Why ? Is a lighter skin tone Sexier/appealing ?

I don't find a lighter skin tone sexier or more appealing... so I guess I couldn't answer the question.

After careful consideration I have come to realize the reason why 'more people' think a lighter skin tone to be attractive; because I have light skin and everyone knows -I- am the sexiest person who has ever lived, lives currently or will ever live.

InformedIgnorance said:

After careful consideration I have come to realize the reason why 'more people' think a lighter skin tone to be attractive; because I have light skin and everyone knows -I- am the sexiest person who has ever lived, lives currently or will ever live.

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damn it i wish you were the op then this would be the greatest troll thread ever. frubals for the vainty of it

The Chinese tend to accept that lighter skin is more beautiful - but they are of course talking out of their backsides, as is anyone else who thinks they can objectively talk about beauty. The answer to the OP is as follows:

It is their subjective view

It doesn't matter if 99% of people think the same, as long as there is even one person who doesn't, it's not even close to being objective truth. It's a sad cliche but is absolutely true - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I think it is a biological instinct thing.

Darker skin tends to remind us more of animals - so many women like the tall, dark, hariy stranger - a kind of neandarthal-lust type erotica at work.

On the other hand, men prefer the gentle sweet girl that looks like a flower or young deer.

So lighter skin is seen as more feminine.

Go to Asia - pale skin is in!

There is no debate to be had here - you cannot possibly argue that lighter skin is more attractive, because it's nothing but your own subjective viewpoint. You can't even proffer evidence for it. It's just something you like or don't. It's like me trying to prove once and for all which cola is better. It doesn't matter if everyone in the world except me liked Pepsi more than Coke, if I think coke is better, then for me it really is.

If you think lighter skin is more attractive, then that's your preference. There's no real reason for it, it's no different from preferring sweet to savoury, or night to day. It's all about what your PERSONAL preference is. Let's talk about something where we stand a chance of actually convincing each other to change our minds.

you live in China so you must see this on a daily basis surely.

It seems that the Asians much prefer the paler skin.

This is certainly true in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

all the hot girls and models are of the pale skinned variety, often they are even of mixed Asian/European blend - which is surprising given the overall xenophobia of the region.

why is this?

I personally have always found the dark-skinned/dark-haired of the opposite sex to be far more attractive than the lighter-skinned and light-haired, particularly leaning towards Latinos and other ethnicities that are dark. However, this is just my own personal preference, and as another poster pointed out, often we find the "exotic" more attractive. So perhaps if I were a dark-skinned Latino (even though, in the summer, I can sometimes be mistaken for a Latino myself), I might be more attracted to blondes....who knows.

Beauty is simply in the eye of the beholder, and whether dark skin or light skin is more appealing is all a matter of subjective taste.

fallingblood said:

It depends on the culture. In the United States, there is a tendency overall for darker skin. It has to do with an eroticism of the other/stranger. In many other countries you will see people actually "bleaching" their skin in order to be lighter (that is partially because the "other" is seen as exotic. There is also an aspect in some countries in which they have been made to believe that white is better).

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No! The prestige attributed to having whiter skin that motivated upper class European women to bleach their skin with mercury compounds, was due to the fact that most people had to be out in the sun working on the land, or at least getting the sun's rays as they traveled about during the daytime. Only the idle rich could afford to stay indoors and avoid contact with sunlight. I suspect that a similar concept is at the heart of the prestige for having lighter skin in Asian countries. It has long been noted that the Indian Caste System seems to follow the color lines very closely.

The prestige connected with pure white skin changed somewhat because of the Industrial Revolution...as most working class people were stuck working 12 to 14 hour days in factory sweatshops, and being able to go to the beach and get a tan became a sign of prestige for those who had some free time on their hands. But, this kind of prestige seems to only be accorded to those who have naturally light complexions and darken themselves. If you check out Sport's Illustrated, Maxim, or go to men's info/entertainment sites like Bullzeye, you find 80 or90% of the featured models are these blonde bimbos, who look so identical, they could be coming off a factory production line! Every so often, for variety, they'll have a Latina, or a girl who hasn't colored her hair...but rarely if ever, do they seem to have any black models. I know they're out there! If I'm out trying to do some girl-watching (discreetly), Jamaican or other girls from the Caribbean sure grab my attention.

