Week 9 - Race and Beauty

Annika R. Uyenco
ASA 141
Week 9

I really enjoyed the reading this week because I have done projects and have had experience with this topic in the past. Beauty between these two races is quite stereotyped as seen with the claims and data found in this article. Western female models are portrayed as independent and strong and may or may not be posing in a seductive or sultry way, depending on the product being advertised. Asian female models are portrayed as girly and innocent, posing in a submissive or passive manner. In the beauty world, Western female models are focused on displaying the whole figure, emphasizing the body. This is usually done when advertising items such as lingerie. Asian models are more focused on the face, especially when it comes to facial "correction" advertisements.

Having grown up here in America, I am aware of the advertisements when my eyes graze the tabloids in the store or when I go to the mall. The poses of the female models are intense in the sense that they seem to hint at what seems to be a sexual desire or their strength and independence. When I go to Asia, I notice the lack of these qualities in the advertisements. The models appear to be shy and cute. Cheng describes perfectly the line between Asian and Western, "Western women are used as sex objects in advertising across cultures, whereas Asian women are generally not, as yet, presented in this way."

A subtopic that is related to the Asian models is the skin tone displayed in many advertisements. Pale skin is so highly sought after in Asia and many go through so much to achieve this look. In America, we see a variety of skin tone and even more so now with the push for equal representation in the media. However, in Asia, pale, white skin is seen as "the most beautiful" and is still sadly the only skin tone that is shown.


Image 1: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4141370/Gigi-models-new-collection-Tommy-Hilfiger.html
Image 2: https://celebmafia.com/lee-sung-kyung-elle-magazine-february-2017-issue-687601/

Source: Cheng, Hong. "Race and Beauty: A Comparison of Asian and WesternModels in Women’s Magazine Advertisements" Sex Roles: A Journey of Research. January 2004.