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Cassidy Pham

Professor Broadbent

Writing 39C

23 May 2018

China’s Issue of Colorism: An Obsession With White Skin

Fig 1. Women in China using ‘facekinis,’ a new form of skin protection.

Abstract

Underneath layers of skin creams and sun visors, Chinese women hide their skin in

order to maintain the cultural ideal of beauty. Slathering on products with no care of the

dangers that lurk within the ingredients, the ideal of white skin is that much closer.

China’s adoration of white skin is taking a turn for the worse, as white skin ideals go

past discrimination of others, but also a rejection of one’s self. White skin has been

veneered in China for centuries, as it is an indication of status and wealth: a part of

one’s identity, much like nice clothes and jewelry. This paper will dive into the topic of

white skin adoration and focus on: the causes, the consequences, and the possible

solutions.
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The Presence of Colorism in China: Making Its Way to Mainstream Media

Controversy spread worldwide as a Chinese advertisement was released, letting the

world in to the problem that has been in China for centuries. A Qiaobi laundry detergent

advertisement, which was released in 2016, was put under mainstream media’s

scrutiny, as people around the world pointed out the underlying colorist ideas that were

added crudely within. The ad depicts a

Chinese woman who is approached by a

black man covered in paint; the next scene

is what caused the controversy: as the

Chinese woman sticks the detergent in the

man’s mouth, and shoves him head first

into the washing machine. As the man

Fig 2. Detergent Ad that sparked controversy of racism. sticks his head out, after the wash, he is

now a light-skinned Asian man (Bromwich). Once the ad caught mainstream media

attention, people took notice of the ideals held behind the ad: that light skin was ‘better’

than darker skin. As people saw the connections between the ad and the ideals of

colorism, many began to notice the connotations that underlie the roles of both the black

man and the Asian man. The roles of the males were polarized, as the black male held

connotations like ‘dirty’ or ‘unclean’ whereas the Asian male held connotations like

‘clean’ or ‘pure.’ This advertisement allowed the world to look into the problem that has

held root in China for centuries. The problem of white skin adoration, the ideal that splits

the country to this day, causes colorism in China, the discrimination of people in regards
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to their skin color. White skin adoration also creates a society where people are

rejecting their own identities, to fit into the ideals set out for them.

The Origins of White Skin Adoration in China

White skin adoration has been a part of Chinese culture for centuries, dating back to the

times where China was mainly an agrarian society. Since China was an agrarian

society, that meant most of their people were darker skinned (from working in the fields

all day); the connotation of ‘laborer’ was then attached to the darker skinned people, a

sign of low socioeconomic status. For those who were deemed ‘light skinned,’ they were

typically of higher socioeconomic status; as they conducted business and spent their

leisure time indoors, they prevented their skin from

tanning as they hid away from the sun’s rays (Pan). It

was then, that the distinct differences between the

skin tones took shape, as light skin was deemed to

be ‘more favorable’ by the Chinese and dark skin to

be deemed ‘less favorable.’ As these distinctions

took shape, skin tone became connected to the

identify of a person, just like clothes and jewelry, it

was a connotation for the status of a person (Yeung).

The drasticality can be seen with the paintings done

Fig 3. Portrait of Empress Wu 690-705 A.D on dignitaries and royals of the time, as painters

painted the faces white in order to ensure that their “beauty and status would stand the
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test of time,” since the medium (rice or silk paper) they painted on would darken over

time (Pan).

Other than the cultural factors within that created white skin adoration, Western

influences also created a different version of white skin adoration in China. The

Chinese, separated from Western society, were introduced to Western society and

culture after the Open Door Policy was passed in 1978 (Yeung). Flooded with fashion,

beauty, and mainstream media from Western countries, China began to adopt some of

the ideas that were brought over. With mainstream media, like Western movies, the

Chinese were shown darker skinned people in the connotations of ‘dirty’ or ‘savage,’

and Li, “Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures,” believes is a big reason

why the unfavorable connotations with dark skin are still so prevalent in the minds of the

Chinese. Li also addresses the beauty standards Western advertisements and

companies brought to China, as they show mainly Caucasian or light skinned Asian

models in their advertisements, further idolizing white skin as the ideal.

