But it seems as if the rest of the world wants to.
Here in Blighty the average woman spends 78% of her income on tanning products and skin stuff. It's true, I read it in the paper, the one that also said 98% of all statistics are wrong.
White skinned women spend a vasts sums of money, time and effort on trying to look darker. There are tanning salons, there are products to make skin darker, moisturisers that do the job and fake tans galore. I have been told, not that I've seen them myself of course, that there are even mens' moisturisers available that add a certain dark suntanned look to the man's skin.
In Sri Lanka half, maybe even 50% of the women, want to look lighter.
"My her skin's lovely and fair no?"
Being light skinned, or at least light in skin tone, is seen as attractive. The TV and press are full of adverts for skin lightening products and the like. Recently in Sri Lanka I saw an Indian TV ad for a mens' moisturiser that makes the skin lighter. It was centred around some Indian chaps in a changing room, packed full of testosterone and mens' things. Our hero insists on using the skin lightening moisturiser rather than the "normal" one offerred to him by a friend.
It makes me wonder if everyone's trying to get to the same colour. Perhaps in several generations' time, if the Human race hasn't gone the way of other extinct species like the Dodo and the honest politician, there'll only be one colour of skin available on the market. As we move around the world, settle and breed with the natives perhaps we'll end up with one race, a mixture of every race before.
If it all goes well and Darwin's thing about survival of the fittest is correct then this super race might have the efficiency of the Germans, the friendliness of the Danes, the sexiness of the French, the diplomacy of the Swiss, the drive of the Japanese, the hospitality of the Sri Lankans and the culture of the British.
And every person would be about the same colour. The Indians, Sri Lankans and other Asian types would have spent generations' of wealth on skin lightening products and would all be about four shades lighter than today's lot. The whiteys would have spent so much money and effort on holidays and tanning products, as well as some serious interbreeding with us Sri Lankans, that they would all be about four shades darker.
And that colour, well there's no easy easy or pleasant way to put it, but it would be the colour of Italians.
Can you imagine?
Sri Lanka’s Ingenuity paradox
2 weeks ago
9 comments:
I quote the great Russell Peters. He says, if we as mankind survive for another couple of centuries, all of us will end us beige. One billion Indians, two billion Chinese. We're bound to sleep with either eventually.
But building up on what you said? Will we be like Indians, Black people, or Horse-Mosquitos?
"As we move around the world, settle and breed with the natives perhaps we'll end up with one race, a mixture of every race before." -- A really nice thought RD.
"If it all goes well and Darwin's thing about survival of the fittest is correct then this super race might have the efficiency of the Germans, the friendliness of the Danes, the sexiness of the French, the diplomacy of the Swiss, the drive of the Japanese, the hospitality of the Sri Lankans and the culture of the British." -- Even better!!!!
Haha, great post. Never been a fan of the whole "fairer is better" mentality. I have light skin myself but I have a best friend who went through school not believing us when we said she was gorgeous because she was very dark.
And now she is a model, being approached by agencies in Milan. It's ridiculous.
I think we'd all be better off looking the same. Think of how many tiresome racial issues it'd solve too... :P
That's a very interesting way to put it. I've always found it funny that "the grass is greener" applies to skin tones as well.
Have you ever read Arthur C. Clarke's Reunion?
The final line has stuck with me for ages since I read it - you could find a pdf here.
Dinidu - I think each race would get "diluted" so we'd definitely end up like that beige that Mr Peters talks about. "Horse mosquito" - I've never heard of such a thing!
6 - Thanks for the comment. I'm not sure that we'd be better off if we all looked the same, life would be pretty dull like that wouldn't it?
Dulan - Thanks, I may check out that book to see.
Well R,
I was sorta hoping we'd all be hot.
And then life would NEVER be dull.
6
haha to me the best line of the post is "way of other extinct species like the Dodo and the honest politician,"
wonderfully put.
Go Russell Peters!
Was referring to this http://dinidudealwis.com/?p=247 :P
Dinidu - I know!
It took me a long time to accept this (about myself that is!) but there is absolutely nothing wrong with being dark! :)
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