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Amorfous
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 Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:27 am Post subject: |
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Well, Darth Vader represents how all dark skinned people want to be white. Obviously it's right. The holy trilogy!
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ohifwinterends
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| chattegris wrote: | | ohifwinterends wrote: | | Isra wrote: | | ohifwinterends wrote: | | Isra wrote: | | I don't like how they lightened three of the photos to make her look less Indian. Compare eye and skin color in the top picture to the other three. |
I don't think they were trying make her look less Indian, per se...They do this often in pictures in some other countries...Most countries in Asia, really. Pale skin just happens to be valued in a lot of places, as is tan skin to a certain extent over here. |
And pale is definitely not Indian, it's Colonial Oppressor. Pale skin doesn't "just happen" to be valued, and the desire for it isn't necessarily healthy. |
So what are you saying? They all want to be something that they're not? Maybe even white? I don't see it. |
Think Michael Jackson.
Although he is an extreme example, most people with darker skin have a more or less secret desire to have lighter complexions. |
In Southern Sudan dark skin is prized and those with lighter skin are lower in society.
In the US...tons of white girls get fake tans...I get shit quite often for looking "ghostly." Why is it that white people want to be tan a lot of the time?
"Do you ever leave the fucking house?"
Yes, frequently...my skin doesn't tan, it just burns.
"What? I don't understand. How does that work?"
I don't have much melanin in my skin.
"Huh?"
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Isra
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Location: Skagit County, WA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:53 am Post subject: |
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Well, historically, only those with wealth and power could stay inside enough to get pale. Therefore, pale meant rich. Modern American society values a tan, because it means you get outside and engage in outdoor activities. Even though most tan white people in America now go to tanning booths or spray the stuff on, the tan tells our subconscious "healthy."
(You know, most of those skin creams that Indian and Asian women use to lighten their skin contain a lot of Mercury. Which is not exactly good for a person. Just as too much sun exposure isn't good for a person because of cancer. An extreme either way isn't good, and it's not psychologically healthy to want to change the very color of your skin.)
These kinds of desires are rarely just something a person wants, there's psychology and sociology and history wrapped up in the self-image of most people.
Are you going to spray on tan, because some people think you're too pale? And why is that different than an Indian lady putting on skin cream to lighten her skin because society says that's better? Wouldn't it be best if we just didn't make those kinds of judgements based on skin tone, and accepted the color our genes gave us?
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julianameless
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:53 am Post subject: |
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| chattegris wrote: | | ohifwinterends wrote: | | Isra wrote: | | ohifwinterends wrote: | | Isra wrote: | | I don't like how they lightened three of the photos to make her look less Indian. Compare eye and skin color in the top picture to the other three. |
I don't think they were trying make her look less Indian, per se...They do this often in pictures in some other countries...Most countries in Asia, really. Pale skin just happens to be valued in a lot of places, as is tan skin to a certain extent over here. |
And pale is definitely not Indian, it's Colonial Oppressor. Pale skin doesn't "just happen" to be valued, and the desire for it isn't necessarily healthy. |
So what are you saying? They all want to be something that they're not? Maybe even white? I don't see it. |
Think Michael Jackson.
Although he is an extreme example, most people with darker skin have a more or less secret desire to have lighter complexions. |
Michael Jackson has a skin disease that causes him to gradually lose melanin in his skin. I don't think that's a fair example.
Light skin has been prized throughout history, even in cultures where most people are lighter skinned to begin with. In 17th Century Italy, pale skin meant that one was wealthy enough to not have to work outside. I think modern ideas to do with the attractiveness of tanned skin have more to do with its association with how one spends leisure time.
As an aside, I have known Indian girls who had fairly light skin, almost as light as mine (and I'm pale even when I "have a tan"), but instead of pink undertones, they had more olive-toned skin.
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ohifwinterends
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| Isra wrote: | Well, historically, only those with wealth and power could stay inside enough to get pale. Therefore, pale meant rich. Modern American society values a tan, because it means you get outside and engage in outdoor activities. Even though most tan white people in America now go to tanning booths or spray the stuff on, the tan tells our subconscious "healthy."
(You know, most of those skin creams that Indian and Asian women use to lighten their skin contain a lot of Mercury. Which is not exactly good for a person. Just as too much sun exposure isn't good for a person because of cancer. An extreme either way isn't good, and it's not psychologically healthy to want to change the very color of your skin.)
These kinds of desires are rarely just something a person wants, there's psychology and sociology and history wrapped up in the self-image of most people.
Are you going to spray on tan, because some people think you're too pale? And why is that different than an Indian lady putting on skin cream to lighten her skin because society says that's better? Wouldn't it be best if we just didn't make those kinds of judgements based on skin tone, and accepted the color our genes gave us? |
No, I like my paleness...I would look weird with my hair color and everything if I wasn't pale, haha.
It isn't different...but trying to be paler doesn't mean they want to look less Indian. I get the feeling they don't want to be VERY light, just lighter. There are Indian people with lighter skin like that though. Hell! There are even Indian people with green eyes.