However, other scholars don’t believe it was because of Western mainstream media

that brought outside influences in regards to white skin adoration, as Pan, “Beautiful

White: An Illumination of Asian Skin-Whitening Culture,” explains how China’s intrigue

with white skin began when China first witnessed the ‘Western conquerors.’ The image

of the light skinned warriors that attempted to take down the 中国 (“ZhongGuo” or

Middle Kingdom, otherwise known as China) were always fascinating to Chinese

people; traders and colonizers from Europe, as well as Mongols and other light skinned

conquerors, China was interested in the very people that tried to conquer over them.

Compared to the belief of the West, where tanned skin represents youth, China is the
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opposite as their representation of youth comes from the admiration of the light skinned

pallor of those conquerors who tried to make their way through China.

The Effects of White Skin Adoration in China

White skin adoration creates an opportunity for colorism, the discrimination of a person

by their skin color. As white skin is more venerated, dark skin is less desired; the fact

that Chinese associate beauty, wealth, and high social status with white skin makes

dark skin associated with the opposites of those characteristics. Colorism can be seen

in many places around China, one specifically being the marriage markets. Marriage

markets, otherwise known as BaiFaXiangQin, are popular places where parents literally

market their children off for marriage, as they

meet potential suitors and look through

hundreds of posters that line the walls (Wong).

White skin adoration comes to play as many

suitors look at appearance first: posture, way of

dress, jewelry, and skin color. Trying to

maximize their chances, women pursue the milk

Fig 4. Ad for Skin Whitening Cream in China. white skin to “stand out in a competitive job and

marriage market (Pan).”

White skin adoration in China draws consequences way farther than just colorism, as

the ideal is so prevalent in lives of Chinese women, it causes them to reject their own

identities in order for them to conform to the expectations that are set for them. Before

modern cosmetic products, women took drastic measures to achieve the pale white
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pallor, as they “swallowed crushed pearls (Naidoo)” or “appl[ied] chalk onto their skin

(Yeung).” Though drastic, women of that time only had the

pressures of others and themselves to worry about,

whereas with modern-day women, they have to constantly

compare themselves with the models on the billboards as

well. Beauty companies that specialize in skin whitening

create a new pressure for women, as they make profit off

of the ideal that has women reject their own identities.

Striving to be light skinned, most women around China pull

products off the shelves, buying into the ads of ‘pearl ’

Fig 5. Chart of Skin-Care Sales in China white,’ or ‘milk white, skin.

Although most of the consequences of white skin adoration affect women in China, the

ideal can even affect their male counterparts in more subtle ways in the same

categories.

How Colorism Should Be Solved: The View of Others

There are many different ways to try and fight the problem of colorism in China: fighting

the cause (adoration of white skin), fighting the pressures (Chinese society as a whole,

and the beauty industry), or fighting the discrimination itself (the mistreatment of people

because of their skin color).

In 1956, the International Labor Organization (ILO) proposed a convention, Convention

No. 111, where jobs would not be able to discriminate based on race, sex, skin color,

and religion. Although China has passed this convention since 2006, it hasn’t stopped
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everyday colorism and discrimination that occurs in China, a problem that can’t be dealt

with using just legislation. Although this solution has an easy way of being able to cover

all citizens of China, it is not feasible as a solution given that it can’t be maintained in

everyday life. If it were to be maintained, it would require a lot of people to enforce and

would be very expensive. This solution, although great theoretically, is not capable of

maintaining its laws in everyday life in a country with other a billion citizens.

Dove, through their international campaign “Campaign for Real Beauty,” hit the

billboards across China with pictures of real women of differing shades and body

shapes. Dove wanted to implement their body positivity statement across all of their

consumer bases, as they first implemented them in the US and Europe. Although their

campaign succeeded in different countries in the West, China didn’t mesh as well with

the advertisements, with surveys that asked, “Fat or Fabulous,” coming back with

answers ‘fat,’ along with the extra added effort to put ‘and ugly’ (Pan).

