# Why do dark-skinned people want to be white and viceverse?



## Reili

I've always wondered why lot of dark-skinned people are not happy they way they are and spend lot of money   in dyes, green or blue contact lenses and whitening skin lotions? and why lot of white people adore tanned skin and expose to the sun wanting become dark-skinned?


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## Merlin

Reili said:
			
		

> I've always wondered why lot of dark-skinned people are not happy they way they are and spend lot of money in dyes, green or blue contact lenses and whitening skin lotions? and why lot of white people adore tanned skin and expose to the sun wanting become dark-skinned?


My first guess is descrimination. Most people judge others by thier complexion. And to be "in" with the latest trend is my second guess. Here in the Philippines, I see a lot of foreigners (mostly white people) stay under the sun along the shoreline of beaches. Sunbathing I mean...  Well, just my idea. Just a reminder. Too much of something is bad. I like mine (complexion) the way it is.


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## Honeylhanz

Reili said:
			
		

> I've always wondered why lot of dark-skinned people are not happy they way they are and spend lot of money in dyes, green or blue contact lenses and whitening skin lotions? and why lot of white people adore tanned skin and expose to the sun wanting become dark-skinned?


*merlin is right! because of discrimination   and also some people meddle the complexion others for having dark-skinned  . probably they just dont know that the real beauty lies on the eye of a beholder  . for me, you can see the real beauty of an individual if you are black (dark-skinned).  *


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## Reili

But  women are who frequently dyed their hair in blonde and get green contact lenses, but unfortunately they just look too fake... I think it would be better if they emphazise in positive aspects in their physique.


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## Merlin

Reili said:
			
		

> But women are who frequently dyed their hair in blonde and get green contact lenses, but unfortunately they just look too fake... I think it would be better if they emphazise in positive aspects in their physique.


Absolutely true!!! Why don't they just cherish what they have? Be yourself. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


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## Reili

Also Pond's Co. has launched a product to whitening skin!


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## f_zadi

Those lightening creams have been around for a long time. I agree, I don't find it attractive when darker skinned women use "lightening" technques, orange/blond hair, pinkish make up on olive complexions. 

Of course in LA we get the opposite too, fake tans with orange skin as a result.


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## JazzByChas

Honeylhanz said:
			
		

> ...* the real beauty lies on the eye of a beholder  ... *


 
I must say that I find beauty in diversity. I think diversity is the spice of life. If everyone looked the same, then this world would be a boring place. People of any color (male or female) can be very attractive. But even then, the perception of beauty is very subjective. 

As for discrimination, this is one of the oldest vices on earth...there will always be hatred for other people based upon prejudice...and this is a sad thing. The only thing I would not like about another person is a lack of character.

Jazz.


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## Ahlex

yes I agree with everyone's opinion about people not being contented of their color,maybe that is why there were many products for whitening skin that are being advertised.  

Just like this product called "magic cream " being sold here in our work place by one of my co-workers ...well as what I have noticed that the product is real good and effective why I say so its because there were many girls who really order for it again and again even it cost high.... ummm these cream really brings magic to them, I'm still thinking if I myself would also purchase one  for me to experience the magic....... 


well folks if being white or being tan will make you feel beautiful and will give you satisfaction well go for it.... 

kudos


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## chica11

Hello:
"for me, you can see the real beauty of an individual if you are black (dark-skinned). " 
Honeylhanz can you explain this quote to me I am confused.  It's the if you are black (dark-skinned) part that I am confused about.  Thanks in advance!

"The grass is always greener on the otherside of the fence"-people seem to always want they don't have and think what they don't have is somehow better.  If you have blonde hair, you want dark hair and vice a versa, curly hair you want straight hair and vice a versa. The list goes on...
I am of course talking about women, I don't believe guys think this way but I don't know!


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## mayita

Also could be for fashion reasons that you get another hair color.  No just because you want to be someone else.......


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## Mei

Reili said:
			
		

> I've always wondered why lot of dark-skinned people are not happy they way they are and spend lot of money in dyes, green or blue contact lenses and whitening skin lotions? and why lot of white people adore tanned skin and expose to the sun wanting become dark-skinned?


