Alice Walker's Use Of Colorism In Advertising

A lit up billboard in the center of Seoul features a woman with minimal makeup. Her hair tied is tied back, exposing her V-line jaw and dewy skin; her small lips open up to the slightest smile. “Laneige White Plus Renew Skin Refiner, the #1 best selling skin whitener in Korea,” the billboard reads. The most noticeable thing about this ad is how blindingly white the woman’s skin is; it almost looks like snow. Many are unaware that ads like these perpetuate the beauty standard that white skin is beautiful, and dark is not. This view is widely seen as colorist. Alice Walker coined the term “colorism” in 1982 and the term delves deeper than just the favoritism for paler skin (Norwood 9) Alice Walker, according to Norwood, defines colorism as

the prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color (9). Although paleness equated to wealth centuries ago, the notion is more complex today. Even after the colonial era, Li argues, the attempt to homogenize skin color was futile and it further distinguished people with darker skin as “other” (444). Stemming from ancient times, colorism forces people with dark skin to struggle by taking away privileges, such as job opportunities, and giving them to people with light skin.
Colorism is a troubling condition that is not a very controversial subject in Asia. The preference for light skin is so strong that it is common for people to wear ski masks to the beach in order to avoid the sun’s rays. People in Asia are bombarded with magazine advertisements and TV commercials proclaiming the benefits of white skin, promising beauty, happiness, and success, while sending subtle messages that dark skin is unattractive. Skin lightening is extremely common in all of Asia, and is a major effect from the rampant colorism in Asia. In East Asia alone, 46% of Chinese, 47% of people in Hong Kong, 46% of Taiwanese, 29% of Korean, and 24% of Japanese people admitted to using skin lighteners during the previous year, according to a 2007 Nielsen survey. (Jones 1117) There has not been any campaigns to spread awareness in this region, either. In South Asia, however, there have been a small number of campaigns, such as the Dark Is Beautiful campaign, started by activist Kavitha Emmanuel. This campaign is an awareness campaign that seeks to draw attention to the unjust effects of skin color bias as well as to celebrate the beauty and diversity of all skin tones. (Dark Is Beautiful Blogspot) Campaigns such as Dark Is Beautiful have slowly been gaining attention, but have hardly been able to make a dent to the $18 billion skin lightening industry in Asia.
The troubling condition of colorism in East Asia stems back to Ancient China and Japan. During these times, a white complexion was associated with high social and economic class, and dark skin was associated with low class, manual labor and unintelligence. The rich were able to stay indoors and avoid the sun, keeping their skin pale, while the peasants worked outdoors in the fields, the sun darkening their skin. This ideal soon spread to other Asian countries, such as Korea, Thailand, and Cambodia.In Korea, “flawless skin like jade” has always been preferred since the first dynasty (Li, 444). Li also states that China has deemed white skin as a “symbol of beauty,” while India considered it as a “mark of class and caste as well as an asset” (444). Before it was seen as the epitome of beauty, light skin was a sign of wealth and aristocracy. Saraswati explains that in Southeast Asia, “only those rich enough could traditionally afford to stay indoors, while peasants baked in the rice fields” (28). Hierarchies played an important role in Asian societies, and as Saraswati discussed, it separated these populations into two distinct groups: rich and poor. The richer, lighter individuals had more privileges than the poorer, darker skinned workers. Craven and Goon argued that in Asia, “white skin had always been a marker of ‘privilege’” (6). In Indonesia, darker skin was commonly associated with the term “malu,” equivalent to shame, and “dark-skinned people are deemed as undesirable” (Saraswati 116, 120). The way they are described gives whiter skin a positive connotation, while darker shades are negative. In Asian countries that were once colonized by Europeans, like Indians, Vietnamese, or Filipinos, light skin tone is valued because of the European values enforced by the colonial regime. The Europeans’ light skin, as well as their facial features, culture, and languages, were considered high status and desirable. As a result, people who are tanner are treated based on stereotypes that harmfully associate with their skin. Skin tones have been a prominent part of Asian societies and were used as an indicator between the wealthy and the poor. Today, however, skin color is often considered an essential component in the beauty ideal.
Many Asians believe that the lighter your skin, the better your life will be.

