First of all, HUGE numbers of people are attracted to wide ranges of skin colors (me, for example). Don't let a few narrow-minded people get you down.
But to answer your question, white skin became the "ideal" simply because white skin was associated with success.
I would posit that the climates that white people lived in necessitated agriculture in order to sustain life comfortably (tropical areas, where people are naturally darker, tended to have more abundant food naturally). Agriculture allowed civilizations to be stable for much longer periods of time, which then allowed the smarter/gifted thinkers leisure time to solve problems and develop technology, art, writing, math, medicine, etc. rather than hunt or farm. Wars accelerated this need for knowledge and technology (and European history is full of wars), which resulted in more people working on these problems and faster development of new ideas.
Ultimately, the people who got their first had white skin, and soon they were sailing around the world, establishing colonies, and showing up with skills and technologies that others had never seen and often couldn't compete with. In short, they were models of success, and thus became the IMAGE of success as well.
Had those developments come from Africa, black skin would be seen as the ideal, but Africa didn't have the right kind of difficulty and challenges to lead people to those advancements as quickly, and so, history is what it is.
I'm disgusted by pasty pale white skin, even my own. Don't feel sad because most of the western world is whitewashed/brainwashed. They don't even know it so don't blame then either. Don't go by what the brainwashing media force feeds you or what brainwashed people say. There are more people who prefer skin of color. Any color other than pale white. They're just not domination TV, movies and media advertising. Your skin is more beautiful because it had color. People have their preferences but what are they based on? Many people don't let themselves be forced fed. They make their own decisions. Don't ever let anyone tell you your colored/darker skin is not more beautiful than pale. I don't care what their preference.
That is strange. I always viewed in American culture that tan skin was considered beautiful. I recall my primary and middle school years basking out in the sun with no sunscreen in order to achieve a darker complexion. You can see it in the stores, the array of fake tan and tanning oil with a picture of a bronze goddess laying in the sun. Not only are dark complexions encouraged in the media, muscles are more defined and gives an appearance of a more athletic body (see bodybuilders). Beauty is really how you view it, one person is laying for hours in the sun for your skin color- remember that.
kids need to quit being such shit heads and say all skin colors are beautiful
looking at you @sexybooty01
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Opinion
32Opinion
I actually know the answer to this. It goes back to, of course, slavery.
Back in those days, black people were looked down upon in America, because they were slaves, but white indentured servents also worked in the fields a lot, so they often got tans.
Dark skin, even among white people, became a mark of low class, so rich people tried to remain as pale as possible, and fashion really only existed amongst the upper class at that time, so pale skin became the standard for beauty.
Eventually, slavery ended, and the West became more industrial. Poor and middleclass people worked in factories, so they were very pale, as they got essentially no sunlight. Ergo, rich people wanted to look as different from the lower classes as possible, so they got tans.(Even tans, as "farmer's tans" were also considered unattractive.)
This flipped once again, as the lower classes got richer, they were able to afford beauty and fashion products, so they were able to be tan as well, so the rich became pale once again.
Then, it flipped once again, just because fashion does that, and tans became the thing to have again.
Finally, it is starting to flip again, as everyone and their mother is able to get a tan for relatively cheap.
As a pale white person that comes from a pale family let me tell you that there are many disadvantages of light skin. You can see and notice every little flaw and imperfection. You can look tired, anemic or sick just because you're pale. You burn under the sun easily. Your veins show easy. Redness is also easily noticed.
Darker skin looks healthier. It looks fresh and youthful. It doesn't seem to wrinkle as much. It also looks somehow glowing - it's very attractive. Many people find dark skin beautiful.
Tbh I hate white skin... its ugly! In mu own opinion black skin and tan skin like mexicans and Asians are so beautiful!! They have the most gorgeous skin :))) my boyfriend is Asian and his skin is sooo prettt and Tan but yeah I love black peoples skin color because its sooo pretty and I don't know its just awesome:D
For two reasons.
1. You live in a majorly white region and thus white is to be seen as the standard. If you were living in a majorly black area this would change.
2. Women by nature are lighter-skinned than guys and scientists assume it is for reasons of attractiveness so lighter-skinned women are generally seen as more attractive.
That being said, this is just the first impression. It is similar to blondes getting more attention right away over brunettes while in the long-term they dont have anything from it.
Yeah alright keep worrying about nothing. All white skinned girls here, constantly post question about how insecure they are about their white skin, some even get bullied for that and all of a sudden we have a dark skinned 13 year old girl from the States who truly believes that most people say ''white is beautiful'' even though in the US first of all Western countries, race mixing and white guild is promoted by schools, government, media, entertainment.
