Why are white women so sought after(is the reverse true too?)?

[c57dood]

I read and hear so much that in many places white women are regarded as the epitome of beauty. So many different races have a strong desire for white women, why is this?

 

Also, does this also apply to white men?

[tbf]

Probably because the developed world (coincidentally countries that are majority white) saturates media with images of white beauty standards.

 

As a white woman, I find it creepy when skin colour gets fetished.

[c57dood]

Probably because the developed world (coincidentally countries that are majority white) saturates media with images of white beauty standards.

 

As a white woman, I find it creepy when skin colour gets fetished.

 

Well, see I'm a white guy, and I find colored skin to be more attractive, even though I have dated mostly white women my whole life. The problem with dating them isn't necessarily due to their skin tone, but cultural differences. Also, guys of the other race take offense to a white guy "stealing their women", but as a white guy I don't really mind.

[fortyninethousand322]

I don't know, I'm a white guy that's not generally attracted to white women. So I don't get it either...

[USMCHokie]

What I also think is odd, is that even though white skin colour is supposedly so sought after...

 

I don't think it's the skin color itself, but the facial structures and features and the general physique exhibited by white people. It's why people of other races who exhibit "white" facial features are deemed so attractive compared to their peers of that race. Beyonce comes to mind.

[ptp]

I don't think it's the skin color itself, but the facial structures and features and the general physique exhibited by white people. It's why people of other races who exhibit "white" facial features are deemed so attractive compared to their peers of that race. Beyonce comes to mind.

 

I think you have that backwards.

 

It's the facial features that are attractive in any ethnicity. It just so happens we see them exhibited in white people the most because of mass media.

[USMCHokie]

I think you have that backwards.

 

It's the facial features that are attractive in any ethnicity. It just so happens we see them exhibited in white people the most because of mass media.

 

My only point was that it's not the skin color itself that is deemed attractive or not attractive but the facial features exhibited by those with particular skin color. The source of that attraction, whether natural or media based, goes back to the chicken and the egg scenario of whether media is just a reflection of what people naturally desire or whether people desire what media portrays.

[hppr]

I read and hear so much that in many places white women are regarded as the epitome of beauty. So many different races have a strong desire for white women, why is this?

 

Also, does this also apply to white men?

 

I have only heard this in two horrible places: 1), a college sociology class where White Folks = DEVIL and 2), the internet. In real life I have never seen White Men/Women being super-sought-after for their whiteness. As far as fashion/media/entertainment industry being racist or whatever those industries have always been dominated by people from just a couple regions of the world which happen to be predominately white.

[USMCHokie]

Also, does this also apply to white men?

 

I think so...to an even greater degree...

[USMCHokie]

I have only heard this in two horrible places: 1), a college sociology class where White Folks = DEVIL and 2), the internet.

 

You only hear about it directly expressed because it's so politically incorrect to judge based on race nowadays. Therefore, people just don't vocalize it out of fear of judgment; unless you're in particular environment, such as academia (chock full of its share of circus clowns) and the internet, where anonymity serves as protection.

[ptp]

I think so...to an even greater degree...

 

Again, I strongly disagree.

[USMCHokie]

Again, I strongly disagree.

 

Well, here's my argument on how media does indeed reflect real life values of society. Let's start with the two opposing sides of the chicken/egg. Either (1) media is created to accurately reflect and cater to society's natural desires, or (2) people's desires are influenced and shaped by media.

 

(1) Media is reflects natural desires

 

White people are clearly the dominant race in media, whether it be TV, movies, advertisements and marketing, or music. And the sole purpose of media is to make money, so they will use material (and people) that will make them the most money. In order to do this, they will cater specifically to what people want and will buy. If society didn't already love white people, then media would eventually have to evolve to cater to society's actual values or go out of business.

 

Therefore, if media is developed to reflect society's desires, and media portrays predominantly white people, then logic would dictate that society desires white people.

 

(2) People are artificially influenced by media

 

Let's then assume that media is crafted and sold with the sole purpose of influencing society's desires and values. If media sells, then people are buying into media and adopting those "artificial" desires and values. As long as they keep buying into media, they will continue adopting and affirming media's values, i.e., they will continue to love white people more than others.

