Thanks, but I Don’t Need Those Whitening Products

One day I went out with my nice Thai friend. She took me to a Big C in Puthamonthon. It was my first time going to a supermarket in Thailand. I saw a nice booth, it was a Thai brand cosmetic booth. My friend took me there, she told me that they had nice products in that booth. Like a little girl I followed her.

In that booth I bought some cleansing milk and moisturizer, I haven’t become a loyal costumer of Clinique yet at that time. In a sudden my dear friend stared at me. She suggested me another product that she thought would be better for me. So I asked her what made that product better than my choice (indeed she knows all about cosmetic). My friend told me that my skin was too dark so I needed some whitening products for my skin. “Evie, your skin is too dark so it doesn’t look pretty.” she said.

“Ugh…yes. But I am Indonesian, sure I have brown skin. So?” I replied her in confusion. I didn’t know what she was talking about. I reminded her that I was an Indonesian (well still am for sure), so no matter what I would have dark skin. It’s brownie and so what’s the problem?

“But you can have fairer skin and you can be prettier.” my friend insisted. “We have the products, and you have opportunities to have lighter skin. You can try.”

“Well, the thing is I don’t want it. I don’t need it. I am Indonesian. I am Asian. No matter what I would have this brownie skin and I don’t see any problems with it. Moreover there is no way for me applying those products containing mercury on my skin.” I told her stubbornly.

My friend looked at me and got upset.

Even after more than 2 years I still don’t understand her point.

Few weeks after the above shopping, I wanted to have a pair of jeans. My friend (yes the same friend) looked at me. She told me that I was overweight.

“I think you are too big. You are overweight. You should have watched your diet.” my dear friend told me.

I looked at her blankly, indeed I was 10 kilograms lighter than now. “Ugh…thank you, but I am fine with what I am.” I replied her (again) stubbornly.

“Evie, you don’t walk like a lady.” my friend warned me (yeah still the same friend). “You should walk like this.” Then my friend taught me how to walk like a lady. I have to admit she walked in a feminine way. “This is how you should sit. You wear skirt more often so you should sit like this.” Then again my dear friend showed me how to sit like a lady. “You laugh so loud like a horse. A woman doesn’t laugh like that.”

(Pssst but then…she copied my horse-like laughter ^_^)

Can’t a woman be the way she is? Do I have to follow all mainstream ideas on what beauty is? Can’t I be beauty if I do not fit to all these beauty standards? Well…I know that my skin is too dark for mainstream standards (especially when I am in Thailand where girls prefer to have lighter skintone). I am too big with big bums too, even an Adam calls me Bum sometime without relying that his bums are big too (again especially when I am in Thailand where girls are skinny). I know that I have messy wavy hair instead of straight hair. I don’t walk, sit and laugh the way women are expected…so unladylike. So????

Who creates this beauty standard? If I were in Papua then my value is low since I am too skinny and my hair is not curly. The Papuans prefer big girls with curly hair. Hell yeah, these chickadees will get many pigs as dowry. Poor me, I don’t fit in any beauty standard, perhaps I should deconstruct this beauty standard. I would say that pretty chicks are they who can laugh out loud and kick someone’s arse. That would be cool, no?

Why don’t we look at this beauty standard deeper? Ok…lighter skin tone for instance, who would get the advantages? Sure the producers. They produce the products and create the market to make money, big money to be precised. Skinny figure, who would get the advantages? Sure (again) it’s the producers. In this patriarchal society we have certain beauty image, skinny, big boobs, long straight hair, fair skin and so on and so on. How many women take risks to get bigger boobs by having plastic surgery? How many women have eating disorders (sorry can’t say eating problems here even though I know it’s more politically correct) to get skinny figure? How many women get skin cancer because of the mercury that they have applied on their skin? Thanks to these capitalists.

Oh well, after living in Thailand for couple of years I know that there are two things that I want to have if I were rich and have lots of money. The first one is cosmetic manufacture and the second one is chilli farm. I would make lots of money from these two businesses.