On beauty

I've gotten a lot of attention here for being fair-skinned, because as in most of Asia, white is more beautiful. The two words people use to describe dark skin are black and wheat-colored, neither of which I find very accurate. I try to explain that in my place everyone wants to be dark, that dark is more beautiful, that people tan and wear creams to make their skins darker, but it falls on deaf ears.

I went to meetings around town last week with one of my colleagues. At one ministry an old friend complimented her by telling her that her face was fat, meaning she looked relaxed and rested. A man. Later at another office, the meeting started out with appreciation for my white skin. Can you imagine.

"She must eat a lot of fruit. Her skin is so white," on and on.

I said finally, "My parents have white skin, that's why I look like this."

Ignoring me, she said, "She eats a lot of fruit."