 

So perhaps from a theoretical standpoint, all races have attractive members which are sought after as much as their white counterparts. However, from a practical standpoint, whether they do so by nature or do so because they are influenced by media, society will favor white folks as more attractive.

[Vinegar]

I'm a white woman. I have no problem getting dates and I only like white men. Chalk that up to whatever you want.

[Emilia]

I read and hear so much that in many places white women are regarded as the epitome of beauty. So many different races have a strong desire for white women, why is this?

 

Also, does this also apply to white men?

 

In my view it's due to colonialism. You would be surprised how strong the aftereffects still are in the developing world (which is about 2/3rd of the world's population at least).

[ptp]

Well, here's my argument on how media does indeed reflect real life values of society. Let's start with the two opposing sides of the chicken/egg. Either (1) media is created to accurately reflect and cater to society's natural desires, or (2) people's desires are influenced and shaped by media.

 

(1) Media is reflects natural desires

 

White people are clearly the dominant race in media, whether it be TV, movies, advertisements and marketing, or music. And the sole purpose of media is to make money, so they will use material (and people) that will make them the most money. In order to do this, they will cater specifically to what people want and will buy. If society didn't already love white people, then media would eventually have to evolve to cater to society's actual values or go out of business.

 

Therefore, if media is developed to reflect society's desires, and media portrays predominantly white people, then logic would dictate that society desires white people.

 

(2) People are artificially influenced by media

 

Let's then assume that media is crafted and sold with the sole purpose of influencing society's desires and values. If media sells, then people are buying into media and adopting those "artificial" desires and values. As long as they keep buying into media, they will continue adopting and affirming media's values, i.e., they will continue to love white people more than others.

 

So perhaps from a theoretical standpoint, all races have attractive members which are sought after as much as their white counterparts. However, from a practical standpoint, whether they do so by nature or do so because they are influenced by media, society will favor white folks as more attractive.

 

Point #1) Is kind a right, but misguided. Yes media will do what makes most money. But what media is reflecting isn't the desires of the world, it is reflecting desires of the group that makes it the most $ (White America).

 

In Bollywood why aren't there a lot of white actors? Bollywood makes more $ and more moves per year than Hollywood yet there are almost 0 white actors and when they are present, they are usually cast in the "bad guy foreigner" role. If Indians inherently found white actors more attractive why aren't there significantly more white Actors in Bollywood? Because Bollywood caters to the group that makes it the most money, Indians.

 

Point #2 is valid, but not nearly as influential as you think.

 

 

Here is my counter argument, making a couple of assumptions here. The places where white women are considered more attractive tend to be places where there are more non-white people and tend to be more conservative than Western culture.

 

1) The features that humans find attractive have no relationship to being white. List the features that humans find attractive: Symmetrical face, proportionally sized nose and properly spaced eyes, full lips, square jaw etc...

 

None of those things are inherently "white". I remember reading an article where babies were shown Supermodels and average women and the babies responded to the Supermodels more. Babies aren't influenced by mass media.

 

2) Being fair is consider attractive not solely due to Mass media pushing the white ideal, but more so due to white skin being rare. Mass media hasn't been around for that long and a lot of cultural preferences were in place prior to mass media's existence.

 

Mass media has been only around since what the 1920s? In some Asian cultures women with fairer skin are considered more attractive. This cultural preference isn't a recent phenomenon and has been place for generations. Furthermore, the amount "white" that is preferred is too "white" for Mass media. Mass media doesn't push pale white skin, they promote tanned white skin. Thus, I believe a lot of this preference for fairer skin is merely due to the lack of fair skinned people in their country.

 

3) I have other points, but don't have the time to write them out now.

[hppr]

You only hear about it directly expressed because it's so politically incorrect to judge based on race nowadays. Therefore, people just don't vocalize it out of fear of judgment; unless you're in particular environment, such as academia (chock full of its share of circus clowns) and the internet, where anonymity serves as protection.

 

Possibly.

