Tanning habits – does the skin colour show how rich/poor you are?
There is this kind of thing probably for all the people around the world that we just always want what we do not have. Tanning habits are there too.
Those with darker skin want it whiter and vice versa.
I personally think I look better when I am tan, so each time I can get some tan I try to (but I cannot stand sunbathing unless I am in the water every 10 minutes). When my face is tan, I hardly ever use any make-up, not even for the eyes which is the only thing I use for my face usually. I even feel better when suntan.
And most of the Europeans feel the same way I guess. We always go on holidays and without a tan we just cannot come back home. In Europe having a nice tan means we are not poor as we have time and money to go on holidays somewhere hot and sunbathe.
And then I went to Mexico in March 2011. There I realized for the first time that our European preconceived notion of ”tan means good” is exactly the opposite in some countries. Like I said, for the first time I saw it in Mexico where all the white people were richer and those very tan belonged to a lower class. Even in all the telenovelas you see the hacienda owners being those of light skin and those working for them are of darker skin.
Then, I remember before I went to Thailand for the first time in the end of September 2011, I saw a post Johnny wrote about buying sunscreen in Asia and he said you could buy only sunscreen lotions with whitening effect in Thailand. I had no idea about it and I was happy I read it because I could buy the sunscreen lotion in Slovakia before visiting Thailand.
And when I came to Thailand, I got to see it was true. Shops were full of whitening body lotions and sunscreens. If you use sunscreen with betacarotene (like I used to before I started using 100% raw organic vegetable oils only), forget about getting one in Thailand. Mission impossible.
my sunscreen lotion with betacarotene
I saw the same thing in the Philippines afterwards. Even my friends were using whitening cosmetics and almost anything you could imagine was available also with whitening effect in the Philippines. Was I the only one trying to get tan in there?
People who do not travel are not really aware of this different habit and notion of what being tan means in different countries. I remembered it now again as we just had a conversation with my mom about it during our holidays in Egypt.
In our hotel there were 2 groups of people: Europeans and Arabs. The Europeans were at the pool and the beach since after breakfast and were leaving in the afternoon, I mean staying at the sun and sunbathing during the worst midday heat just to return from the vacations with a cool tan. And then the Arabs were lost during the day and all appeared in the water after 4pm when the sun was not strong any more. And I never saw an Arab person on a sunbed trying to get more tan. Yes, these were the rich light-skinned Arabs on holidays, while those of darker skin were working in the hotel.
You see, different countries, different habits, even tanning habits. And yes, you are right! I came back from holidays in Egypt with a better tan than I came there with.
sunbathing in Egypt
Abid
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Hey sun-seekers! Let’s talk about the age-old misconception that skin color determines your wealth status. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t! Whether you’re rocking a sun-kissed glow or embracing your natural shade, richness comes from confidence, not complexion.
How to make travel enjoyable - Najlepšie blogy
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[…] are so many different habits, such as tanning habits, or other interesting things they do in Mexico that I’ve noticed on my […]
Sandip Maharjan via Facebook
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I hab heard about this stuff
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Izy Berry:
Exactly … this is very silly :) But I guess it would be boring if we were happy with what we have :D
Izy Berry
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We ALWAYS want what we don’t have – people are so silly.
In Asia it means you’re rich if you’re white because you don’t have to be in the fields working all the time.
Leslie
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You can buy non-whitening SPF sunscreen in Thailand– so no need to buy before visiting. But they have a ton of whitening products. The US is like Europe in that the tan look is popular. We have tanning/bronzing lotions whereas SE Asia has the same products for whitening.
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Michelle:
Michelle, you are right. None of the extremes is good I think, nor too tan, nor too whitened. And I saw some women with a very whitened face which did not look nice.
Michelle
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I was warned about buying any sort of creams or sunscreen before coming to Thailand because they might have whitening chemicals in it….
Lo and behold, there are tons of women walking the streets who have clearly used chemicals to whiten their faces to a completely unnatural hue. It can ruin their complexion sometimes but generally just looks ridiculous to me. It’s interesting just how a society’s concept of “beauty” can differ so widely across cultures.
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Micamyx|Senyorita:
Hahah honey, I saw you were forcing yourself to use them :D
Micamyx|Senyorita
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But I don’t really use them :)) sorry, had to point out that one much LOL
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Andreas Moser:
People from Slovakia do NOT get skin cancer. I never go to sun without sunblock and never sunbathe unless I am in the water and cannot avoid the sunbeams. I do get tan very fast, just after 1 hour.
Andreas Moser
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Good luck with the skin cancer!
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Micamyx|Senyorita:
I know Mica, I saw so many whitening cosmetics in your house :) I do use sunblock too though, just not the one with whitening effect :D
Micamyx|Senyorita
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I remember my mom now. We used to really fight just because of whitening lotions :P She wants me to apply regularly, but I am just too lazy. She frowns everytime she sees me with darker skin after beach trips. I do apply sunblock though to protect my skin since getting sunburnt can be physically draining.
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Gerard ~ GQ trippin:
Yeah, I thought in Vietnam it would be the same … I just mentioned the countries I visited as I was sure about them … Each time I come home to Slovakia without a tan, people ask me what happened haha
Gerard ~ GQ trippin
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Same thing goes for Vietnam. Being dark skinned equates to poor outdoor working laborers. My mom always lectures me when she notices me getting a little tanned. #le sigh
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Ada | Adaphobic Travelogue:
I do not blame you :) I would love to have skin like you do, Ada :)
Ada | Adaphobic Travelogue
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I am guilty of this lol. I have lots of whitening products just to maintain the fairness of my skin, but since I’ve met my fiance (an american), he loves my dark skin tone and so I stopped using it for his sake haha.
Blaine Zuver via Facebook
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Rich in North America and Europe, Poor in Asia ( except for Westerners).