Much of it boils down to finding the exotic erotic.

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That is likely part of the story. I know that with most of my heritage being Irish and German, I don't really find red hair and freckles very appealing! Nicole Kidman is not my image of the perfect woman!

Draka said:

Generally, if I were to describe what I find physically attractive in a man it usually includes somewhat darker skin. ... If looking at models and actors and such I tend to lean towards those of darker skinned ethnicities.

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Ditto.

Black, Hispanic, South Asian, Middle Eastern... :drool:

Tall, dark, and hotter than Hades! All I know is that when this girl walks past, every jaw in the room (or on the beach) goes slack.

Yes.

Actually a better answer would be that in the historical sense, lighter skin or white skin has long been associated with beauty. This is more of a eurocentric philosophy that has unfortunately spilled into the Americas and has really influenced society. It doesn't stop at skin complexion but some non-white culture strive to obtain Caucasoid features. In a Tyra Banks program I've seen some years back there was a young asian girl that wanted to widen her eyes so that they weren't so slanted, apparently this is a common trend among the trendy Asian youth.

Society (at least North American society) has indoctrinated its population with the idea that dark skin is not beautiful, of course this has changed drastically look at tan lady lol!

What annoys me though, it is a personal issue, is when pale skin is considered sickly. A lot of people told me to get a tan and go out in the sun.

There's nothing I can do about it. I burn in the sun and when I wear sufficient sun protection, the colour doesn't change. I went to Cape Verde in Africa, I still got slight burns with factor 60 sunscreen and came back with no tan! I was there for 2 weeks and always outside!

I've come to accept it and I don't find there's anything wrong with pale, (natural) tan or dark skin. My annoyance is with social pressure to look a certain way and look down on people who don't. Besides why risk getting skin cancer for something that's near impossible to achieve?

Mr. Skittles said:

Actually a better answer would be that in the historical sense, lighter skin or white skin has long been associated with beauty. This is more of a eurocentric philosophy that has unfortunately spilled into the Americas and has really influenced society. It doesn't stop at skin complexion but some non-white culture strive to obtain Caucasoid features. In a Tyra Banks program I've seen some years back there was a young asian girl that wanted to widen her eyes so that they weren't so slanted, apparently this is a common trend among the trendy Asian youth.

Society (at least North American society) has indoctrinated its population with the idea that dark skin is not beautiful, of course this has changed drastically look at tan lady lol!

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This was what I was intially getting at. Must have left that out by accident when I worte the op.Sorry

Absolute Zero said:

This was what I was intially getting at. Must have left that out by accident when I worte the op.Sorry

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Gotcha...No problem. At least we're on the same page

Mr. Skittles said:

Actually a better answer would be that in the historical sense, lighter skin or white skin has long been associated with beauty. This is more of a eurocentric philosophy that has unfortunately spilled into the Americas and has really influenced society. It doesn't stop at skin complexion but some non-white culture strive to obtain Caucasoid features. In a Tyra Banks program I've seen some years back there was a young asian girl that wanted to widen her eyes so that they weren't so slanted, apparently this is a common trend among the trendy Asian youth.

Society (at least North American society) has indoctrinated its population with the idea that dark skin is not beautiful, of course this has changed drastically look at tan lady lol!

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If Europeans have a European concept of beauty, I don't blame them. What really annoys me is nonwhites following that standard fanatically and mocking fellow nonwhites on that basis.

Chisti said:

If Europeans have a European concept of beauty, I don't blame them. What really annoys me is nonwhites following that standard fanatically and mocking fellow nonwhites on that basis.

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First off you need to have a better understanding of Eurocentrism and European diaspora. Historically people of darker complexion were made to think their pheotypical features were horrid. Psychologically this is devastating and as we can see generationally, this effect still has a ripple effect to various cultures. But it appears that the dynamics of the perception of "white beauty" is shifting. Most Caucasians want a darker complexion. Some want fuller lips, and some even go to the extent if enlarging their butts. All of these traits previously seen as horrible qualities of those of non-white origin....How funny