darken their skin with a tan?
Michael *********
Don't really know the answers, as individual preferences are just as many.

Nonetheless, here's food for thought: Blacks don't crack and Asians don't raisin. (Just sayin'.)

Who was that white American politician who once said in a most self-righteous tone: "You people kissed by the sun" ?
Michael *********
Because they want more color in their life.

And who would blame them.

"Chaiilllld, you need some collard greens!"
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
In addition, White girls do not get a tan cause they think they are ugly nor do they despise people who do not have one. Simple....no???
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
simple! When we talk of the West are you talking about the Latin countries or the places where they get 1 day of sun a year like Scotland or England?
Nathan **********
I get the impression that tan people (mostly women) have a really tough time in countries like thailand and vietnam. I say this based on what Ive heard from locals and differences between how the lighter and darker skin people act. Like you can tell a lot of darker skin women have been through more crap on average... As someone of color who grew up in the USA, I can imagine.

*sits and waits for racist commentary*
Federico **********
I was googling and looking at marketplace for a bicycle

About an hour later my feed is ALL about bicycles

So i figured i comment on this post

Looking forward to my feed in about an hour 😂🤣
Kirstin *****************
As some others have mentioned this isn't just Thailand. In the west in the past it was seen as good to have pale skin as it meant you weren't working outdoors. Then when you could go abroad it was fashionable to have a tan to show you could afford that. Then with low cost air travel a tan then became a "lower class" thing again. It's just people peopling, though I wish it wasn't.
Al ********
@Kirstin ******
hence the term in North America “rednecks”
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
At what point in the past are we talking about? We need to pinpoint the place in the West because I suspect there has never really been a period of time like this. Sure I guess that if you had little money it meant working outside and catching a tan but you will, of course, know that for most of Europe, particularly in the past, weather patterns were quite grim and bitterly cold for most of the year. Washing was an issue of course so dirt and grime with no water could make another person who cleaned themselves each day feel superior in a strange sort of way. The fact your opinion has been given weight leads me to believe Netflix is at work again or Google has repeated something only made true because it has been repeated. I digress! Let's move along the lines of common sense and go back in time. Let's start with the 1930s. War and economic devastation( don't think they would have been too concerned with rubbing bleach over their entire body so little vanity during this period of time. The 1940s: Half a decade of war and of course needed to rebuild a ton of houses so again skin, not an issue. The 1950s: Working-class period for most of the time and very little respect for the monied class particularly in the UK and Germans were in their own social paradigm of remorse and shame. Spain and Portugal were under dictatorship and the Italians were .... well Italian, dark olive-skinned with thick dark hair, All the white women wanted one up to this very day. 1960s Germany was still in 2 pieces, Italians were still nice and brown, The Dutch were too educated to worry about such an uneducated issue. The 1970s..... All the people who were too white in the West now go to Southern Spain to darken their skin because of poor weather in their own country. They also learn that the more sun they get the more Vitamin D they receive and is great for their bodies so want more of this. 1980 , 1990 , 2000. No sign of wanting to be whiter.
@Kirstin ******
there is absolutely and unequivocally no correlation between the two at all and the Thia people are being misinformed about their historical identity. Working outside with dirt is a beautiful thing too because we are from that dirt and where we all belong.

Picture is from Lazada: yellow people are ugly it says unless you are a white Thai. I disagree!
Kirstin *****************
Also now the in look for younger people is kpop based. They have the same thing (lighten their skin) plus lighter skin in general to start so even more influence.
Ge ***********************
Seriously you have to ask this matter. Google is waiting for some nuts to use them.
Paul *******
@Ge **********************
I agree strange topic but sometimes it's good to converse with actual people. It's social media dude.... Things like this is what social media is about.
Mark ***********
Yes, definitely a caste issue, empowered by the entertainment idols everywhere on TV. Not just Thailand, but all over SE Asia.
Xtina ***********
@Mark **********
the thing is the tv models arent even thai. All make up and tv ads are white and Chinese girls, they are all pale skin. So these women are lead to believe that they are ugly. And the Chinese also are heavy on plastic surgery. They are told if u are ugly you aint getting a job. Complete bull s. T.
Rudolph ***********
@Mark **********
influenced by TV. Also heavy on make-up. My gf is from Issan, works in Bkk in hotel. The hotel work "Ethics" for females are: no lip gloss, no eye make-up, no fingernail polish, no tattoo eyebrows. This is in the #1 "REDLIGHT" district of Bkk. Sukhumvit Nana. GO FIGURE!! 99% of comments are from the "BAR-SCENE" 😂🙂
Steve **********
Think post Rama 6. Not much history for a couple of years.

Rama 5 married a princess from here in what was Lanna. At the time topless was not uncommon.

