I was describing to my friend Karen the complete and utter freedom that I've been enjoying since my enrichment year began in January. She suggested I take advantage of this opportunity and attend some of those lectures that universities like to hold to broaden the horizons of its students and scholars.
On Monday, I attended a lecture by Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor Evelyn Nakano Glenn. She gave a lecture called "Yearning for Lightness". It was about how light skin has become a sign of increased social status both between racial groups AND within racial groups. She said this is for three reasons:
1. Colonialism - Here she gave the example of how Ghandi apparently tried to wash his skin lighter when he was a child so he could look more like the British colonists.
2. Global Capital - I think here she is talking about the global distribution of wealth, and the dissemination of the Western standard of beauty by the Western media.
3. Indigenous Standards - It is possible that many cultures thought pale skin was beautiful even before colonialism or global capitalism.
Apparently, the market for skin lightening products is a huge. Ever notice how Miss India is usually pretty light skinned? Among the African-American community the common euphemism is to "even out" one's skin tone. They're shooting for a Halle Berry skin tone.
From what I know of my own culture, we value pale skin as well.
I guess what I wonder is whether white people created this standard of beauty or whether most cultures already valued 'white' features, and that white people just got lucky.
Methinks the answer lies twixt the two.
Oh, and in other news, I went to choir for the first time in a long time.
It's good to be back.
1 comment:
The ridiculousness that I find amusing is that white people are always obsessed with getting tans...
Grass is always greener, I guess?
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