The Martlet

As a child, looking into the mirror was intriguing and exciting. As a university student, I avoid mirrors. It seems that many of us are searching for qualities others possess instead of appreciating our own.

In Asian countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia and China, people are dying to be light-skinned. This desire stems from ancient days, when a white complexion was seen as aristocratic and noble. While the peasants baked in the rice fields under scorching sun-rays, the rich stayed indoors. The saying “one white covers up three ugliness” has been passed down for generations. Geisha girls powdered their faces chalk-white. This obsession has not faded. A survey conducted in 2002 showed that two-thirds of men prefer fairer skin in Hong Kong. Almost half of Asians aged 25 to 34 years used skin whiteners in the same year. It is to no surprise that cosmetic companies want to keep this lucrative obsession booming in spite of the fact that, in 2000, a medical test found many of these whitening cosmetic products were tainted with mercury.

Glossy magazines, billboards and advertisements throughout Asia sends out erroneous messages that white is beautiful and dark or yellow is ugly. “I try hard to make my skin white,” said Hilda Chu, 18, a student in Taiwan, in a 2009 Global Post article. “If my skin is lighter, I will be happier because I think I look good.”

There are laser treatments, creams, surgeries and pills to lighten skin colour. Canadians might be shocked at this, but are we so different?

We share the same obsession, but for a different colour. Westerners often like being tanned. A tan means you can afford to take vacations to sunny climates like the beach, symbolizing wealth. Conversely, Asian women carry umbrellas on sunny days to avoid browning. Artificial tanning booths with UV rays can be harmful. Sunless tanning pills containing canthaxanthin, a colour additive, can be unsafe and cause liver damage when taken in large amounts.

The answer to this skin-altering madness is to throw the media rule-book out the window. Take a careful look at yourself — not in the mirror — and reflect on your accomplishments, personality, health and goals.

If you despise the fact that the sun turns you into a red tomato, then find something else to admire about yourself. If you’re tempted to spend your money on skin-altering treatments, think again. Think of all the money many of us spend on artificial products. If we spent that money on natural produce, it would nourish our bodies and improve our overall health.

Appreciate your body, block out what media defines as beauty and set goals that actually benefit your future. Beauty isn’t skin-deep, after all — it’s layered and more complex than a two-dimensional billboard tells us it is.