As mentioned before, dark skinned people are seen as lower class and unintelligent, whereas “business people are the lighter-skinned ones, more intelligent, more ethical and morally superior” (Rondilla and Spickard, 48). Employers are more likely to hire paler people because they view them as more trustworthy, intelligent, and attractive, while they view dark skin the opposite way. Job aspects are much higher for those with lighter skin. It is particularly important for women on the job hunt because of “the relationship between skin color and perceptions of attractiveness” (Hunter, 241). Hunter even discusses that in employment, “negotiations over salary and benefits may be tainted by colorism” (241). The color of an individual’s skin can affect how much they are “worth” and the value of their “skills may be affected by [their] appearance” (Hunter, 241). This ties in with the stereotypes that are associated with darker people. Ugly and lazy are often attached to people with darker skin, and that impacts their life in more ways than just beauty. Colorism especially affects women in Asian countries where women have little opportunities and dependence, because many of them view light skin as an important asset on the marriage market. For women, “there is a global preference for light-skinned females, which…has an impact in…the case of selecting a romantic or marriage partner” (Orbe and Harris, 183).

Men who are not conventionally attractive, but have wealth, education, and other forms of human capital may still be considered desirable, while women who are considered beautiful may still be desirable, despite lacking in other places.
Because owners of big businesses that sell skin lighteners push the fair skin standard of beauty, people may feel that they should take some responsibility for the rampant colorism that plagues Asia. Ridiculous ads, such as the Fair and Lovely commercials, portray dark skinned people, specifically women, as miserable, unintelligent, and unattractive. When those women use their skin lightening products, their lives magically improve. In a commercial from Fair and Lovely, one of, if not the biggest, skin whitening brands in South Asia, a woman has trouble finding a job after graduating college; she laments with a sad look on her face, “before my fourth interview, I realized the obstacle to obtain my dream job was my skin.” At the end of the commercial, this woman is a smiling, lighter skinned news anchor and an attractive man smiles at her and tells her she did a good job. These types of advertisements from these big skin lightening businesses push the idea that white skin is the key to finding beauty and success, while dark skin is what is undesirable and ugly. The government elites in the countries of Asia do not do much to stop these blatantly offensive ads, either. In 2003, the Malaysian-Indian congress was petitioned to scrutinize advertisements to make sure they don’t oversell their products and distort their messages, but since then, no action has been taken by them to stop these blatantly offensive ads. (STARTV Focus Asia) These skin lightening products not only hold social and cultural implications, but they are packed with harmful chemicals. Many skin lighteners made in different parts of Asia contain toxic chemicals such as mercury -- up to 30,000 parts per million. (Gabler and Roe) This may cause blurred vision, trouble walking, organ failure, and death. Despite all of the risks, skin lighteners remain popular in Asia thanks to the obsession with white skin that the elite and big businesses continue to perpetuate. Because of this negative portrayal of people with dark skin and the inaction of the government and the skin lightening industry to stop it, colorism remains prominent in many parts of Asia and even puts people’s lives at risk.
After so many years of colorism in Asia, one would expect that the preference for light skin to be diminished, but it has not. It is still, and will remain, as prominent and strong as it was centuries ago because it has been socialized into beauty and success in life. The desire for whiter skin is enforced in Asian people’s everyday lives through movies, advertisements, cosmetics, and more. Even if people come together to try and change that mindset, there is no doubt that the multi billion dollar skin lightening industry will be incredibly difficult to tear down. In China alone, whitening products comprise a whopping 71% of the skincare market and continues to grow annually. (Tan 1) David Tan writes, “Since the 1970s, Asia has been the fastest growing sector in the global skin-lightening market. Asia is a lucrative market with high-growth potential because of a rising middle-class with increasing disposable income and centuries-old entrenched cultural impressions of beauty.” (1) With Asia’s skin whitening industry already making up $18 billion, the global skin whitening industry is ever growing and projected to grow into a $20 billion business by 2018. (Negishi) As the desire for white skin persists, the more the skin lightening industry continues to grow. As the skin lightening industry grows, colorism remains firm and strong in Asia’s culture.
Originating from ancient times, the light skin beauty standard has been ingrained in the cultures of all of the countries of Asia due to being associated with high class and power, and because of European ideals.

Today, Asians with lighter skin are given more opportunities to excel in life compared to their darker skinned counterparts, such as more job opportunities, better housing, and more favorability in the marriage market. Unfortunately, this condition shows no signs of stopping. Skin whitening, the biggest effect of colorism in Asia, continues to grow annually, despite the social and cultural implications, as well as the health risks. Colorism in Asia remains a big troubling condition today and continues to hold great significance in the everyday lives of nearly everyone living in Asia, and will most likely stay relevant for a long

time.