 
I think that we want what we don't have, so.

Saludos

Mei


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## marygg

Mei said:
			
		

> I think that we want what we don't have, so.
> 
> Saludos
> 
> Mei


 
You took the words out of my mouth... that is simple, I don't think that this have something to do with discrimination, it's about fashion and maybe envy too.
But I don't think men understand...


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## Honeylhanz

chica11 said:
			
		

> Hello:
> "for me, you can see the real beauty of an individual if you are black (dark-skinned). "
> Honeylhanz can you explain this quote to me I am confused. It's the if you are black (dark-skinned) part that I am confused about. Thanks in advance!


It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.


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## Merlin

Originally Posted by *Honeylhanz*
_...* the real beauty lies on the eye of a beholder  ... *_




			
				JazzByChas said:
			
		

> I must say that I find beauty in diversity. I think diversity is the spice of life. If everyone looked the same, then this world would be a boring place. People of any color (male or female) can be very attractive. But even then, the perception of beauty is very subjective.


 That's why it is said "that beauty is in the eye of the beholder" You may find a person beautiful but not for others. Regardless of what people say that you don't look good, there's always another side where people see the real beauty. That's why I believe that being natural or being yourself is the best thing to do. Simplicity is beauty. You don't have to exaggerate the way you look. Especially if it's obviously fake.


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## nahash

Hi there! 

 Well,everyone wants to beautiful and wants to have changes in their physical aspect,its their own wants and like .Descrimination is also one of the reason why people tend to change their image looks .With this topic ,me too has a dark skin and im also eager to lighten my dark complexion ,its because i want to enhance/develop the beauty  that God gave to me.Everyone has a reason why people do these changes in their image .They just want to improve what they have  .Some just want to experience the feeling of having dark skin and vice-versa .These may include the color of the hair, eyes   and also their style .We are at our modern generation and theres a lot of competition.


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## chica11

It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.

Uh HoneylHanz, who said this above Crap/BS? 

To move on-dark skinned people might want to have whiter features and skin not only for fashion reasons (a big part of it) but also because on a general whole white people are treated better in this world.  I probably making a wide generalization but I would also guess and I could be wrong, that even dark skinned people with very caucasian features tend to have it better than those who don't.  
As for white people-the thing about tanning started years ago.  It used to be that being tanned meant that you were out working the fields and therefore came from a low class.  Then it changed and being tanned meant that you had time to sun bathe and go on vacation instead of working in a dark factory.  Of course with the whole in the Ozone Layer and skin cancer I don't know why anyone would just want to sunbathe for hours.


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## odelotj

> But women are who frequently dyed their hair in blonde and get green contact lenses, but unfortunately they just look too fake... I think it would be better if they emphazise in positive aspects in their physique.


 


> I am of course talking about women, I don't believe guys think this way but I don't know!


 
What's going on with segregating the women in this? Maybe it's just a Southern California phenomenon, but we have lots of men dying their hair, getting streaks and highlights, wearing fake color contacts. Sure, it's not as pervasive as with the women, but it happens often enough to have received a new classification, I'm talking about the "Metrosexual men" of course, as they are called here. Men who take increasing amounts of time on their hair, their grooming, their clothes, etc. 

Anyway, my take on why everyone sees more women doing it? Women have more social pressure to fit into an idealized picture of beauty. I know it's an old battle, but girls (young girls) are _still_ fighting with this pressure, at school and with boys. At least 90% of the famous people (women) are rediculously small, often weighing 100 pounds or less. Look at examples of actresses that were getting very little work, and are all of a sudden are much more famous, getting many more roles because they dropped a lot of weight. The one that comes to mind most is Brittany Murphy. Anyway, I'm all for looking your best, but if you have to go through surgery or the like to look your best, well, that's just not how you were meant to look.

As far as dying your hair, sometimes people do it because they get bored with the way they look and are just trying out something different. Look at all these makeover shows we have in the EEUU, I mean, TV is constantly telling you to look better, b/c then everyone will like you more, or you'll get more dates, or whatever. Well I say, if someone doesn't want to date me for who I am, the good the bad and everything else, well, I wouldn't want to date someone that superficial anyway.