Dove tried to rebrand the campaign, believing the issue was that they didn’t have a

Chinese model, and republished ads around China with real Chinese women, neither

photoshopped or airbrushed. This tactic also failed, as the Chinese women surveyed

believed they could achieve the look of a model (who is typically airbrushed and

photoshopped) through hard work. “You are your own enemy (Pan),” are words that run

through the heads of Chinese women, who have just as many internal pressures, as

they do external pressures, to look a certain way.

Dove Takes One Final Try to Break Through China’s Ideals: My Solution
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My proposed solution is one of Dove’s campaign directions: to advertise their

“Campaign for Real Beauty” through the popular television show “Ugly Wudi,” the

Chinese version of “Ugly Betty.” Reaching out to “Ugly Wudi,” Dove worked with the

producers to implement and advertise their campaign message; through proper

placement and coordination, Dove’s one storyline spanned two episodes and “was able

double the value of their original investment,” stated Bush, “Dove Finds Perfect Match in

China’s ‘Ugly Betty’”. Through this method, they reached millions of viewers and spread

their message of ‘real beauty’ for more than two weeks on one of China’s most popular

television channels, Hunan. Through their coordination with “Ugly Wudi,” they managed

to find a way to mesh both their consumers’ interests, as well as further their campaign

in the expression of real beauty.

The reason I believe this solution is the best is because of the feasibility of this solution,

although it is against many big beauty brands in the direction it is going in, it has had

great reactions with the Chinese audience (the first from many different tries). Dove had

success in more than one category, as their profits from advertising through “Ugly Wudi”

allowed them to make four times the value compared to the same amount of traditional

ads (Bush). It also reached a larger audience, as the message of Dove’s real beauty

campaign increased by 40% generally (Fowler); it does have its drawbacks though, as

“Ugly Wudi” is a television show, some of the more rural areas in China wouldn’t even

know about the campaign. It addresses the white skin adoration problem as it

counteracts the obstacle of big beauty companies taking advantage of the white skin

ideal, as they aren’t advertising for white skin, but against it. It also addresses a

consequence of the white skin ideal, how women are rejecting their self identities in
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order to achieve the ideal, by creating a campaign that embraces all types of beauty:

real beauty.

The problem of white skin adoration is much too large to get rid of, as it has many

different layers that are incorporated into Chinese culture. It is a hugely historical part of

Chinese culture, and cannot be changed or removed so easily by awareness

campaigns or simple solutions of the like; however, I do believe through breaking the

mold that China has left itself in for centuries, one can find different ways to break free

from the ideals and expectations made in a time so unlike the present.

Although Dove’s campaign works in order to spread the message of self-acceptance,

and that there are different forms of beauty that don’t necessarily fall within the ideal of

the Chinese, it is just a temporary solution. This solution is meant to spread awareness

to women around China who struggle through the ideals and expectations set out

before them, and also a great way to challenge the message sent out by beauty

companies throughout China: that white skin is the ideal skin color. This solution

marries both: a part of a solution to an obstacle, and also a part of a solution to a

consequence. My solution, though it may not reach everyone or affect everyone, its

creative way of advertisement will captivate those that watch it, hopefully also affecting

the thoughts of those around them as well.

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Annotated Bibliography

Bromwich, Jonah. “Chinese Detergent Ad Draws Charges of Racism.” The New

York Times, 27 May 2016,

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/world/asia/chinese-detergent-ad-race-

qiaobi.html.

Bromwich talks of the very controversial advertisement made by Qiaobi laundry

detergent, which takes a very drastic and racially controversial approach to

advertise their product. Through the very apparent racial discrimination in the ad,

of a black male pushed into a washer to reveal a light skinned Asian male

afterwards, many people stood up against Qiaobi. People took to social media to

explain the colorism that affects China to the present-day, that has spanned

centuries from when China was mainly an agrarian society.

Bush, Michael. “Dove Finds Perfect Match In China’s ‘Ugly Betty’.” AdAge, 28

May 2009, http://adage.com/article/media/festival-media-case-study-dove-china-

s-ugly-betty/136902/

Bush talks of the Dove campaign in China, noting the big focus on ‘real beauty.’

