Pearly white skin

Most Vietnamese women will go to any length to avoid getting sun on their skin -- and by extension, getting it the least bit tan and implying to everyone that they do manual labor for a living.

This woman is wearing a face mask, helmet, arm coverings, and long pants, even though it was a sweltering, 100+ degrees, incredibly humid day.


I've lost count of the number of Vietnamese who look at Westerners in shock when the latter go out onto the beach to lie in the sun and get a tan. I can practically hear them thinking to themselves "Those foreigners are crazy! Why would they ruin their white skin by making it darker?"

Ah, the things we do for beauty. It seems like the only rule for true beauty (one that cuts across cultures) is that it must be nigh-unattainable by the vast majority of the people in the community.

btj