The trend toward sexy, sun kissed skin will surely hit Thailand in the next 6 to 12 months. I work in commercial real estate in BKK and know for a fact that a California USA company is planning to open 4 tanning locations in Bangkok in ‘09.

Nikki you are correct, these tanning executives site the same facts as you have: the proliferation of health clubs hitting Thailand is the same trends that spawned the tanning craze in other Asian cities. Thai’s care about their bodies, and want to be healthy and LOOK healthy.

So many so called HI-SO young professionals that have been educated in the West and that have Western friends, have embraced the fact that pasty, washed-out skin is just plain unhealthy looking. Thais, like their western counter parts spend to much time working indoors. A bronzed look denotes success, sporty good looks and a healthy lifestyle.

I rather doubt the tanning craze will change the Thai culture overnight. But I do hope this trend catches on and communicates to the public the beauty of darker skin, and makes some good Thai people feel better about themselves and their lot in life.

Oh, joy, I’ve been waiting for someone to say this. Thank you Nikki, you are officially my most favourite columnist of all times!
I’ve been having the same thought. I was actually into this stupid retarded whitening skin myself. I even mindnumbingly bought the whole 3D whitening set from Shu Uemura. 3D?? hahaha well, that’s what it said on the bottles.

Since when Thai women decided that people with light skins are beautiful and Hi-so? This thought inspired me to write in one of the Garuna’s lyrics So Hi “So hi So hi ยูดูดี ผิวขาวใส So hi So hi ไอก็ใช้ ไวเทนนิง”

In the article, Nikki said more:
“I know of man cases where a thai parent would rather their children marry a white-skin person than a dark-skin person. And so the deep cultural prejudice against differnent shades of class continues”

For this I agree with Nikki totally. I think (and this is just my opinion, ok?) the reason for this partly comes from the famous ‘Thai-Chinese’ clan. “Oh she’s so white, beautiful, chinese looking and sexy”, I think comment like that would change the next year. Believe me,
BRONZE IS COMING. Next year people would change their preference from the usual boring oh so naive and innocent light skin look to the healthier, spicier, more exciting like tanned skin! Nikki agrees with me:
“So ladies (and gentlemen) throw away your whitenng tubes and pots and just enjoy who you are by spending money on more worthwhile subjects. And you might just be the trendiest person when the tanned wave hit Thailand next year?”

So bye bye my shu uemura 3D whitening set and Shiseido White Lucent and Hello the good old Sunshine! (and perhaps some tanning cream hehe) I know that i didn’t buy that cute polka dots bikini for nuthin!
Reference: GURU Magazine Vol3 No.29 July 20-26, 2007 “Is Beauty Only Skin Deep” by Nikki Assavathorn.

This is Sonia- I work with Karin on Love Strategies on RadioBangkok.net.

I would just like to commend you for writing the story on “fair vs. dark skin” in the guru magazine! I swear, you’ve truly hit a Bullseye! It’s so frustrating now Thais are OBSESSED with being fair… I’m glad you indulged in that particular subject matter! and like you said, I really hope things begin to change around here…

Have a good one!
Sonia

I wish more people around the world shared your sentiments.

I watched the news with horror for years as a series of reports emerged of the horrible injuries suffered by women in Africa after they used (and continue to use) nightmare concoctions alleged to give them lighter skin colour.

Such a world.

Throughout most of the countries dominated by “white” people, there has long existed the dream of obtaining that “healthy glow”. This has resulted in greater incidence of skin cancer and advanced aging of skin, not to mention such human follies as bronzing creams and human paint booths (I’m waiting for the version that can give me racing stripes and flames).

Meanwhile, the African world seeks “less black” and the Asian world that near-translucent porcelain skin that apparently reeks of class, money and beauty. So they have treated themselves similar regimes of chemical treatments ranging from the merely fraudulent through the outrageously expensive to the outright dangerous and damaging.

Surely it would be more effective for the UN just to arrange the wholescale shipment of everybody to different countries?

Unfortunately, these are merely symptoms of greater ills. I deplore the fashion media for using dangerously thin girls barely out of puberty but depicted as little more than playthings and fashion accessories for adult men (and women, I suppose). That’s before we even consider the digital manipulation of the imagery before it is sold to young men and women around the world as “How You Must Look”. What will happen when the winds of fashion change and the latest must-have trend is an eight-inch-long nose?

Keep up the good work!

nk