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## Honeylhanz

> [Originally Posted by *Honeylhanz*]It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.


 


> [Originally Posted by *chica11*]
> Uh HoneylHanz, who said this above Crap/BS?


 
_*that is why*_ *the real beauty lies on the eye of a beholder.  what is beautiful for me might not be beautiful for others.  this is just my opinion.  *
*why do other people make things complicated. all peoples or everybody shall be treated fair in this world.  *


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## nahash

chica11 said:
			
		

> It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.
> 
> Uh HoneylHanz, who said this above Crap/BS?
> 
> To move on-dark skinned people might want to have whiter features and skin not only for fashion reasons (a big part of it) but also because on a general whole white people are treated better in this world. I probably making a wide generalization but I would also guess and I could be wrong, that even dark skinned people with very caucasian features tend to have it better than those who don't.
> As for white people-the thing about tanning started years ago. It used to be that being tanned meant that you were out working the fields and therefore came from a low class. Then it changed and being tanned meant that you had time to sun bathe and go on vacation instead of working in a dark factory. Of course with the whole in the Ozone Layer and skin cancer I don't know why anyone would just want to sunbathe for hours.


 

hi there! 
All of us has our own mistakes,beliefs and understanding,well maybe we just misinterpret what are the opinion and ideas of others about it.With this topic let's just focus on the interest why people want to change their image or style/Why dark-skinned ppl wanna be white and viceverse?There are a lot of reasons why people want to change the color of their skin,it's not in general whether you have white or dark skin,we came from different races and tribes,normally we have different complexion,there are white,dark and fair complexion,in this world everyone treated equally,we dont measure success by the color of the skin,if that's really your color then we can't do anything about it unless if you like to tan it or be dark or whiten it then its your own choice,the matter here is the likeness of an individual why they want to be white and white wants to be dark or it's their choice to enhance their color.


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## monay

most important is to believe in yourself in whatever you do and in what you have. trust yourself guys.... 

for me...., I'AM IS WHAT I'AM AND I DON'T PRETEND OF WHAT I'AM NOT. 

god bless you all.....


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## Honeylhanz

you are right nahash  beside the opinion of a certain person to a certain topic is not a crap / BS. we are entitled to our own opinion.


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## chica11

Honeylhanz you probably didn't understand me.  I said that the people who believe that being whiter makes you 80% more attractive and being black makes you 80% less attractive are in my opinion saying something prejudicial and I think they are quite wrong.  It is crap to say that.  

Now, I didn't think YOU actually said that or anything because I assume from your posts that you wouldn't say something of that nature.  I hope you are not someone who would say something like that.


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## Honeylhanz

chica11 said:
			
		

> Now, I didn't think YOU actually said that or anything because I assume from your posts that you wouldn't say something of that nature. I hope you are not someone who would say something like that.


no i'm not chica11. well, i'm just human and i'm not perfect. it's just an opinion and i don't want to hurt someones feelings.
thanks. lol


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## chica11

See, I knew you were just repeating what other people have said or commented on.  That's what I originally thought!!


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## mari.kit

hi...
well, it only shows people are not connented on what they are or what they have..(that's everyones' opinion.) No matter how the ad says "be whitier in 2 weeks" i believe it still depend from the person's skin or if it has a reaction that is favorable. But what if it turned out to be otherwise, tsk,tsk,tsk  big trouble!


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## Reili

What about Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea...? who imitates who?


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## Honeylhanz

well you thought it wrong. i'm not repeating what other people say's and when i wrote that i didn't mean to hurt other feelings. it is my believe and my own opinion regarding "Why dark-skinned ppl wanna be white and viceverse?". i said that because what is beautiful to me might not be beautiful to others.


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## Acrid_NXS

JazzByChas said:
			
		

> I must say that I find beauty in diversity. I think diversity is the spice of life. If everyone looked the same, then this world would be a boring place. People of any color (male or female) can be very attractive. But even then, the perception of beauty is very subjective.
> 
> As for discrimination, this is one of the oldest vices on earth...there will always be hatred for other people based upon prejudice...and this is a sad thing. The only thing I would not like about another person is a lack of character.
> 
> Jazz.