 

What I have noticed is that everyone takes away from it a view that fits with their other views.

[somedude81]

I'm a white guy who has lived in nothing but multicultural areas.

 

Basically I have no preference for white girls but there is a preference for lighter skinned girls. White, Hispanic, Asian basically.

 

What's also important is the girls upbringing/peers etc that determines what her attitude is like.

 

I live in an area where women of a certain race are often loud and obnoxious and I don't want to have any part of that.

[USMCHokie]

Point #1) Is kind a right, but misguided. Yes media will do what makes most money. But what media is reflecting isn't the desires of the world, it is reflecting desires of the group that makes it the most $ (White America).

 

In Bollywood why aren't there a lot of white actors? Bollywood makes more $ and more moves per year than Hollywood yet there are almost 0 white actors and when they are present, they are usually cast in the "bad guy foreigner" role. If Indians inherently found white actors more attractive why aren't there significantly more white Actors in Bollywood? Because Bollywood caters to the group that makes it the most money, Indians.

 

My argument above primarily focused on western culture where white people are the predominant race.

 

Now to take you Bollywood example...I don't see much in terms of Bollywood media, but of what I've seen, most actors are the light-skinned Indians with facial features that are more white than they are Indian...there are very few individuals who reflect the more native dark-skinned Indians.

 

1) The features that humans find attractive have no relationship to being white. List the features that humans find attractive: Symmetrical face, proportionally sized nose and properly spaced eyes, full lips, square jaw etc...

 

I am going well beyond merely symmetrical faces and proportional measurements and ratios. I'll just list examples of what I'm talking about. For Asians, they predominantly exhibit small eyes, no folding eyelid, flat faces, small noses, generally delicate and feminine features such as prominent cheekbones, and a weak jawline and chin. Black people typically exhibit flat, wide noses with flared nostrils, large lips, etc. I could go on and on. The point is, different races exhibit different features that easily distinguish them from other races. If you took a white person, an asian person, and a black person, and then made the all the same skin color, I'd bet the farm that you could tell who was who.

 

2) Being fair is consider attractive not solely due to Mass media pushing the white ideal, but more so due to white skin being rare. Mass media hasn't been around for that long and a lot of cultural preferences were in place prior to mass media's existence.

 

Mass media has been only around since what the 1920s? In some Asian cultures women with fairer skin are considered more attractive. This cultural preference isn't a recent phenomenon and has been place for generations. Furthermore, the amount "white" that is preferred is too "white" for Mass media. Mass media doesn't push pale white skin, they promote tanned white skin. Thus, I believe a lot of this preference for fairer skin is merely due to the lack of fair skinned people in their country.

.

 

Yes, I am familiar with the concept that fairer skin tends to be more desirable than darker skin, as darker skin denoted the working class who spent more time working outdoors, while the lighter skinned folks represented the aristocratic class who did to perform manual labor.

 

As to why tanned skin is more popularized by media today? I have two hypotheses. The first is that it sells products designed to darken skin. Second, darker skin tends to hide imperfections better than fair skin. Simply put, darker skin makes your skin look better.

[hppr]

Yes, I am familiar with the concept that fairer skin tends to be more desirable than darker skin, as darker skin denoted the working class who spent more time working outdoors, while the lighter skinned folks represented the aristocratic class who did to perform manual labor.

 

As to why tanned skin is more popularized by media today?>

 

Yeap. Redneck = works in his own field, gets sunburnt. As far as tan goes during the 80s a very famous supermodel used to extol the virtues of tanning, how it was healthy, this or that, and it's caught on every since.

[SuperGeek]

I disagree. I think all types of women of various races are desired. I think you are just seeing your small sampling of a perspective.

 

I read and hear so much that in many places white women are regarded as the epitome of beauty. So many different races have a strong desire for white women, why is this?

 

Also, does this also apply to white men?

[Woohoo]

Well, here's my argument on how media does indeed reflect real life values of society. Let's start with the two opposing sides of the chicken/egg. Either (1) media is created to accurately reflect and cater to society's natural desires, or (2) people's desires are influenced and shaped by media.