Still not in some of the hill tribes in maesalong.
Jon *********
Tanned skin was also seen as a bad thing in Europe, as it was labourers that worked outside. People would wash their skin with mercury (look it up!)
Jon *********
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Jon ********
context sir!
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
This is absolutely not true. I lived in Lisbon and Spain as well as Belgium and of course the UK. I worked in Savilla for a few years and although they were quite conservative they embraced their gypsy and Arabic culture with a passion. There has never been such an issue of the kind you mention.
Kirstin *****************
@Jaye *******
learn some history if you think it isn't true.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Kirstin ******
its no different than any other place on earth but its the first time i have seen people make themselves look like a translucent chickens in all my travels. I know its the same in all Asia to different degrees but what you call history has nothing to do with a tv program designed to push this idea along unless you are saying television is also the victim🤣.look at the bigger picture.History is now and that is the issue so stating the obvious does not mean you have understood the now. If you have a tv maybe start with that.Get rid!!! By the way did your boyfriend like you because you are white and now can hope for whitened children?
Jon *********
@Kirstin ******
I think someone has missed the point... 😂
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Jon Robert No i am just saying you should practice caution before using Google to repeat stuff weakened under closer scrutiny. If you use your superior knowledge maybe you can tell facebook more about your theories or even what decade you are referring to so we can have a discussion. I dont think this will be the case to be honest. What does " in Europe" mean? Writing is only one part of a journey so please add a little bit more content. 😀
George ********
Jul 1, 2563 BE · TOKYO -- Asia's $7.5 billion skin whitening market is under growing scrutiny after three of the biggest ... Not just Thais, not just Asia
Christina *********
Japanese are so pale, I’m white and lived there long enough to lose my Thai tan, they were whiter then me.
Steve **********
@George *******
yet most Chinese and Japanese have the whitest, most satin like skin on earth .
Markus **********
Hard labour in the sun is the answer. It's about the rich and the poor.
Steve **********
@Markus *********
The rich spend more time keeping their year round tan than poor .
Ruth *******
@Steve *********
you're thinking western culture.
Markus **********
@Steve *********
read the history books :)
Paul *******
They think it makes them look poor like they've been in the sun doing hard labor. I think it's fair to say all south east asian countries have this mentality
Michael *********
Try the entire world.

Western Europeans (here's looking at you, GB) projected their class-conscious insecurities as well as inferiority complex on others upon "discovering new territories".

Many years later, after crossing the Atlantic, this mental dis-ease became perhaps even more barbaric and combustible, culminating in the Civil War in the US.

Does light shed any truth on darkness currently in the US?

The world today (thanks to social media and the Internet) can finally be the judge.

Keep in mind all the civil rights unrest/struggle in the US dating back to Lincoln's Proclamation of Emancipation as well as all the recent protests condemning disproportionate police brutality on blacks.
Roy ***********
Simple, I think...belief that darker skin = working class, due to more outdoor labor
Paul *******
@Roy **********
that's what I just said dude ???
John *********
@Paul ******
South Asian. Indians are worse.
Paul *******
@John ********
india is west Asia not south
Roy ***********
@Paul ******
I am adding this comment as a point of clarification or discussion, not to challenge anyone and certainly not to try to prove anyone wrong.

"...countries which make up South Asia are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Sometimes Myanmar (Burma) is also included. They are linked by the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation."

******************************************


******************************************
Paul *******
@Roy **********
read my original comment sir. I clearly says south east 🙏
Paul *******
@Roy **********
I clearly said south east asians . Go back and read it ?
Roy ***********
Paul *******
@Roy **********
no no... My original comment
Roy ***********
@Paul ******
ok...and this extends way beyond Asia, certainly also true for Central America, where I lived for many years.
Paul *******
@John ********
I wouldn't compare the two to see who's worse. I just let them be them 🙏
John *********
@Paul ******
I phrased that badly. Indians though in general place more significance on skin tone than Thais. Not just confined to SE Asian countries.
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
but now they look like they are ill.
Paul *******
@Jaye *******
to us .. they may look ill. To themselves they look good. I don't really like getting into the issue with my Thai friends because this is thailand and I respect whatever they think. Why are you so concerned about it ? Respectfully asking and curious
Paul *******
@Jaye *******
or Japanese... Understand yet ?
Steve **********
Grass is always greener. Westerners lie in the sun to tan ?
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Yes but that is natur......al SUN and SKIN . Any idea what goes into that 1000 bht buy two get one free jar of skin whitening abomination? White people who suntan will not laugh at somebody who has not got the chance to do so or even wish their children to be whiter than they are. I am certain your argument is not an educated one.
Kirstin *****************
@Jaye *******
you've never seen the masses of fake tan and sun bed worshippers in certain countries then?
Finn ******
Nom Yai😱
Martin *********
@Mod ***********
...n where did that come from...? !
Garrett ***********
I'll be the first to say it. I see boobies.
Peter ***************
@Garrett **********
and the color of them

Isn’t that important
Jaye ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
and wonderful skin.
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