Vietnam

Why is white skin considered fashionable in Vietnam and Asia?

FROMToday, as it has been for centuries, beauty in the minds of most Vietnamese women means white skin. White skin is a symbol of femininity, purity, sophistication and high social status. On the other hand, swarthy, tanned skin still conjures up images of poverty and work in the rice fields. White means beautiful. This is a fact, at least in Vietnam. Skin-whitening creams sell like hot cakes, and women wrap themselves up like mummies when they go out.

Shoulder-length lycra and cotton gloves are indispensable accessories for women across the country as they race through city streets on their motorcycles. A hat, sunglasses and a colorful shawl tied around the face in a gangster style complete the look, designed to protect against the bright rays of the tropical sun.

“I want my skin to be white because I find it beautiful,” said Dang Thi Ngoc Nga, a 31-year-old office worker for a state-owned company in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since the late 1990s, middle-class women in Vietnam have taken similar protective measures as income growth has allowed them to spend more time and money on their appearance.

“But I also want to protect myself from the sun and exposure to its ultraviolet rays, which are dangerous to humans,” she added, before leaving on a scooter from a busy intersection of the southern business capital.

More recently, a government company has released specific social ads on television. These ads, which warn of skin cancer and rising levels of pollution from millions of motorcycles on the roads, have further spurred the trend to hide every inch of nudity.

But not only Vietnamese women strive to achieve a perfectly white complexion. Throughout Asia, from Japan to India, pale skin is considered a sign of beauty. It is even true that an excessively dark complexion is often enough reason to upset the marriage of a potential bride and groom between middle-class families.

A woman in Vietnam on a bike

No wonder beauty salons and skin whitening companies have a huge and lucrative market. travel guide.ru.

Kim Loan, director of the Chao Spa in Ho Chi Minh City, says the general desire for white skin has not yet been affected by the country's familiarity with Western culture and fashion.

“In Europe and other Western countries, tanned skin is considered healthy, beautiful and generally a sign of a successful life, but here most people still want to have white skin,” she said.

Even those who have the opportunity to use their own pool can hardly be found swimming in it until sunset.

However, there are signs of change. In the trendy cafes and bars of Vietnam's metropolises, some women attract attention with dyed blond hair and golden tan.

Tran Mi Han, a 24-year-old model and fashion store owner, recently reverted her hair color to a more conservative brown, ditching the sassy honey blonde look. But her skin is still tanned.

“It is undeniable that most women in Vietnam like to have a fair complexion. But these days you can meet more and more girls with tanned skin, like me. Not because we don't like white skin, but because it's much easier to go brownish than white," she said.

“Personally, I had to choose between off-white skin, which honestly looked unhealthy, and tanned skin, which, in my opinion, looks natural. I prefer to be tanned."

She also claims that this is also the modern fashion of Vietnam.

“Being different is stylish, and Westerners love it too.”

Well, how about in general vietnam girls look who participate in the national beauty pageant? What are they and what standards aspire to? You will see the answer from Travelgde.ru by looking at a few photos from the national contest "Miss Vietnam 2020".

vietnam girls

girl from vietnam

Physical training

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Girls in the pool

girls on the beach

It should be said that sports training is an important component of the Miss Vietnam 2020 contest. To become a beauty queen, in addition to the main criteria of beauty, intelligence and a good heart, contestants need good physical fitness. Applicants for a high title must be perfect in many aspects.

The sports beauty contest itself consists of two main parts: sprinting, endurance exercises and optional swimming. Swimming is optional, but the winner receives an additional bonus when counting votes.

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