Poonpo, be careful with sun baths! They can be dangerous!

Pastelita, thank you for your thoughtful comment. I agree with you on everything. We should love our skin the colour it is and only strive to keep it healthy. Trying to conform to an ideal, whether Occidental or Oriental, is never good, neither for your skin nor for your self-esteem.

Many people in Europe/Occidental culture would view a tanned skin as a mark of health and prestige that only wealth can give.
It seems like the iconography of the tanned, idle rich having fun on their yacht versus the pasty factory worker too poor to allow himself to outdoor activities is still deeply anchored in the collective unconsciousness.

Being dark brown (and preferably muscular) would indicate this person has time and money in their hands to dedicate to expensive hobbies that would keep them in good health. Which makes them all the more enviable.

In Asia, the discrimination is the same but the other way round. Being tanned is not considered attractive, mostly for some societal reasons. A tanned person often is a farmer, a peasant, who works outside may it sun or rain. Pale skinned people stay indoors, as it would suit the etiquette of higher society ranks and nobility.
For that reason, tanned skin is undesirable because deemed inferior and symptomatic of poverty.
May I remind that Europe had that exact mindset until the 20th CE: ie. browned skin = prostitutes/farmers whilst white face = aristocracy/ the dominant classes

NB, “jade skin” was praised for centuries as a symbol of beauty and purity in Asia.
So no, Asian people do not want to look like White Westerners!!!

Nowadays, many Asian men and woman continue striving for keeping and enhancing pale skin. Nobody wants to be perceived as a 2nd class citizen!

Also, having a clear skin indicates to your interlocutor: “I’m educated about the nefast effects of the sun (cancer, hyperpigmentation, premature ageing) and as a result, I’m protecting my skin from these harmful sunrays”

I moved to Ireland years ago and dearly missed the hot, dry summers I had in France, my native country!!! Up there in Dublin, my skin tone went from naturally cinammon cookie to pale, buttercream!
I didnt mind really about that colour change because the most important to me was skin health.
My skin was so bouncy and clear due to the humidity in the air and my skincare routine. Never left the house without SPF, ever!!!

Now, my husband and I are living in Spain. Our friends are always surprised to see our less than golden-skinned faces, knowing that the sun shines there for most days of the year! Thats because we’re not interested in getting into that “look at my holidays super tan!”

We’ve decided NOT to avoid the sun -only during peak hours- because there are health benefits you can get from it. But we would appreciate moderately and apply sunscreen regularly.

We would rather look a bit paler instead of showing off a tan, roasted chicken-style. So many people got their skin ruined by excessive exposure to the sun: uneven rough, parched skin; sagging and accentuated jowls; deeply marked wrinkled; hyperpigmentation.

In my opinion, the most important is how well you care for your skin, regardless of its colour. A healthy skin will always be beautiful, no matter what. Having a bit of a tan is ok, and keeping your skin un-tanned is ok too! No excess on both sides is way healthier for you, your inner health!!!
You will benefit so much more from this personal approach, rather then attempting to fit into the social hierarchy mold, may it be Occidental or Oriental.

For the sake of your good health, I would recommend to do what you fancy doing without excess

Seppo, that is so true. The media keeps perpetrating this myth that if you look perfect than all your problems are going to disappear overnight. And if you have low self-esteem or are in a bad place emotionally and mentally, you are more prone to believe those lies and use whatever means necessary to achieve those ideals of beauty, even if that means putting your own health at risk.

These people would benefit a lot more from counselling, but then dealing with those emotional and psychological issues will be more painful and difficult than dealing with acne or whatever it is that is bothering them, and not everyone is ready for that yet. *sighs*

They take the obsession with looks to a completely new level here. As a guy, I of course enjoy seeing beautiful women around me, but I can only imagine what the pressure does to the women.

Agree that some people take it too far. I have similar experiences in helping people with acne. Sometimes I get emails where the stress and anxiety quite literally bleeds off the screen. Sometimes they have even mild or occasional acne but it still causes them tremendous stress. The sad thing (among others) is that these people usually try to solve the problem with wrong tools. They usually already eat health, almost to the point of having an eating disorder, yet they still think if they tweak diet this way or that way it will get over acne. In a way, they are trying to solve emotional problems with a fork and knife. Given that it’s by no means guaranteed one can get rid of acne completely, it’s much better to focus on dealing with stress and trying to understand why minor acne causes so much stress.

I presume something similar is going on here. People who don’t feel happy about themselves try to make themselves feel better by correcting perceived flaws.