I agree with you Jazz. Physical beauty is not important. What matters most is the beauty within.


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## JazzByChas

Well said, Acrid...beauty is best found within.


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## chica11

well you thought wrong. i'm not repeating what other people say and when i wrote that i didn't mean to hurt other people's feelings. it is my belief and my own opinion regarding "Why dark-skinned ppl wanna be white and viceverse?". i said that because what is beautiful to me might not be beautiful to others.

HoneylHanz, I made tiny corrections your response, I hope you don't mind!!

I have a feeling there is miscommunication between us, because of language issues. You never answered my original question or statement which was, Do you believe being white makes you more attractive and dark less attractive? I ask only because the 80% statement you wrote, essentially states that white people are more attractive than darker people. That's all.


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## Reili

Quienes hacen comerciales de televisión consideran que la gente blanca es la más bella, nada más osbservemos los comerciales de todo lo que tenga que ver con bebés y cosméticos.


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## luar

When Europeans conquered our land, the first thing they did was to impose their culture: religion, language, customs and, of course, their standards of beauty. Nowadays we are still been dominated by powerful countries that impose their values, and give us the message that how we look it is just unattractive. We, in response, might choose to disagree, and decide to stand-up and value our physical appearance. On the contrary, we also have the option to become an ally of the dominant culture, and then look forward to be just like the “masters”. This is just one aspect of the problem. I believe that the issue goes a little bit deeper. It really does not matter if we are blonde or brunette, tall or short, thin or fat; we have been trained to believe that there is always something wrong with us. We are educated to feel unhappy about how we look, and how we are even in the inside. 


			
				Reili said:
			
		

> Quienes hacen comerciales de televisión consideran que la gente blanca es la más bella, nada más osbservemos los comerciales de todo lo que tenga que ver con bebés y cosméticos.


Yes, that it true. It is a business strategy: "We are going to produce magical potions that could transform you in one of us. Of course, you would have to pay for them".


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## Reili

Luars, it's very interesting what you said.  Barbie doll it's just another example about the "only stantard beauty", just lately to hide it a little they've started making brunette dolls.


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## JazzByChas

luar said:
			
		

> When Europeans conquered our land, the first thing they did was to impose their culture: religion, language, customs and, of course, their standards of beauty. Nowadays we are still been dominated by powerful countries that impose their values, and give us the message that how we look it is just unattractive. We, in response, might choose to disagree, and decide to stand-up and value our physical appearance. On the contrary, we also have the option to become an ally of the dominant culture, and then look forward to be just like the “masters”. This is just one aspect of the problem. I believe that the issue goes a little bit deeper. It really does not matter if we are blonde or brunette, tall or short, thin or fat; we have been trained to believe that there is always something wrong with us. We are educated to feel unhappy about how we look, and how we are even in the inside.


 
You know, in the United States of (North) America, where there are now many different cultures represented, and not just Europeans, the culture, and media are starting to change the notion of the sole worth of the dominant culture [traditionally European]. I am very encouraged by this. We see Asians, Latins, Arabs, Africans and Europeans represented in the media. What I find interesting, if not a bit ironic, is that there are now some non-Europeans with European last names, and vice versa.


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## odelotj

> beauty is best found within.


 by Jazz

What about that movie with Jim Carey, where his character says "That's just something ugly people say"  LOL!  Sorry, hope no one takes it wrongly, just traying to add a little humor.


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## JazzByChas

odelotj said:
			
		

> by Jazz
> 
> What about that movie with Jim Carey, where his character says "That's just something ugly people say" LOL! Sorry, hope no one takes it wrongly, just traying to add a little humor.


 
Well, "ugly" again, is in the eye of the beholder...and since "ugly" is rather subjective on a superficial level, I would say that this "ugly" refers to being ugly within...i.e. insecure, mean, antisocial, hateful, and the like...


