America is said to be obsessed with beauty and body image, and it has long been argued that the standards of beauty in the US are unnatural and unrealistic. They are allegedly oppressive to women, as well as based on a particular racial standard that many women do not fit into. This, like much of the other chatter we hear with an American accent, is a discussion that occurs in a cultural bubble, so I always find it amusing when attempts are made to square both American and foreign discourse on favorite feminist subjects such as beauty.
I just found an article written for the All-China Women’s Federation which attempts to do just that, and in bringing American Born Chinese (this what Chinese call Chinese Americans) girls’ experiences in China to light, it shows just how strong American cultural (and dietary, evidently) influence can be.
Stephanie Lin and Emerald Chien are fairly typical Chinese American girls. They are healthy, well-educated, and, ermmm, well-fed; especially by Chinese standards. Stephanie and Emerald are students at UCLA, and consider themselves fairly normal at home. In fact, Stephanie wears a size “small” in the US, but in China she was dismayed to find that the labels on the clothes that fit her in China indicated “large.”
Emerald, for her part, was shocked when her Chinese tutor looked her up and down and plainly stated: “you’re fat.” She explained that it was not as mean to call someone fat in China as it is in the US, but actually, she’s not entirely correct — Chinese women dread being fat.
Other Chinese Americans studying in Beijing were “appalled” by the skin whitening products in supermarkets. One Chinese American woman likened their use to racial betrayal, “because skin tone is so much a part of who you are racially.”
Chinese women appear to be blissfully unaware of the concerns of these American students in their midst, celebrating their own idea of beauty, which is epitomized by Miss China World 2007 Zhang Zilin. Ms. Zhang is beautiful by any standard, but the article suggests that her beauty is a typically Chinese kind that Chinese American girls can relate to due to racial affiliation.
However, I think the writer gets it all wrong. The Chinese American girls could not relate to the thin, fair women of their ancestral home. In Chinese society, feminine traits such as delicacy and fair complexion (relative, of course, considering one’s ancestry) are emphasized, whereas American women have rejected both. China still has a strong sense of gender differentiation, even at the level of popular culture. In America, women strive to be darker, don’t mind being large, and are brash, aggressive and loud.
The Chinese American woman who said she felt racially betrayed actually felt betrayed because her American ideals were rejected. It is really no wonder that many American men find East Asia something of a paradise compared to what they left behind.
The Chinese American girls are the ethnic controls who prove that there is something about American culture that causes women to take on masculine traits. The people of China also prove that there was never anything unnatural about standards of beauty, but rather that they are universal.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Justin // Jul 17, 2009 at 9:29 am
I’m not sure, Welmer. The Chinese are still largely agriculturalists, so pale skin is a status sign of leisure. In America, even working women are inside all day, so there is no status signal sent by being pale, the way there used to be. In fact, it is the opposite. Having a good tan is a status sign of wealth and leisure for us.
In America, traditionally feminine ladies are still highly valued, perhaps just not in popular culture. I think a lot of guys don’t realize they are there because they are scooped up in marriage so quickly.
Who do you think it is having all the children today? It ain’t the foul-mouth boy-toy-chasing masculine-trait types. In the religious culture of America, feminine ideals are enjoying something of a renaissance, actually.
As for the chubbiness, that cannot be denied. One of our college-aged exchange students went home to Korea, and her mom literally locked her in the house for 8 weeks until she lost all that weight. However, its just a matter of time: I know the Japanese are already observing a change in the physique of the average woman, demonstrated in the upsizing of their bra and dress sizing.
2 Of No Consequence // Jul 17, 2009 at 6:23 pm
You had children with an Asian woman there in Seattle, didn’t you Welmer?
3 Welmer // Jul 17, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Nope. My “baby-mama” is ethnically pretty much the same as me, except she’s got a little more continental blood (she’s 1/4 Bavarian), whereas I am almost entirely British Isles/Scandinavian, with an inconsequential smidgen of Dutch.
My children are little Nordic angels, in case you were concerned.
But what’s your point?
4 Lukobe // Jul 18, 2009 at 6:55 pm
According to his comment on your “Seattle sucks” post, it’s that “multiple races inhabiting the same territory goes against the natural order.”
5 hel // Aug 25, 2009 at 2:54 am
Agree with the first post, it’s a sign of wealth. I live in Vietnam, with shares a fair bit of culture with China and skin whiteners are everywhere. They’re usually cheap skin bleachers which do damage long term. Even roll on deodorant has whitening stuff in it. Darker farm girls, who’ve spent all day in the fields, are usually considered “ugly” by the locals but are sometimes preferred by the expats, so Vietnamese friends tell me. And it’s rare to see a very pale skinned “model” type dating a foreigner. Western men think they look odd and unnatural and expats are nowhere near as loaded as the local playboys so the girls go for the latter.
6 Demeco // Sep 21, 2009 at 4:55 am
I want to know the best places in china to visit it
7 Welmer // Sep 21, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Best places in China? The list would be pretty long, and it depends on what you’re looking for.
Leave a Comment