Through the centuries, in majority of eastern countries having a pale skin was a symbol of wealth, authority and mostly beauty. The reason behind that is really apparent: people in needs and simple citizens were working desperately for living, and all that effortness was happening under the sun. Consequently, they tanned and it was more than obvious that they were from working class. In contrast, emperor and his family did not do any requiring outdoor-standing work, so they were pale as vampires in urban legends.
Those terrible tradition did not disappear in our days; it just was interpreted into the new part of long-listed beauty standarts in East. Now, people – and, unfortunately, mostly women – in such countries as China, Korea and etc. are trying to whiten their skin, using suspiciously cheap creams and other controversial products. Additionally, some of them are even for oral consuming. Their low cost alludes to the really poor quality, which may be extremely dangerous for health. Production of that creams is targeting of poor people, who would do anything to fit their culture’s beauty standarts. And the scariest thing is that, in fact, very big percentage of people would risk their health for that.
Fact of existing such toxic beauty standart is already unhealthy for mental condition of people – and let me repeat myself, mostly these people are females. Beauty standarts for them are more strick than for men, and given “white skin is a beauty” requirement is commonly known as part of women beaty standart.
This toxic tradition is appearing in such widespread field as k-pop. Idols in mentioned industry are coerced to pale their skin, and such tendency has gained his popularity after 00’s. Before and while 2000’s idols were normally tanned.
I do not know why people started degrade, since this standart should have been disappear over centuries ago. But we should be determined to clear our world from beauty requirements, especially if they are damaging out health – both physical and mental.