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## odelotj

Wouldn't it be nice if that's what the writters of the script thought, but considering it came out of Hollywood (Hollyweird for some of us locals) I doubt it.  On a more personal note, I agree with your post Jazz


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## JazzByChas

odelotj said:
			
		

> Wouldn't it be nice if that's what the writters of the script thought, but considering it came out of Hollywood (Hollyweird for some of us locals) I doubt it. On a more personal note, I agree with your post Jazz


 
You are right, I'm sure, Odelo...I am being optimistic...but from "HollyWeird" one can only assume the most base interpretation of anything.


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## Reili

However nowdays I've heard that lot of teenagers admire latin music stars like Ricky Martin and Shakira (who unfortunately  dyed her hair in blonde, she looked more beautiful with dark hair)


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## luar

JazzByChas said:
			
		

> Well, "ugly" again, is in the eye of the beholder...and since "ugly" is rather subjective on a superficial level, I would say that this "ugly" refers to being ugly within...i.e. insecure, mean, antisocial, hateful, and the like...


 I encourage you guys to check this link: http://www.missouri.edu/~aab2b3/Bright.beautiful.pdf#search='correlation%20beauty% 20and%20intelligence. If do not have time to read the whole article, just read sections 2.1 and 2.2.


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## luar

Reili said:
			
		

> However nowdays I've heard that lot of teenagers admire latin music stars like Ricky Martin and Shakira (who unfortunately  dyed her hair in blonde, she looked more beautiful with *dark* hair)


 
You did not use the word black, but I am going to use your post to make a point. Who would like to have something black in her/his body? Just pay attention to how we use the word black in Spanish:
Suerte negra: mala suerte 
Ese hombre tiene el corazón negro: haciendo referencia una persona con malos sentimientos 
Gato negro: mensajero de desdicha
Practicante de magia negra: quien invoca poderes malignos

The "whiter" you are the better.


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## JazzByChas

luar said:
			
		

> I encourage you guys to check this link: http://www.missouri.edu/~aab2b3/Bright.beautiful.pdf#search='correlation%20beauty% 20and%20intelligence. If do not have time to read the whole article, just read sections 2.1 and 2.2.


 
Btw, I think that article is a bunch of hooey...malarkey...propaganda. If "beautiful people" are more intelligent, then a lot of geniuses over the years and centuries must not have been intelligent..

I need dignify that no more....


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## JazzByChas

luar said:
			
		

> You did not use the word black, but I am going to use your post to make a point. Who would like to have something black in her/his body? Just pay attention to how we use the word black in Spanish:
> Suerte negra: mala suerte
> Ese hombre tiene el corazón negro: haciendo referencia una persona con malos sentimientos
> Gato negro: mensajero de desdicha
> Practicante de magia negra: quien invoca poderes malignos
> 
> The "whiter" you are the better.


 
Although I am aware that "black" has a lot of negative connotations, like black magic and "white" magic being its opposite, this really has nothing to do with the color, or the color of the people in consideration.  I need only reiterate that true "beauty" comes from within, and evil (people) can appear in all varieties.


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## dawn-ccino

I guess it all comes down to the fact that some people can never really be contented with what they were born with. I said 'some' people precisely becoz I don't want to generalize it, which is what the author or whatever term it is you call the person who wrote this, is doing. Not everyone in feels this way, although I must admit that the majority does have this perception. Now, why are most people not contented with what they have? (skin color in particular) I blame it all on the media, what else could it be? The media (especially here in the Philippines) has bombarded our screens with foreign soaps. Most of the movies being shown here are foreign (a huge majority of these films are western). Most of our actors and actresses are either imported or half-breeds (can I say that?) or just really, really mestizo. Even our candidates for international beauty pageants are mestizas, and they'r supposed to represent our countries! I mean, could you really blame the people fo having this mentality?


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## Outsider

dawn-ccino said:


> Most of our actors and actresses are either imported or half-breeds (can I say that?) or just really, really mestizo.


I think that "half-breed" is normally only used for animals. "Mixed" is better.


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## natasha2000

Mei said:


> I think that we want what we don't have, so.
> 
> Saludos
> 
> Mei


 


marygg said:


> You took the words out of my mouth... that is simple, I don't think that this have something to do with discrimination, it's about fashion and maybe envy too.
> But I don't think men understand...


