radiantsuns:

okay so @soulsoaker reminded me about how egregious skincare culture is in asia. speaking as an indian-american, i’ve borne witness to how entrenched colorism is in south asia and across the diaspora. skincare culture is obviously commodified thanks to capitalism and globalization. it’s yet another facet of compulsory femininity. throw colorism into the mix and you have the booming skin bleaching industries in south, southeast, and east asia. ever heard of “fair and lovely? it’s the brand that mainly south-asian (and southeast asian) women use to lighten their skin. let me reiterate: there is a skin lightening industry. it’s not just about blemishes or dark spots. it is about bleaching your skin. it’s incredibly hilarious to me that liberal feminists on here preach about how skincare culture is a completely infallible, good thing / not that deep / fun / not as bad as makeup culture or that it’s “misogynistic” to criticize it when, as an asian woman, i’ve always known skincare as something tied to skin tone and color, and a woman’s worth tied to her skin color. skincare is absolutely politicized and to pretend that people’s obsession with rosewater or mango juice or egg yolks or whatever slathered onto their skin is somehow isolated from all of this is petty folly and ignorance. 

taking care of your skin is important but skincare culture does not emphasize the health benefits of skincare at all, it emphasizes image and conformity and is part of a broader pattern of women’s pain and need to perform femininity/beauty for survival. and for asian women in particular, it is hellish.