After failing to connect with their Chinese consumer base when faced with

models that weren’t ‘supermodel’-shaped, Dove took their advertisements to

television. Looking into ‘Ugly Wudi,’ Dove wanted to make use of the theme the

television show portrayed, one of true beauty. Implementing their name,

programs, and various products, Dove raised their sales as well as publicity for a

fraction of the cost they would have needed to buy the same amount of time
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outside of the television show. Dove was awarded the Best Use of Content, by

the Festival of Media in Spain 2009.

“Equality and non-Discrimination at Work in East Asia and Southeast Asia.”

International Labor Organization, 2015.

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@asia/@ro-bangkok/@sro-

bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_178415.pdf

The ILO developed and proposed Convention No. 111 that China has taken into

law and action since 2006. This booklet talks of the different situations and

examples that are covered under ‘the rights to equal treatment and equal

opportunities,’ regardless of race, sex, religion, skin tone, and disability. This

guide was specifically written for the workers in East and South East Asia.

Fowler, Geoffrey. “Unilever Gives ‘Ugly Betty’ A Product-Plug Makeover in

China.” The Wall Street Journal, 29 Dec 2008,

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123051038411338387.

Fowler talks of Dove’s campaign with “Ugly Wudi” and their successes. Fowler

mentions the smart tactics the Dove implemented within the show to maximize

advertising without pulling away from the main concept. Through their efforts they

ended up increasing sales, increasing general knowledge of their company and

campaign, as well as creating four times the value of advertisement with less

money than it would take for traditional advertisements.

Fuller, Thomas. “A Vision of Pale Beauty Carries Risks for Asia’s Women.” The

New York Times, 14 May 2016,

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/world/asia/14thailand.html.
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Fuller talks of the effects skin whitening can have on many people who can’t

afford proper treatments, or don’t know what types of skin whitening products are

bad for them. He talked of the background of skin whitening, stemming from the

cultural backgrounds of Asian countries, but also the colonialism of Western

countries. Skin whitening is such a big thing in Asia that people are ridiculed for

having dark skin, “ [with] one common insult is tua dam, or black body. Less

common but more evocative is dam tap pet, or black like a duck's liver.” Since

‘whiteness’ is one of the main physical features Asian women want to change

about themselves, many women resort to ‘bootleg creams’ that damage their

faces and skin, just to fit the expectations of whiteness. Fuller tells of a story

where a woman, who unknowingly used a bootleg cream, developed

leukoderma, eventually losing her job from her being ‘unsightly.’ The reason the

story is significant is when she went on television to tell her story: they advertised

a skin whitening cream right before she talked of her unfortunate experience with

skin whitening.

Jones, Trina. “The Significance of Skin Color in Asian and Asian-American

Communities: Initial Reflections.” UC Irvine Law Review, 2013,

https://scholarship.law.uci.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1108&context=ucilr.

Jones argues in her research that skin color discrimination affects more than just

African Americans. With the main focus on the how Asians and Asian Americans

are also affected by the colorism, she tries to bring light to an expansion of

research as she states, “... by understanding and discussing the ways in which

race, language, national origin, and skin color are used to divide people of
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color—both in this country and elsewhere—we can thwart these outcomes and

preserve the possibility of building coalitions across communities of color….” She

explains how having a lighter skin complexion is deemed as better, as it makes

your socioeconomic status seem higher, whereas if you were a darker

complexion, you were seen as a laborer or poor. She also touches on the topic

of ‘honorary white’ Asians, and ‘collectively black’ Asians, that stem from her

argument that skin color changes the way people are treated.

Li, Eric, et al. “Skin Lightening and Beauty in Four Asian Cultures.” Association

for Consumer Research, Jan 2008,

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283857701_Skin_lightening_and_beaut

y_in_four_Asian_cultures.