Even though I agree with May and Marygg, I mut add that sometimes whitening is done because of racial reasons.. 
But now I don't want to talk about these kind of reasons. Yes. Not only skin color is in queston, but everything else. Even within the same race - and the race who is the most unsatisfied with its appearance is precisely the white one: Those with curly hair try to make it straight, those with straight hair sigh for curls... Those with brown eyes want green ones, those with green ones want blue ones and those with blue ones want dark eyes... Short people want to be tall, tall ones want to be shorter. Women with big breasts long for small breasts and those with small ones go to the plastics and make them bigger... We spend so much time on the beach and in solariums to wipe away our skin's clarity, etc... I think it is not as much about the races as it is about the very same human being... Human being was made to be unsatisfied with what he has, and to long for what he doesn't have...



Honeylhanz said:


> It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.


 
Whoever said this, he is wrong. I will deliberatly *not* assume this was said as a rasist claim, but only as an esthetic conviction. And as far as the esthetics is concerned, one thing is sure - it is very subjective thing. Nevertheless, there were and are people who are said to be very beautiful in all the world, and they for sure are not ALBINO people (which would be the only ones with 100% of whiteness ). Anyway, I vote for naturality. IF you're black, black is beautiful. If you are yellow, it is also beautiful, and if you are white, it also can be beautiful. Each one in its special way. The most important thing is TO LOVE YOURSELF. When you love yourself, you'll be beautiful to the others, too. 
I don't think that it is good to try to be someone else. Look Michael Jackson... He was a such a cute kid and teenager... And now he doesn't even look like a human being...

Do you know the Aesop's story about the frog that wanted to be like a bull? Do you know what happened to her at the end?


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## divina

Honeylhanz said:


> _*that is why*_ *the real beauty lies on the eye of a beholder.  what is beautiful for me might not be beautiful for others.  this is just my opinion.  *
> *why do other people make things complicated. all peoples or everybody shall be treated fair in this world.  *



How'd you come up with "80%"? LOL @ the math...


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## maxiogee

Has anyone here who is struggling with the 80% concept *thought* about it? Rather than laugh it off, or deride it, have you wondered about where it might have come from?

I could well imagine that most white people would see beauty in another white person sooner than in a black person. I would not be surprised to see that reflected in figures of 80:20 — and, of course, vice versa, black people are possibly more likely to see beauty in other black people. We do tend to mate and marry people of similar colour, even when others are available.

Rather than outright dismissal, a little thought about things which challenge our preconceptions can be highly instructive.


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## Me-the-daydreamer

Hello. I'm probably the youngest one who made a reply because i'm 16. I for a matter of fact dark-not very very dark like damn whee is she dark but dark enough to be labled by anyone who see's me "dark." well, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, sure... but when your young and you yourself think your very beautiful and sexy as hell and all these people are calling you ugly and such what else are you supposed to think. i know your supposed to have confidence and faith in yourself and love yourself, all that good stuff but how can one do that when people aren't giving you a chance to do so. It's crazy. Just my opinion but being Dark-skinned is way worse off than being just a regular black person. there's no way you can get away with proposing yourself as anything else.  Just my opinion.


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## TRG

I don't know that dark skinned people what to be lighter skinned as a general rule. I suppose some do, but I'm not the person to ask. As for why light skinned people want to be brown, it is simple. A good tan is a sign of health a vitality so it makes you look sexier. Yes, that's it- SEX! Everyone, at least almost everyone, wants to be sexually attractive and getting tanned is just one of the things we do to that end. And I suppose that being sexually attractive just makes one feel good. What did you think it was about?


