Colorism Amongst Asians: The History of Colorism and its Influence on the Present

Colorism, an issue that can be dated back thousands of years ago, is an issue of big importance in the present day. People will often compare it to racism, and although it has its similarities, it is not the same. There is a global preference for lighter skin, which affects people not only socially, but also economically. The color of one's skin affects their day-to-day life and is other than skin tone, strongly connected to gender and class. Specifically looking at Asian societies, the preference for a lighter skin has existed for a long time, but got stronger and developed further ever since Western colonization and their ideas of race and skin color. In the modern day these skin color ideals keep getting reinforced, not only by Western influences, but also by inter-Asian influences. The idea of "beauty" in Asia is having a lighter skin tone and even having certain Western facial features, as their desire is to look like "high-class Asians" (and thus not necessarily to look white)...Show moreColorism, an issue that can be dated back thousands of years ago, is an issue of big importance in the present day. People will often compare it to racism, and although it has its similarities, it is not the same. There is a global preference for lighter skin, which affects people not only socially, but also economically. The color of one's skin affects their day-to-day life and is other than skin tone, strongly connected to gender and class. Specifically looking at Asian societies, the preference for a lighter skin has existed for a long time, but got stronger and developed further ever since Western colonization and their ideas of race and skin color. In the modern day these skin color ideals keep getting reinforced, not only by Western influences, but also by inter-Asian influences. The idea of "beauty" in Asia is having a lighter skin tone and even having certain Western facial features, as their desire is to look like "high-class Asians" (and thus not necessarily to look white). These beauty ideals keep getting reinforced by media and popular culture, and has a big impact on Asians, especially young Asian women. This causes many Asians to bleach their skin, sometimes even when they know it can be harmful to their physical health as they believe the benefits of having a lighter skin outweighs the potential risks. Colorism is not an often talked about issue and is not a widely known topic, even though it affects so many people’s lives every single day. It is a complex concept that is intersectional and has many causes and effects.Show less

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Colorism Amongst Asians: The History of Colorism and its Influence on the Present