It's interesting that women in America flock to the cancer booths (aka tanning beds) like Olympic runners dash for the finish line, while here in Taiwan, women avoid the sun as if the slightest exposure would bring certain death. The American equation for beauty seems to be: skin + brown = beauty. The Taiwanese arithmetic is strikingly different: skin + white = beauty. This picture is just one example of an effort made to maintain whiteness--Molly wrapped every inch of exposed skin in her sarong out of fear of becoming tan.Women here will wear sweaters while hiking, complain that it's too hot (which it certainly is when wearing a sweater), but then refuse to take off the very thing that is making them uncomfortable because doing so would mean exposure to the sun. Contrast this with American thinking, where generally speaking, tan lines are the major concern and women will roll up sleeves to expose as much skin as possible so the whole body becomes darker. Here they have makeup that will make you appear whiter. In America we have lotions that will make you look darker, etcetera, etcetera.
Basically:
As a rule, man's a fool.
When it's hot, he wants it cool.
When it's cool, he wants it hot,
always wanting what it's not
and never wanting what he's got.
Lately I've had a Taywaniese approach toward skins. It could be because I have a class full of leathery, 17 year old cheerleaders. Leathery was not an understatement. Take a look at the hairy part of your finger. Don't be shy, look at it. Also, anyone without fingers, please don't be offended when reading this. Okay, so the skin on the hairy part of your finger is a bit wrinkly yeah? Welp, this is what the faces of these cheerleaders look like. Not big creases, but still some obvious skin damage. And it's not just the cheerleaders, the whole tennis team looks like they have a Costa Rican father. So sad really(btw. I have nothing against Costa Ricans).
ReplyDeleteThese wrinkly faces have inspired me to be more like Molly and wear a sarong everywhere I go. Who knows, I may even try a burka on for size. Ponchos are flatering too. Oh the sun repelling choices! I need SPF 45 just to stay alive. Goodbye.
Also, I love that poem/saying. I want to break my arm so I can get a cast and have lots of attention, but hey, I never get what I want. That was a joke, but I'll probably end up in a wheelchair within the next week as divine punishment for saying something so stupid.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Berry interesting!
ReplyDeleteA wise man once said "I look better with a little color". That wise man was, yes, you guessed it, me! I am American and I be tan.
ReplyDeleteI think this post was meant for me! It's so funny, but everytime I go to the tanning bed, no matter where I'm at....i always think of that time you dropped me and Kaylee off to go tan and you said, "you two have fun getting skin cancer" and you said it in your best chinese accent! I loved it! I hope someday I do not associate beauty with being tan...maybe I should move to Taiwan!
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