@1 - The fashionability of tanning had less to do with race than it did with social class. When there were still a significant number of people working outdoors, it was not fashionable to be tan, as it demonstrated your working class. Later in history (when working outdoors for survival was not as widespread), those that had the time and finances to go abroad to warm places in colder months developed tans that were considered fashionable. The history of ideal weight has a similar dynamic, with the idea of class being more important than any perceived health benefits associated with it.
@5 Very true. Our diet is another class symbol which has reversed itself in fascinating ways over the years. In medieval Europe white bread was actually a sign of wealth and aristocracy, as it meant you could afford milled wheat (mills being typically owned and taxed by the local lord.) Poor peasants were forced to eat inferior dark breads made with the whole grain.
Man, and I thought it was weird when I see black women (here in Chicago) with their hair dyed reddish. I think there are definitely some body image issues at work here.
@12 - What the hell do you see as wrong with a Black woman with reddish hair? Do you think that Christina Hendricks has "some body issues" because she dyes her naturally blond hair red, or is it okay for her because her skin is very light?
Maybe it's your expectations for other people's appearance that's the real issue here.
@16: Thank you! Not only do some people just like red hair, many have it naturally (gasp), black women included, and Zulu women have been using red clay to color their hair for millenia. Red hair is not just a white thing.
What makes you think skin lightening isn't also a matter of social class? White(r) people are also presumed to be wealthier. That's true in many societies; India and the Dominican Republic are two examples that immediately sprang to mind.
@16: It's like white people with perms/afros (after the fashion of Bob Pinciotti). It's two phenotypic traits that are very rarely found together naturally, so it looks a bit odd.
I never said "wrong", I said "weird".
Maybe this is about self-acceptance?
Yeah, and they also have sexy bubble butts; giant dicks; and always look way younger than they are.
Whites? Age very, very young; have pasty pale skin making them look sickly and have flat asses.
All races are a mixed bag, dipshit.
No men so much..maybe it is gender linked.
I asked what was up and was told that many Vietnamese women want to be lighter in order to get a man to marry them.
Women who are whiter are valued more than those who are darker.
Sad.
Amirite?
Maybe it's your expectations for other people's appearance that's the real issue here.
What makes you think skin lightening isn't also a matter of social class? White(r) people are also presumed to be wealthier. That's true in many societies; India and the Dominican Republic are two examples that immediately sprang to mind.
I never said "wrong", I said "weird".