Skin Secrets from the East for All Ethnicities
Keiko Aoki knows the secret to maintaining perfect, flawless, anti-aging skin. Her secret is a simple one from the East, applicable to women of all colors. Read her recommendations here. Keiko Aoki knows the secret to maintaining perfect, flawless, anti-aging skin. Her secret is a simple one from the East, applicable to women of all colors. Read her recommendations here.
So, as an Asian woman living in New York, I have never been able to understand why Western women, who spend a fortune on products and services for their skin, including peels, laser treatment and even surgery to remove wrinkles, also worship the sun.
Western authors have always written about the “perfect” Asian women's skin as “being like porcelain” pure, smooth and above all, white. And we try to keep it that way from the time we are girls, especially in the summer months when the sun is at its most dangerous in doing damage to it. We use the SPF creame that has the highest possible rating for protection. We wear long-sleeved tops and might even carry a parasol. And if we do go to the beach to enjoy the ocean breezes, we add a beach umbrella to our preparations. All in an effort to keep our native white skin from tanning.
So, as an Asian woman living in New York, I have never been able to understand why Western women, who spend a fortune on products and services for their skin, including peels, laser treatment and even surgery to remove wrinkles, also worship the sun. Why do women pursue the “perfect” tan? As soon as spring begins turning into summer, these women start preparing to be seen at the beach with their bodies all tanned from the sun and they want a “no lines” tan. This is supposed to make the observer think that they have been sun-bathing in the nude.
And to get a “jump start” on the actual sun's rays, there are now tanning salons on every other street in New York. These places allow a person to lie down on ultraviolet light tubes and bake themselves on the front and back of their bodies. These tanning beds will be used to supplement the tan that the sun will give, and to keep it as long as possible.
It is a status thing to have a tan in the winter months. It means that you are wealthy enough to go to the Bahamas or South America during the winter when other people don't take vacations. If you are not in a position to take that much time off, there is always the tanning salon which will help in the fantasy.
It is obvious that Western women do not value the white skin they were born with. They do not realize how white skin can make them look as delicate and fragile as Asian women.
No matter how much publicity is given to the bad effects of tanning, such as lizard-like texture, wrinkles, lines and skin cancer; the average, sophisticated Western woman wants to have a bronzed-looking skin.
There are so many good SPF sun-block products on the market, most of them were developed as Japanese crèmes and lotions. Asian women know the value of pampering their skin, especially the skin on our faces, so that we can have a head-start in keeping our skin as white and clear and unlined as when we were children.
So I would advise my readers to go to the Asian skin care counter in your local cosmetics store to get the best skin care products in the world!
Keiko,
I find your article a bit disturbing in that it is both self-orientalizing and inherently racist. First off, you point out that “Western authors” stereotype asian women as having beautiful porcelain skin. You completely play into the stereotype by affirming that “we”, i.e. asian women, “try to keep it that way from the time we are girls.” You even go on to assert that asian women are blessed with “native white skin”. Since when have asian women become whitewashed into one defining characteristic? I’m interested to know who how you define who is asian.
It seems that the asian women you are referring to are Japanese, Korean, and Chinese–specifically those that are obsessed with the pursuit of “whiteness”, so much so that they might as well douse themselves with a gallon of bleach. You fail to realize that that being or becoming white, is not just a matter of skin color or lack of wrinkles, but a concept deeply imbedded within issues of class, privilege, ethnicity and race. Just as you think “white” women are getting tans as a symbol of status, “asian” women are bleaching themselves to look, as you put it, “delicate and fragile.”
What’s even more upsetting about your article (besides the title)is that you integrate your infatuation with white skin within a discussion about sun protection! Yes, it sucks that women are still not protecting their skin from harmful sun rays, despite all the media coverage, but protecting your skin and being white are two completely different issues!
I’m a 20-something Chinese-American with great healthy skin. And you know what? I love to tan, but I also use plenty of sun protection. Whenever I’m in China, I’m amazed by the extent of the obsession for white skin. It’s really disturbing. I noticed that many Chinese women with darker skin tones feel ashamed about their skin color, despite the fact that they have beautiful flawless skin. Many go to desperate measures to try and bleach their skin. In fact, I couldn’t find any lotion in China that didn’t have some kind of skin whitening or bleaching products in it.
The author also fails to mention that those obsessive umbrella parasol carrying types are usually some of the most uptight, and boring people in the world thereby negating any possible effect that beauty would have in making them bearingly sociable – I mean we have SPF for a reason! I love all skin types, olive skin that tans without burning, porcelin redheads who burn with the slighest hint of sun – enjoy and protect yourself at the same time !
ps. the article does strike me as inherently racist !!!!
Angry asian girl sounds like a pc police but she does have a point. The article is just bad to begin with.
What is so bad about it? I’m half Asian and I don’t think it’s bad.
You take life way too seriously. It’s Keiko’s opinion and she’s offering it. You’re probably one of the girls who cries racism when you get fired from a job. I liked the author’s perspective. Thanks Keiko!
I’m an Asian male but Duolan Li aka Angry Asian girl.
Dear Keiko:
Talking about “the “perfect†Asian women’s skin — as “being like porcelain†— pure, smooth and above all, white”, it is for me, like if you were telling us that black or bronze skin were the oposite.