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## Bridgita

natasha2000 said:


> Even though I agree with May and Marygg, I mut add that sometimes whitening is done because of racial reasons..
> But now I don't want to talk about these kind of reasons. Yes. Not only skin color is in queston, but everything else. Even within the same race - and the race who is the most unsatisfied with its appearance is precisely *the white one*: Those with curly hair try to make it straight, those with straight hair sigh for curls... Those with brown eyes want green ones, those with green ones want blue ones and those with blue ones want dark eyes... Short people want to be tall, tall ones want to be shorter. Women with big breasts long for small breasts and those with small ones go to the plastics and make them bigger... We spend so much time on the beach and in solariums to wipe away our skin's clarity, etc... I think it is not as much about the races as it is about the very same human being... Human being was made to be unsatisfied with what he has, and to long for what he doesn't have...
> 
> What are you suggesting here, that white people are most unhappy with their appearance?  I'm *white* and I'm perfectly fine with my skin, I don't like the sun too much because I don't want to get wrinkles, I love my dark curly hair, green eyes, and short stature and I'm sure that there are MANY other white people who are perfectly happy with their *WHITE* skin.  I think that's quite a generalized statement.
> 
> 
> . Anyway, I vote for naturality. IF you're black, black is beautiful. If you are yellow, it is also beautiful, and if you are white, it also *can* be beautiful.
> 
> I don't know if I'm looking at this the wrong way, but it seems like you're implying that Yellow=great, black=great  . . white----CAN be great--like is the bottom of the barrel, the other two are always beautiful, but not white.


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## Poetic Device

chica11 said:


> It is said that the whiteness of a person adds 80% to her beauty, which means that if a white person becomes black, her beauty decreases by 80% too.
> 
> But look at Michael Jackson, where does he stand in that equation?


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## GEmatt

Someone once labelled Michael Jackson as "the black boy who turned into a white woman."  
I agree mostly with chica11's earlier post, that:


> dark skinned people might want to have whiter features and skin not only for fashion reasons (a big part of it) but also because on a general whole white people are treated better in this world (...) even dark skinned people with very caucasian features tend to have it better than those who don't (..) As for white people-the thing about tanning started years ago. It used to be that being tanned meant that you were out working the fields and therefore came from a low class. Then it changed and being tanned meant that you had *time* *to sun bathe and go on vacation* instead of working in a dark factory.


(my bold type).
More than just time, I think it was about having the _money_ to do so. I'm not sure I agree with the post about it being "about sex"; that might be a later development, ever since having enough money to lie on a beach stopped being the exclusive domain of white folks. And I suspect that good, hard cash is generally more attractive than a suntan.


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## Poetic Device

As far as the tanning comments are concerned:

I can't remember who said it, but someone said that a tan is healthy or looks healthy...  Isn't a tan basically just a boatload of dead skin cells?  Isn't it actually *unhealthy*?


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## GEmatt

I think too much of anything can be unhealthy, Poetic Device. The melanin released in the skin due to a suntan has health benefits, too.

Apart from that, isn't the subject of the thread a bit odd? (By the way, it's "vice vers*a*".) I don't believe that dark-skinned people who engage in any kind of skin-lightening or hair-relaxing want to actually be "white", any more than lighter-skinned people who perm their hair and inhabit beaches and solariums dream of being "black".

If anything, I suspect (in my idealistic little world) that both groups are heading toward an "in-between" perception of what is attractive, i.e. something that combines elements of both lighter and darker ancestry (I hate those words, but can't think of anything better). It has been posited before that, in time, we'll all be mixed-race anyway, so isn't this sort of behaviour more the shape of things to come, than an expression of wealth or vanity?


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## Poetic Device

I thought that when the author said "vice versa" they meant dress wear as well as skin pigment.  I am constantly seeing white men and boys dressing up like a stereotypical black ghetto thug.


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## Kajjo

Reili said:


> I've always wondered why lot of dark-skinned people are not happy they way they are and spend lot of money   in dyes, green or blue contact lenses and whitening skin lotions? and why lot of white people adore tanned skin and expose to the sun wanting become dark-skinned?


Dark-skinned people: I don't know, because the issue does not occur in Germany. If the lightening would be successful, I would guess dark-skinned people try to escape from discrimination issues. However, it seems that the treatment is cosmetically unsuccessful in this regard. So maybe it is just fashion?

Light-skinned people: They do not want to get black at all. They associate tanned skin with health, youth. This association is in part wrong (due to the adverse effects of sun bathing), but very pale and light complexion _may _look unhealthy, too, because this is the skin color resulting from several illnesses and people who have to stay in bed.

Kajjo


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