Yesterday I saw a bus wrap that advertised this:
Fairness Wipe-Off Lotion. It claims to "Lift off dead cells to lighten skin tone. Fairer skin in just minutes. Measure and See!" When I saw this ad, I immediately thought of a traveling exhibit created by the American Anthropological Association titled RACE: Are We So Different? that questions our modern concept of race. One of the questions raised through this exhibit is:Can skin color and hair texture determine a person's value in the world?
I find this topic of skin and hair interesting. While I've been here in Singapore, I've been working on my fabulous tan (that will fade within one week of being in the US). Why is my concept of beautiful wrapped up in being tan? Conversely, why is the Singaporean concept of beautiful centered around being fair skinned?
On Monday, I got my hair done at Kimage, a local hairdressing school. My hairdresser Lee received special directions on how to cut my Western fro from her instructor. Several other students gathered around, learning how to cut my hair. After my cut, Lee blow dried my hair into a frizzy ball. I indicated that I would like my hair straightened. Straight? "Do you straighten your hair often?" she asked, somewhat disapprovingly. She liked the body and curl in my hair but I prefer it nice and straight.
Here is the end product:
It lasted about three minutes in this Singaporean tropical climate=)
On the subject of beauty, I love Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty that advocates for "purity" in advertisements and products.
It lasted about three minutes in this Singaporean tropical climate=)
2 comments:
Your hair is very cute! I heard about the Dove champion... I think it's so great.
I remember going to the Philippines with my dad and spent time laying out while the locals would cover their hair and faces while out in the sun. They thought I was more beautiful pre-tan. It always seems like the grass is greener on the other side...we think beauty is what the other person has. Very interesting!
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