 

(1) Media is reflects natural desires

 

White people are clearly the dominant race in media, whether it be TV, movies, advertisements and marketing, or music. And the sole purpose of media is to make money, so they will use material (and people) that will make them the most money. In order to do this, they will cater specifically to what people want and will buy. If society didn't already love white people, then media would eventually have to evolve to cater to society's actual values or go out of business.

 

Therefore, if media is developed to reflect society's desires, and media portrays predominantly white people, then logic would dictate that society desires white people.

 

(2) People are artificially influenced by media

 

Let's then assume that media is crafted and sold with the sole purpose of influencing society's desires and values. If media sells, then people are buying into media and adopting those "artificial" desires and values. As long as they keep buying into media, they will continue adopting and affirming media's values, i.e., they will continue to love white people more than others.

 

So perhaps from a theoretical standpoint, all races have attractive members which are sought after as much as their white counterparts. However, from a practical standpoint, whether they do so by nature or do so because they are influenced by media, society will favor white folks as more attractive.

 

Gonna throw my .02 in.

 

(1) Media is reflects natural desires

 

The Ed Gein documentary I saw hardly does. We desire to be entertained, they entertain us. We value them for this.

 

(2) People are artificially influenced by media

 

 

People are NATURALLY influenced by media. We desire to be entertained, they entertain us. We value them for this. Thus entertainers are admired and copied.

 

 

In societies isolated from our own the standards of beauty can be RADICALLY different.

 

Lip plates of the Mursi women. The Uganda men preferring obese women.

 

I find women of all races beautiful. Media naturally influences us as they place people of a certain beauty standard in front of us and we accept them as important, after all, we did pay to put them their. Sometimes the effects are indirect and unexpected (fashion designers wanted human coathangers so as to not distract from the clothes, young girls looked at these women and became the new ideal, and thus competitively pushed their figures leaner than ever.)

 

If you ever want to see some amazing beauties who have a slightly different standard of beauty turn on Univision. DAYUMMMM!!! Every enthnicity has their own beauties. Just media saturates us with a standard which sadly will always leave a lot of people out.

[Feelin Frisky]

I don't know if or how true that is. What I can say is white woman have a lot of variety of looks. And let's face it any human female that is as close to perfection as it gets is the most precious thing in the universe. I have a sister who was like triple stare beautiful when she we young. People would think "did I just see what I thought I saw". But I have seen black females so amazing that they make you're heart skip a beat. I like Indian females but they are becoming more materialistic that Americans. They want gold on their gold. Anyway, so-called "whites" have a lot more variations. Different iris color, hair color, nose not ethically spread all over the face, lips not usually exaggerated, gap teeth not that typical, straight hair, curly hair, blonde, red, brunette and then there are artificial streaks and cuts that work on Caucasian hair that won't work on natural African. There are more Asians that any other type of human but I think you have to be one to figure out what beautiful. I mean there are some awesome looking Asian babes byt a lot of uniform looking ones too that maybe I get if I were an Asian dude. But lot of Asian girl want to look "western"--code for white (round eye, no frying pan face, taller, some texture to the hair beside thin, black, and straight).

 

All that said, What attracts me to woman of color is the increase melanin in the skin makes for an even complexion. White skin ages much worse than most skin of color. Some women of color--black--have awesome hair that a lot can be done with without dying it. I used to know a girl--her heard shape was beautifully symmetrical, her hair full, and I don't know who did it for her but it seemed impossible for her to look anything less that gorgeous. Woman of color need almost no make-up or none often. And actually because they don't think they're god's gift to creation, they are so much more socially approachable.

 

There is a "golden ratio" that the Greeks figured out which most humans find ideal. Leonardo Da Vinci's circle with the man in it illustrates the distances of features from each other.Lot's of white woman's bodies have that ratio. Ethnic Africans for instance don't fit as much even though we are all products of Africa. Perhaps moving into northern latitudes where women ran less or played different rolls that say a Massai female, the European is a little shorter, butt not so high. But to Massai men, the taller may be more appealing.

