Facekini and Colourism

FACEKINI AND COLOURISM

HSUAN WAN, SHADES OF NOIR

What would be a common item in the glove compartment of a car? Driver’s licences, some insurance details, maybe a pair of sunglasses for a sunny day. For my aunt, it is a mask. Out of curiosity, I asked the reason for keeping a mask in the car. “So I don’t get tanned and have darker skin. You should put on some sunscreen as well.” she replied to me while handing me a bottle of SPF 50+ sunscreen.

A couple of years ago, a product appeared in China that shocked the rest of the world, the facekini. A breathable UV-protected mask that one wears to go swimming. This item became an online meme not so long after it’s appearance in mainstream media with it’s hilarious look when worn as well as the idea of hiding away from the sun when swimming outdoor.

Sun kissed, tanned, or bronzed might seem like a compliment to others but not in most communities in East Asia. Long before the industrial revolution and international trade began in East Asia, skin tone is already a clear visible class marker for the public. With the idea of the fairer the better, many would go to an extreme extent to avoid getting tanned, such as wearing a facekini.

This difference plays an even more obvious factor on females. After Tang dynasty, the society gradually reverted into a conservative culture that restricted females appearing in public. A “good female” was supposed to stay within the household and not walk around. However, this rule only applied to females from a wealthy family. A working class female still needed to work and run errands for their family. This difference in classes enhanced the stereotype of being fair is “good”. As time passes, fairness became a cultural standard that applies to both men and women but mainly targets women. Facekini is just one of the outcomes created due to the social beauty standard.

With influence of the tanning culture of western countries and the shift of work dynamics from agricultural to office workers. More East Asian celebrities are known and promoted with the idea of sun-kissed skins being desirable. Being tanned, no longer signifies the class status of the person but a beauty and fashion choice that a person makes. Although there are less prejudice against darker skins, being fair still lays heavily influential on many aspects of life.

In the past, most East Asian communities are agricultural or fishery societies. They rely on working in the fields or sea to earn a living. As a result, these groups of people are significantly more tanned and has a darker skin tone compared to the wealthy and the nobles that do not need to work under the sun.

Illustration by Jay Lee