We’ve heard of racial discrimination in our society. But there exists a type of pregitism within the Asian community and its called colorism. Colorism is a type of discrimination towards those of darker skin, within the same ethnic culture and race. The color of skin a person has defines who they are; therefore, giving them the perspective of what their economic status is. The darker skin community has been facing an issue with wanting to be; light skin; the desired color. Unfortunately, with today’s world almost everything has a so call “remedy”. Those who yearn for light skin are able to achieve it by bleaching either with creams or surgery treatments. However, these bleaching “remedies” are not always reliable; it can affect the skin and can cause cancer which leads to death. Asian American are affected directly by colorism, and are pressured into following their cultural base of “fair skin”. In Asian communities, skin color is an understanding of their past history. During colonial rule light skin tone was appraised due to the influences of European values that imposed hierarchy based on color. According to Margaret Hunter’s research, Asians perceived their counterparts as “only poor or working people would be dark because they had to work outside as manual laborers” (Hunter3). Those with dark skin tone in Asian communities were therefore identified in poverty and lower status than to their lighter skin counterparts. For many Asian immigrants and Asian Americans this became a struggle for those yearning to be lighter skin and be placed in the higher class. Those with lighter skin are in higher privilege than darker ones, since they have a higher chance of assimilating into the American culture. Usually those of lighter skin have higher education due to the assimilation and access they are given, due to preference of skin color. Pratyusha Tummala-Narra research Richard Lynn’s study that “the lighter the skin of an individual, the greater proportion of white ancestors and hence white genes, predicting a positive association between light skin and intelligence” (Narra3). His research was concluded true, that according to those African American with darker skin scored less on the IQ than those of lighter skin, and resulted back to the ancestral white genes. However, Narra perceives it as a “racialized science that perpetuates social and economic racial hegemony, racial profiling, and racial stereotyping” (Narra4). Lynn’s findings made those off darker skin be in constant reminder of their inferiority due to their skin color. Therefore, benefiting those of lighter skin to see themselves smarter than darker ones, but not as smart as whites. Igor Ryabov researches Asian Americans and their level of attainment in education. His research as shown in this figure: Determines that between Females and Males there were higher percentages of Bachelor attainment in Asians of lighter skin, than those of darker skin. This research shows as to why those of lighter skin are in more privilage. The level of attainment was a lot higher on Asian Americans of lighter skin than darker ones because of the assimilation they get to have than their counterparts of darker skin who can not. Colorism in Asian communities affects majority of places in Southeast Asia like Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand because of their tanned skin tone than those in East Asia which includes Korea, Japan, and China. South Asia and Southeast Asia like, Vietnam and Philippines, were affected by European imperialism and imposed the desire for lighter skin tone in these areas. In Taiwan they also have the standard of beauty and perception that wealthy people are light-skinned, while darker skin are considered lower economic status. Accordingly, to Evelyn Glenn, “Asians are not necessarily seeking to become White. Rather, they report the yearning to be light as a desire to look like rich Asians, and not like Whites" (Glen11). Asians yearning light skin are mistakenly taken as wanting to be white, but their purpose is to fit into the Asian mainstream of wealth and desire. It also affects places like in India, but it is not perceived as higher status, instead it is seen as a higher possibility of marriage. According to Taunya Lovell Banks, “skin lightening products for women in contemporary India (and elsewhere) reflects the connection between concepts of beauty and marriageability for women” (Banks7). Bank states that in India skin color is a desired beauty that can increase the eligible men for lighter skin women than those of darker skin. However, it does not affect their economic class level based on skin. Instead those of lighter skin are in advantage of marriage and are the ideal beauty. Colorism affects all parts of Asia and are now factors of today’s so called ‘solutions’ to lighten skin. Discrimination in colorism have “remedies”, for those who want to achieve lighter skin tone. These remedies are lightening products that presume to solve the discrimination of colorism by whitening a person’s skin. Evelyn Glenn states these treatments of lightening products are “offering special creams, soaps, or lotions, which were either ineffective sham products or else effective but containing highly toxic materials such as mercury or lead” (Glenn4). The lightening products that guarantee to lighten skin have a substantial amount of toxic ingredients that can cause serious damage to the skin and cause skin cancer or other sicknesses. Many of these products are sold all over the world and many people including Asian American are pressured into buying these lightener products to fit into their Asian communities. According to, Evelyn Glen, many commercial products are made by Indian home remedies, and are represented in companies and marketed to Indians around the globe under such names as "fairness cream," "herbal bleach cream," "whitening cream," and "fairness cold cream." (Glenn11). Many of these home remedies, are natural bleaching products made in India, and are in high demand, for the belief that if their natural, they are less toxic. The ideal beauty of skin color affects all parts of Asia and from time before, they had gotten their influences from European colonial times. At those time they invaded Asians countries they had imprinted them the hierarchy that they created separating them by color and more desirable. In different parts of Asia like Japan and Korean women are represented as the ideal Asian beauty since they are of lighter skin color than those in Southeast Asia. Many of the markets of skin lighteners, are formulated by Korean and Japanese companies. Therefore, pressures young females, specifically Asian American, to fit in the Asian culture. Not only are darker Asian American in disadvantage of marriage for not being the desired skin. They are also in constant reminder of their inferiority to their lighter counterparts. As an unfortunate result, Asian Americans undergo treatments to lightening their skin and go through surgery that can risk their life, just so they can fit into their Asian Community. Works Cited
Glenn, E. N. (2008). Yearning for Lightness: Transnational Circuits in the Marketing and Consumption of Skin Lighteners. Gender & Society,22(3), 281-302. doi:10.1177/0891243208316089 Hunter, M. (2007). The persistent problem of colorism: Skin tone, status, and inequality. Sociology Compass, 1(1), 237-254. Taunya Lovell Banks, Colorism Among South Asians: Title VII and Skin Tone Discrimination, 14 Wash. U. Global Stud. L. Rev. 665 (2015), http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_globalstudies/vol14/iss4/11 Tummala-Narra, P. (2007). Skin color and the therapeutic relationship. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 24(2), 255-270. doi:10.1037/0736-9735.24.2.255
0 Comments
Why should undocuments in the US have rights to same education? Undocumented families who cross over to the US, and crossover their babies, do not have their documentation of their own country where they lived. Additionally, nor do they have documentation from the US, when they crossed over. These circumstances affect particularly children who are unsure of where they are really from. Accordingly, to the United States if the persons does not have a visa, or a permanent residence they are considered illegal immigrants and some of them are deported back to their own homes countries. However, when being in their home country they have no documentation and are therefore alienated as well there. |
AuthorI am Leslie Belmontes a student in Asian American Studies. This Blog will emphasize in Racial issues, that occur frequently on daily basis. Archives
December 2016
Categories |