Asiance Magazine is giving you the opportunity to share your thoughts with other people and you are totally wasting your right. Don’t be racist.
I didnt read at all any “skin secrets for all ethinicities” as your title suggest.
While you might defend Keiko by saying that she is entitled to her opinion, her opinion is a racist one. Her sweeping generalizations about asians, westerners, and standards of beauty all point to the dreaded R word. 90% of her article is dedicated to talking about how great white skin is. only 10% talks about skin protection. How can this article apply to all ethnicities then? Looking at Keiko’s picture, she’s more golden toned then porcelian white to me.
bottom line: keiko criticizes the unhealthy obsession with tanning among western women, but doesn’t seem to realize that desiring porcelain skin may also be an unhealthy obsession in some asian cultures.
All Keiko is saying is that she recommends Japanese skin care products because she is a Japanese woman (maybe she said mistakenly categorized Japanese as “Asian” obviously Keiko is Japanese so I made the connection) having white porcelin skin is highly coveted and taken care of in Japan, so whatever race you are black, white, latin, etc. try some of the skin care products made by the japanese. that’s my take on the article…i think she would know about New York women and their concerns of skin care being who she is among. and as an aside she doesn’t understand how they complain about their skin when most of it is probably from sun damage and the problems can easily be avoided. that’s my take. she’s just offering help. I’m half Japanese, what are you Josh?
Personally, Jennifer has a point about being entitled to one’s opinion but it’s just not all about that. The article really is a racist, biased and general and is focusing more on having white skin which is truly ironic from the title; and all the informations on are incoherent; a bogus. A good writer should be careful on being too sure and confident on his or her point of views, especially when lacking more in research. S/he should be able to write them in a manner…. that isn’t like Keiko’s.
I’m not a writer but I know a good article from a bad one.
I am a asian girl and I do not have prefect skin, I would love to have prefect skin, i spend like alot of money with skin products that will lighten up your skin. I take vitamin C to enhance it too. I know we are obsession in skin whitening honestly we are never bore with really nice white skin we have white skin but darken over time so yes we do use sunblock and skin whitening effect. I do believe she is going too far with comparing western and asian.
Since when is Asian skin white? White the exception of southern/Mediterranian Europeans with olive skin tones, Asians surely aren’t as light, caucasian-looking Europeans.
So again, since when did Asians have white skin?
could you please send me information of secrets
from mark cooper
What Keiko said is true, speaking as an asian women myself, a chinese singaporean, i would say that i like to keep myself as porcelain white skin to remain as white as possible. Its a beauty thing.
This article is wiggety wiggety wack!
The skin of every race defiantly varies much like naturally an European person might not be as “white” as another European person, the same principle applies to the Easterners of the world. Many Easterners come from an area that receives a lot of sun on a daily basis, and many of the inhabitants must walk everywhere because of monetary reasons or otherwise. This exposure to excessive amounts of UV rays might result in a deeper tone in color (not to mention many don’t have the money to invest in sun protection).
In the ancient times of asian the rich were marked as beautiful for their fair skin because they were allowed to stay in their homes while their servants labored in the fields therefore this traditional mark of beauty carried to the modern asian beauty standards.
On a side note i think the so called “Whiteness” of Asian skin is untrue i think the true term is pale Asian beauty marks their skin care as” Whitening” but its more like paling the skin of the yellow tone. So the yellow tone is definitely still there in the “Whitest” of Asians but its defiantly more toned down and lightened extensively.
I am chinese and have an obsession with tanning. I think it makes people look healthier in general. I do not know anyone who looks worse with a bit of a tan. When I am not tanned I feel that I look ill and imperfections are more noticeable.
Tans on women are HOT and SEXY especially on Blondes! Look at all of the Victoria’s Secret Models for instance. They rule when it comes to Beauty, Sensuality, and tip the Hotness Scale completely! They blow all of the other women out of the water.
Yes, avoid the sun if you want low vitamin D status, ossteoporosis (old brittle bones) earlier rather than later, heart disease, increased incidence of cancers, etc, etc…
KEIKO AOKI KNOWS THE SECRET TO MAINTAINING PERFECT, FLAWLESS, ANTI-AGING SKIN. HER SECRET IS A SIMPLE ONE FROM THE EAST, APPLICABLE TO WOMEN OF ALL COLORS AND AGES! I TAKE HER ADVICE!! Why do you think THEY CALL MEE THE BEIJING BLONDE BABE?? I NEVER GO OUT WITHOUT SPF, ALWAYS WEAR SHADES, USE AN UMBRELLA ALWAYS, EXFOLIATE MY ENTIRE BODY EVERY OTHER DAY IF NOT EVERY DAY and ONLY GET AIRBRUSH TANNING BY SUNDARA which is PACKED WITH ANTI-AGING INGREDIENTS AND VITAMINS!! It APPEARS PERFECT AS THOUGH YOU HAVE BEEN SUNBATHING IN THE NUDE and TRUST MEE, MEN ARE ALL OVER THAT LIKE WHITE ON RICE AND YOU BOTH FEEL LIKE YOU ARE WALKING ON SUNSHINE!! 🙂 WINK
GO TO http://www.sundaranyc.com AND BRUSH THAT TAN ON NOW!
Katrina and the Waves – Walking On Sunshine
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