Li addresses the problem of skin whitening as a form of racism, or racialization,

in today’s culture, but also explains of the history of it before the ideas of ‘white

privilege’ reached the the ears and minds of Asian societies. He talks of how

many Asian communities treat ‘whiteness’ as a form of beauty in their women,

sometimes affecting their “...marital prospects, job prospects, social status, and

earning potential.” Li then begins to describe the impact of Westernization on

each of the Asian cultures of ‘whiteness:’ from when Western culture (fashion,

movies, etc.) first came to each country (Japan, China, Korea), and how it

affected the way they reacted to skin color and skin care. Through his research

of skin whitening ads, most, if not all, portrayed good skin to be white, clear, with

small pores, whereas bad skin was portrayed as dark, wrinkles, and ashy. The

discrepancies between skin color stem further than locally, as global ads focused
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their ads on ‘attaining Western beauty’ with Caucasian models, or global ‘local’

stars. Li concludes his argument with the statement that skin whitening products

both empower and disempower Asian women, allowing them to separate

themselves from the harsh patriarchal society they live in, but also to succumb to

the social norms in order to be accepted.

Naidoo, Levashni, et al. “A Fairer Face, a Fairer Tomorrow? A Review of Skin

Lighteners.” Cosmetics, vol. 3, iss. 3, Sep 2016, http://www.mdpi.com/2079-

9284/3/3/33/htm.

Naidoo talks of their research regarding skin whitening, through the background,

politicalization, and the advertisement of it. They bring about the issues of skin

whitening, as they believe it’s a form of colorism and empowers white privilege.

Through their descriptions of white skin adoration stemming from either cultural,

religious, or outside influences, Naidoo brings a full picture as to why Asia is so

enamored with white skin. As they continue, they expand their topic to cover how

it is advertised, and politicized, stemming the issue back to colorism.

Pan, Elysia. “Beautiful White: An Illumination of Asian Skin-Whitening Culture.”

Duke University, Apr 2013,

https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/7559/Elysia%20P

an%2C%20Beautiful%20White.pdf?sequence=1.

Pan talks of the strong background of the skin-whitening culture that China has,

from the agrarian society which first stemmed the socioeconomic rift between

skin colors, to the interest the Chinese had on the white skinned Westerners that

would try to overtake the Middle Kingdom. She develops her argument about
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how skin-whitening is a form of classism and colorism, through the

discriminations held against those that are darker skinned, like lower job and

marriage prospects. She also talks of how skin-whitening, the consumer-driven

business, was first started, and how they appealed to their consumers; Pan

brings up many different issues on how the skin-whitening economy utilized the

ideals of the Chinese, and formulated new ways to stay on top of the game, in

order to continue to grow its basis.

Wong, Wei Mei. "Finding 'Love' in China: An Overview of Chinese Marriage

Markets (BaiFaXiangQin) ." Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse, 12 Jun 2014.

http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=946

Wong talks of the Chinese Marriage Markets that span different areas across

China, detailing the financial and cultural reasons that these markets exist. From

the filial piety that creates a situation in which children take care of their parents,

to their parents worrying that their child will become a ‘leftover,’ China’s marriage

market makes its way as a form of matchmaking done entirely by the parents.

First impressions mean a lot, as many suitors look at appearances, such as:

jewelry, skin tone, way of dress, and posture, to indicate if they would like to

marry their child off to that person. With parents breathing down their backs, as

well as the fear of being leftover, women feel the need to marry quickly, meaning

having to take care of appearances and ‘assets’ to look marriageable.

Yeung, Evelyn. “White and Beautiful: An Examination of Skin Whitening

Practices and Female Empowerment in China.” On Our Terms: The

Undergraduate Journal of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard

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College Vol. 3, Iss. 1, 2015, Pp. 35-47

https://onourterms.barnard.edu/article/white-and-beautiful/

Yeung develops her ideas on consumerism shin whiteners by explaining the

significance it plays on the culture of contemporary China. She talks of the strong

history behind the notion that white skin is better than dark skin, noting that elites

were connected with white skin as laborers were connected to dark skin. Skin

tone became a part of a person’s identity, notifying others of their status as

clothes and hairstyle would. Yeung talks of the importance skin whiteners play,

as they make up ⅓ of skin products sold in China, as well as continues the elite

status that is attached to white skin. On top of the consequences it portrays on

the culture, it is also not well-regulated, as many physicians and beauty

companies aren’t checking the ingredients within the products, allowing harmful

substances to spread across country through normalized skin care products.