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nonentropic
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: |
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it's genetics. it is all based on latitude and hence degree of sun exposure. consider that it is still true that the further north a particular group of people lives the more likely they are to have lighter skin, lighter hair, eyes and so on. the converse is true as well. sunlight strength/Earth latitude...over time, apparently results in genetic changes.
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Dean13
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| It's all quite superficial anyways. |
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Isra
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:10 am Post subject: |
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| ohifwinterends wrote: |
No, I like my paleness...I would look weird with my hair color and everything if I wasn't pale, haha.
It isn't different...but trying to be paler doesn't mean they want to look less Indian. I get the feeling they don't want to be VERY light, just lighter. There are Indian people with lighter skin like that though. Hell! There are even Indian people with green eyes. |
I know there are, and genetically, it's probably because of some English blood thrown in there. Except for the green eyes, perhaps, as there are also people with green eyes all over the Middle East. If I remember correctly, green eyes are especially common among the Bedouin.
I just don't like how the pictures are lightened, and I don't like the societal patterns that create the desire for the lightened pictures. I don't think the two things are separate issues.
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chattegris
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:13 am Post subject: |
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| ohifwinterends wrote: |
In Southern Sudan dark skin is prized and those with lighter skin are lower in society.
In the US...tons of white girls get fake tans...I get shit quite often for looking "ghostly." Why is it that white people want to be tan a lot of the time?
"Do you ever leave the fucking house?"
Yes, frequently...my skin doesn't tan, it just burns.
"What? I don't understand. How does that work?"
I don't have much melanin in my skin.
"Huh?"
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I suppose each of us tend to be attracted to features that we don't have, but the skin tone (and also haircolor) complex is a bit more accentuated, especially in Western countries.
You see all these celebrities that are obvioulsy natural brunettes dying their hair blonde and/or using makeup to lighten their complexion - Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Beyonce, Shakira, Lil Kim (vey funny) etc. I suppose it's not easy to over-process yourself like that on a regular basis just to look like something you're not.
It's true there are also a lot of blondes hitting the tanning salons to get a more exotic look, but it seems more like a fad than an actual image issue, and besides a tan can be viewed as a rather natural look.
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nonentropic
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:18 am Post subject: |
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| Dean13 wrote: | | It's all quite superficial anyways. |
in some senses yes and in some senses no. what i believe to be most valuable-important...for all, in the long run...is one's character/integrity/belief-value system. one can be a genius but, if one's actions are rotten as hell...tremendous damage can be done. since, it is generally much easier to destroy most things than it is to create them...destruction should be well considered and actually be necessary before it is done. just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done...and so on. i think you know what i mean.
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chattegris
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:21 am Post subject: |
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| julianameless wrote: |
Michael Jackson has a skin disease that causes him to gradually lose melanin in his skin. I don't think that's a fair example.
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I'm not sure Vitiligo was what caused him to lose the melanin in his skin. In the light of his psychological issues and the countless aesthetic surgeries he underwent, I find this explanation quite hard to believe.
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Last edited by chattegris on Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Dean13
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:21 am Post subject: |
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| nonentropic wrote: | | Dean13 wrote: | | It's all quite superficial anyways. |
in some senses yes and in some senses no. what i believe to be most valuable-important...for all, in the long run...is one's character/integrity/belief-value system. one can be a genius but, if one's actions are rotten as hell...tremendous damage can be done. since, it is generally much easier to destroy most things than it is to create them...destruction should be well considered and actually be necessary before it is done. just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done...and so on. i think you know what i mean. |
Dude, I'm just talking about preference in skin color. It is completely subjective unless you are talking about surviving for long periods of time in a harsh environment. |
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nonentropic
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:28 am Post subject: |
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regarding genetics...it is better to have more options than less imo. regarding what is called "white"/Caucasian there seems to be far more genetic variance-diversity within this group than any other. still, it is about individual choice. one should be free to choose what they would like to contribute the the future of the species...and that includes eveyone. freedom of choice...with all options and possibilities considered.
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Zephr
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:31 am Post subject: |
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| chattegris wrote: | | julianameless wrote: |
Michael Jackson has a skin disease that causes him to gradually lose melanin in his skin. I don't think that's a fair example.
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I'm not sure Vitiligo was what caused him to lose the melanin in his skin. In the light of his psychological issues and the countless aesthetic surgeries he underwent, I find this explanation quite hard to believe. |
From my understanding, that usually leaves people with dark and light splotches, and he had his skin bleached to even out the color. I was under the impression that that is part of what got him into cosmetic surgery in the first place.
He's so secretive about everything that I don't really know if that's true or not though.
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chattegris
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:40 am Post subject: |
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| Zephr wrote: | | chattegris wrote: | | julianameless wrote: |
Michael Jackson has a skin disease that causes him to gradually lose melanin in his skin. I don't think that's a fair example.
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I'm not sure Vitiligo was what caused him to lose the melanin in his skin. In the light of his psychological issues and the countless aesthetic surgeries he underwent, I find this explanation quite hard to believe. |
From my understanding, that usually leaves people with dark and light splotches, and he had his skin bleached to even out the color. I was under the impression that that is part of what got him into cosmetic surgery in the first place.
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Yeah, and while he was at it, he probably figured a thinner nose would go better with the lighter skin.
Bad idea.
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Last edited by chattegris on Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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