Again, similarities abound in the traditional values behind the belief that fair skin is beautiful in Asia and those behind scarification in Africa and tattooing in the islands of Polynesia. While the pale-skin craze in Asia is driven far more by the media and consumerism in comparison to these other traditions, similarities lie in the fact that the two practices of adornment and the perceived beauty of white skin symbolize social status and power in those that fulfill these requirements. However, research on the topic has been primarily conducted in and , where these products are most widely used. As previously mentioned, the lack of evidence on the beauty preferences in other Asian nations is evidence in itself. has an ever growing consumer market that has been highly influenced by the western consumer culture, while has been for quite some time, a highly consumerist society. This in part explains why the skin whitening trend has been so pronounced in these two nations. One may speculate that the reason less importance has been placed on beauty practices in some of the other Asian nations stems from the possibility that the beauty market may have less relevance there. In nations like North Korea where the average yearly is a mere $757, every penny must go to the necessities, therefore many citizens may not have the money or time to emphasize beauty (Kirk). However, it has been well documented that despite any variance of incomes or emphasis on beauty across Asian nations, it is a common belief that fair skin is attractive. While most Asians find pale skin the height of beauty, on the other side of the world, it is tanned, bronzed skin that is perceived as attractive. These contrasting perceptions come into direct conflict in areas like the , where immigrants and their children differ vastly in skin color preference. One daughter of such immigrants explained: Filipinos want to be really dark, especially for girls because it gives of the don’t impression that she is a laborer. The elder generation of my family wants to be fair skinned, but my generation wants to be tan. Like my mom and all of my aunts use whitening face washes (Monton).
Again, similarities abound in the traditional values behind the belief that fair skin is beautiful in Asia and those behind scarification in Africa and tattooing in the islands of Polynesia. While the pale-skin craze in Asia is driven far more by the media and consumerism in comparison to these other traditions, similarities lie in the fact that the two practices of adornment and the perceived beauty of white skin symbolize social status and power in those that fulfill these requirements. However, research on the topic has been primarily conducted in and , where these products are most widely used. As previously mentioned, the lack of evidence on the beauty preferences in other Asian nations is evidence in itself. has an ever growing consumer market that has been highly influenced by the western consumer culture, while has been for quite some time, a highly consumerist society. This in part explains why the skin whitening trend has been so pronounced in these two nations. One may speculate that the reason less importance has been placed on beauty practices in some of the other Asian nations stems from the possibility that the beauty market may have less relevance there. In nations like North Korea where the average yearly is a mere $757, every penny must go to the necessities, therefore many citizens may not have the money or time to emphasize beauty (Kirk). However, it has been well documented that despite any variance of incomes or emphasis on beauty across Asian nations, it is a common belief that fair skin is attractive. While most Asians find pale skin the height of beauty, on the other side of the world, it is tanned, bronzed skin that is perceived as attractive. These contrasting perceptions come into direct conflict in areas like the , where immigrants and their children differ vastly in skin color preference. One daughter of such immigrants explained: Filipinos don’t want to be really dark, especially for girls because it gives of the impression that she is a laborer. The elder generation of my family wants to be fair skinned, but my generation wants to be tan. Like my mom and all of my aunts use whitening face washes (Monton).