Growing up in Canada, Holly Ngan (not her real name) likes to climb trees, ride bicycles and play outside.
Being in the sun has never been a problem for Ngan, who said that he always tan naturally.
"They have never called me only in my life," he said.
The awareness of her skin color changed drastically when she was 10 years old and traveled to Hong Kong with her family to visit relatives during their summer vacation.
One afternoon, cousin Ngan took him on a boat trip. It was a hot and suffocating day, the small cockpit and deck of the boat heated up, but he noticed that most women remained on the boat instead of cooling in the sea.
"All the girls are closed," recalled Ngan, noting his long arms, wide hats and big sunglasses. "My older cousin told me how good and effective the veil was, and that's when I realized how important it is to have pale skin in Chinese culture."
He said he returned to Canada more aware of his tanned skin.
Ngan, who is now 27 years old, has returned to Asia several times in the past few years, traveling through countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and China. He noticed how little he had changed, and that pale skin was still the dominant norm of beauty.
"When I went to China last fall, the women were covered with sleeves and umbrellas while walking in the mountains," Ngan said. "In South Korea, I see so many products to whiten skin care."
In many countries in Asia, advertisements and billboards feature bright skin models that promote products such as whitening creams, tablets, sunscreens, and other related products.
This is good business. The global skin whitening market is worth $ 4,800 million in 2017, according to Global Industry Analysts, and is expected to reach $ 8,900 million by 2027, and Asian countries are important segments.
Euromonitor assessed China's anti-aging skin whitening market at $ 618.8 billion in 2014, while Thailand and Taiwan reached $ 432.2 billion and $ 334 million that year.
A survey by the World Health Organization found that nearly 40% of women surveyed in countries such as China, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea said they regularly used whitening products. In India, 60% of the skin care market consists of bleaching products.
Having white skin is not just a Westerner. In Asia, there is an entrenched cultural idea that connects dark skin with poverty and works in the fields, while pale skin reflects a more comfortable life outside the sun and, therefore, a higher socio-economic level.
In the Philippines, most people have tanned or darker skin, but people prefer lighter skin.
"In supermarkets, there are all corridors dedicated to bleaching products," said Marvie Dela Torre, a 20-year-old student who lives in Quezon City, Philippines. "We have accepted that being white is like being beautiful."
Kosum Omphornuwat, professor of gender and sexuality studies at Thammasat University in Thailand, said: "Achieving white seems to some key women to open the door to opportunities to achieve their best life goals: acceptance, fame, men, money or class mobility".
Today, the idea of becoming paler is still one of Asia's most productive, if not oppressive, ideals.
But do whitening products work?
Dela Torre said her sister used bleach lotions often, but she didn't like it. "There are some products that really work if you use them for a long time, such as whitening lotions that explicitly say it will work if you use it for a month," he said.
But the results may not be perfect. "It makes your skin look white, but it doesn't look natural at all," Dela Torre said. "Some people even experience dangerous side effects, permanently damaging their skin."
Researchers have found many potential health risks with some of these products. A 2017 report from the Frontiers in Public Health research group found that whitening products tested in India contained "very active and potentially dangerous substances," such as hydroquinone, mercury and bleaching chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide. . More than half of the products tested also contain steroids that are harmful to the skin.
In Malaysia, Hasmiza Othman, one of the best known self-taught millionaires in the country, obtained her wealth by selling whitening cosmetics labeled "Qu Puteh," or "I'm white," under her Vida Beauty line.
But it was attacked when some of its beauty whitening products were banned by the health ministries of Brunei and Malaysia because they contained dangerous levels of mercury and hydroquinone, pharmaceutical products that inhibit the formation of melanin and increase the risk of skin cancer if overused
However, health risks like this have not intimidated Malaysians who are always willing to "clarify", popular euphemisms for bleaching, their skin.
While longing for whiter skin remains strong, there are also some rejections. The 2017 announcement by the beauty and health care chain Watsons in Malaysia presents a 15-minute short film, in which a merchant falls in love with the beautiful voice of a mysterious woman, confused by her dark skin. In his climax, he released a dark makeup and, suddenly, from clear skin, married the man.
The announcement surprised the Malays, and many criticized the use of black faces and racial film messages.
In recent years, other ad campaigns have drawn strong reactions to promote the ideal of whiter beauty better.
In 2016, the Thai company, Seoul Secret, announced a tablet to brighten the skin with the slogan "White makes you win", which triggered a strong reaction that forced the company to apologize and leave the campaign.
Elsewhere, other grassroots movements spread reactions to the white ideal.
In the Philippines, viral campaigns on social media #magandangmorenx, or "beautiful dark skin", led by half the Philippines, half black Asian actress Jackson sees young Filipinos using Twitter to demand the end of colorism and demand more diversity in local media .
In Malaysia, the developing #UnfairIsLovely movement is also rooted, pressuring Malaysian women to adopt their natural dark tones.
Experts say that the changes are slow, but these new movements have helped to start more discussion on this issue.
"As a society, we must understand our past and how it affects our present, colonial and imperial past influences our way of thinking about ourselves now," said Brenda Alegre, professor of women's studies at the University of Hong Kong.
He added that discussions in Asia were related to the state and social structure, but the community needed to "challenge these hopes and experiences in media and education".
