Beauty or Vanity?

I had the chance to read through a woman's magazine from back home recently thanks to a friend. As I was leafing through the first 20 pages or so, I couldn't help but notice that it was dominated by beauty adverts concentrating mainly on how one can get a perfect white skin free from any markings with the aid of whitening beauty products.

What made me wonder was why the sudden surge of whitening products instead of the usual parfum, accessories and makeup line-up? Why have the magazine allowed such aggressive advertising of the same products repetitively throughout the whole magazine? Are they trying to ingrain our brain cells with the message that white is beautiful or are they desperate to achieve their monthly target sales? Have we Malaysians become ashamed of our distinctive color? Are we doing it for the sake of achieving timeless beauty or just pure vain vanity?

Our skin tone has never allowed us to be the color of pure snow (as one ad puts it) due to our genetic composition, weather, climate, geographical location and not forgetting our long ancestral lineage. We Malaysians come from a melting pot of skin colors consisting of ivory, beige, almond, mocha, cappuchino and espresso. We can never be pale like the Japanese or Koreans nor can we be white like the Caucasians.

Yes, some of us are lucky enough to have inherited beautiful fair flawless skin thanks to some super mix-ups from our ancestors. I've even heard some ridiculous notion that such skin represents wealth, stature and bloodline. What a crap!

So does that make those who are unfortunate enough to have the skin tones to the likes of mocha, cappuchino or even espresso are poor, bottomless citizens and pariahs? Are they doomed to life by having to live through the day by slathering their faces and bodies with all these whitening lotions and creams just to achieve such said conjecture? Sheesssshhh... who ever made that notion should be shot!

To me, beauty is purely skin deep. Cake yourself with all the whitening products in this world but if you have an attitude problem, you are a nobody.

I'd be lying if I say that I am not concern about beauty. I do but not to the point of it taking over my life. I want to make a good first impression with my appearance but I want to attract people more with my personality, brains, wit and humor.

I am content on being a beautiful warm mocha not needing any whitening products and not a bitchy cold white who have to slobber themselves with a paraphernalia of whitening aids everytime they go out. What about you??