[Seductive]

I like Indian females but they are becoming more materialistic that Americans. They want gold on their gold.

 

East Indian? That's because our parents and our relatives hand us material things, even when we're adults. Even when I visit India, my relatives are like "You don't have to pay a dime! We're paying for everything."

[ptp]

My argument above primarily focused on western culture where white people are the predominant race.

 

So your argument about: "(1) Media is reflects natural desires" was primarily focused on western culture where white people are the predominate race? Huh? So media which is trying to sell to White America reflects the natural desires of white people? What is your point there again?

 

Now to take you Bollywood example...I don't see much in terms of Bollywood media, but of what I've seen, most actors are the light-skinned Indians with facial features that are more white than they are Indian...there are very few individuals who reflect the more native dark-skinned Indians.

See here you couldn't be more wrong.

 

The "more native dark-skinned Indians" you are talking about are Indians who happen to be from Southern India. There is absolutely nothing more native about them. What is different is that they don't grow up speaking Hindi (the language used most often in Bollywood movies). The people from Northern India who do grow up speaking Hindi tend to be on the lighter side. Thus the actors in Bollywood movies, you see who are fair skinned are probably North Indian. Yes they are more fair than Southern Indians, but they aren't more fair than the average person from their part of the country.

 

Furthermore, "facial features that are more white" is completely ludicrous. Until the 1990s India was a closed economy and closed culture. Meaning, it was largely uninfluenced by foreign (read Western) culture and companies. Outside of select Hollywood movies and music there was little to no Western impact when it comes to companies, brands, customs, clothing, TV shows, magazines etc...

 

Thus, if what you are saying is to be believed, the Indian culture developed a preference for "facial features that are more white" even without the influence of Western media. Not to mention, a lot of the standards of beauty in India are generations old, preceding the advent of mass media.

 

Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

Yes, I am familiar with the concept that fairer skin tends to be more desirable than darker skin, as darker skin denoted the working class who spent more time working outdoors, while the lighter skinned folks represented the aristocratic class who did to perform manual labor.

 

As to why tanned skin is more popularized by media today? I have two hypotheses. The first is that it sells products designed to darken skin. Second, darker skin tends to hide imperfections better than fair skin. Simply put, darker skin makes your skin look better.

 

Lets not move the goal posts here Hokie. The argument wasn't why tanned skin is more popularized by media today. The argument is that the cultural preference for fair skin is more due to the scarcity of that trait in certain East Asian cultures than the mass media. I brought up two points that you haven't been able to refute:

 

1) These preferences were in place prior to the advent of mass media

 

2) These preferences do not coincide with the image promoted by mass media.

Edited May 25, 2013 by ptp

[Seductive]

Now to take you Bollywood example...I don't see much in terms of Bollywood media, but of what I've seen, most actors are the light-skinned Indians with facial features that are more white than they are Indian...there are very few individuals who reflect the more native dark-skinned Indians.

 

To us Indians, we can recognize the actors/actresses as Indian. The big eyes, the noses, and the round facial shapes that Indian actresses have are typical Indian traits. Non-Indians don't realize that Indians are diverse and come in various skin tones. I find it funny how non-Indians assume that we all look exactly the same. If you see those Indian celebrities in real life, you will notice that they are darker than they appear on screen.

 

The "more native dark-skinned Indians" you are talking about are Indians who happen to be from Southern India. There is absolutely nothing more native about them. What is different is that they don't grow up speaking Hindi (the language used most often in Bollywood movies). The people from Northern India who do grow up speaking Hindi tend to be on the lighter side. Thus the actors in Bollywood movies, you see who are fair skinned are probably North Indian. Yes they are more fair than Southern Indians, but they aren't more fair than the average person from their part of the country.

 

Thank you! Although, there are some South Indians that are very light (like Aishwarya Rai) and some North Indians that are very dark. In one Indian family, it's common to find one sibling that is light-skinned and the other sibling to be darker! Everything is very mixed up.

 

EDIT: I would like to add that dating or marrying a white person is looked down upon in India. If Indians really worshipped white people, they would be okay with their kids marrying whites.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Seductive