You can simply follow your programming and call these people 'racists' if you really hear that.
I don't know. I'm White and I wish I could tan - I just freckle a lot then it all peels off LOL. I will share what an anthropologist or two says about it: with pale skin it is easier to judge poor from good health, whereas with darker (or black) skin, this is not as easy to do. This may tend to indicate why over time the human species tended to mate with lighter peoples (irregardless of whether White people lost their melanin due to being stuck in caves during the Ice Age or any other theory about differences in skin color among different racial groups) if you accept that we as humans were somehow tuned into the significance of lighter skin as a means of gauging sickness better. Be advised this is not racist, does not represent current real-life preferences per se - as I think some African tribes would prefer to be 'mating' with darker (? possibly) skinned people.
True, indeed. There are beautiful girls in all skin colors.
Let the downvotes rain.
I'm white as snow, and all I hear is how sickly I look. Can't tan to save my life, I only burn. I can either have a gross colour, or use tanning products. I choose to stick with my natural colour, because I have super sensitive skin.
People will bash on every single trait a person can have. Best thing to do is ignore it.
I personally find every skin colour can be beautiful, if you take care of your skin.
I don't know, but the truth is that it seems very deeply ingrained in the human psyche, perhaps even biologically inherent.
Black dogs and black cats are much less likely to be adopted from shelters than their lighter furred counterparts. Small children from places as diverse as the US, China, and Africa tend to prefer light skinned, blue eyed/blonde haired dolls over darker ones.
Not trying to be offensive here, but the association of dark colors with unpleasant things (mold, dirt, poop, etc) probably doesn't help. Meanwhile, white is associated with... clouds? Milk? I can't really think of anything very gross. Semen maybe, but semen is a lot less gross than feces.
Honey people have different tastes one person may be attracted to white skin another may be attracted to darkskin, it's (usually) not racism and just because someone says white skin is beautiful doesn't mean that everyone thinks that way.
I personally think that there is extraordinairy beauty in all skin colors. Also dark skin colors because dark skin girls look so incredibly radiant in bright colors like gold, yellow and red :)
I've never heard this before. To my understanding most people don't seem to care. Historicly it was a sign of status for women, not unlike the chines gentry having long fingernails, it was a sign that she wasn't a laborer because she didn't have to go out and work under the hot sun and by extention tan. Beyond that I don't know any one who has a preference for light skin (though I know some who have a prefference for darker skin)
I don t think that at all.
I don t have white skin
I think all skin colors are beautiful and has it s advantages.
Don t get bother by it. We must admit that to each his preference in beauty. That doesn t undermine yours at all. Someone else we ll find your skintone lovely and the white one s plain.
It s a preference not a standard
I just think this girl has a self esteem problem! Racism just like bullying if you haven't been taught that you're beautiful in whatever skin you're in you will starting thinking less of yourself. God made us in all different color and shapes so be happy with the skin you're in.
I was born with Olive skin as an American girl, @princessasha101 but I love Darker skin, never 'White skin,' so ten years ago, I began a routine of Tanning in a tan salon. I do this just right so it looks great, not fake.
However, 'White skin' is nice, Porcelain like, and I even have a younger sibling who this color skin.
Beauty is kin deep, and no matter what Color, we should all love and respect one another.
Good luck. xx
Maybe they just prefer that color skin. Your opinion is that every skin color is beautiful, but for others it is not.
Why can't we just accept that people have different opinions, and that just because one doesn't find it attractive doesn't mean that no one is gonna find it attractive?
Not everyone has the same opinion. Some people prefer only one skin color.
I say I like all skin colors, but I've always caught myself more attracted to darker skin. I have this toxic thought that meeting a woman with white skin automatically means I am out of her league and I'm working on that.
You're not the only one with some struggle.
Here comes history. During the colonialism the Europeans establish that Idea over the places they conquer In order to sell them self as what they believed to be: "the superior race", the standard of beauty was included in that and even tough the Idea is not as strong like in those days It still haves influence in the modern society. So in other words many people believe a lye. At the end of the day every ethnic population or race haves a distinctive beauty.
Lol! I think dark skin is the hottest! I have a Russian girlfriend, pale as snow and beautiful. But I don't know, I drool over black girls... they're so hot. Oh and don't get me started of those Latina and Filipino girls... sun kissed skin, olive skin... T__T Sighs... :( I'm fcked. I need to calm myself.
Who the tells people this kind of shit? Oh wait... you're 13 ... so likely your friends are too.
Kids are mean.
I agree with you, there are beautiful people in all skin colours. I have seen dark skinned women that I have thought are beautiful. Beauty is not just associated to one skin colour.
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