Cultural Difference - Skin Color

Living in Korea definitely allows me to see things in a different light and understand things from other people's points-of-view. While I take being in Korea for granted sometimes, I figure it's about time to share some of the differences with you!

Lately, the sun has been bearing down on the Korean peninsula, and while folks back home in the States would be excited for beach season and beautiful tans, the Korean population has strapped on their visors and rubbed in their sunscreen to avoid the sun at all costs!

Now, I've never been big on tanning since my skin goes from white to red with no in-between, but I am obviously aware of the fact that in the US, tan is appealing. Overall as a country, we're pretty obsessed with tanning and having golden brown skin. Some people obtain this beauty through the sun, others in tanning beds, while others resort to darkening lotions.

However, in Korea, tan is not considered beautiful. It's white skin that Koreans love. Most of the Koreans that I know wear sunscreen every day, wear long sleeve shirts even in the hot months to avoid the sun, and wear gigantic visors to protect their skin from the sun. It's all very "Michael Jackson" to see! These days, it's also really common for women to use whitening cream to help their skin become lighter.

Of course, as a result, in Korea, women that are 50 look like they're still 30. Wrinkles aren't so common in Korea as in the States and the women here look so young! It's always really hard to estimate a Korean's age, in my opinion!

This isn't a blog to put down either culture, it's simply a blog to let you know about other ways of thinking in the world. It's so interesting to me as I travel and meet folks from around the world just how different we all are. Things that I never considered "American culture" are presenting themselves to me in that way. I love learning about other cultures around the world and seeing how they are alike and different! 

Even with all of the tanning and whitening, I think it still comes down to the old adage...You always want what you don't have. Whether its Caucasian Americans viewing Koreans golden brown skin as beautiful or Koreans seeing the white skin of Caucasians as admirable, people crave things that they don't have. As for me, I will be happy with my white/red skin and continue to enjoy the compliments about my skin from Koreans while I'm here!