Posted on 10/28/2013 12:41:12 AM PDT by TexGrill
An advert for a skin-whitening cream that appeared to offer university scholarships to students with fairer skin has stoked a debate over racism in Thailand, where Unilever – the company behind the ad – has been forced to apologise for any "misunderstandings".
The "Citra search for clear, soft and glowing skin" asked female students to submit photographs of themselves in their university uniform along with a bottle of Citra Pearly White UV body lotion, for a reward of 100,000 baht (£2,000). Citra is a Thai subsidiary of Unilever.
The advert – broadcast on Thai TV and YouTube – showed two female students, one lighter-skinned and another darker-skinned, who were asked what could make them "outstanding in uniform".
The darker-skinned girl seemed incapable of answering, while the fairer one – whom presenters described as "beautiful" – said Citra products could help.
The advert sparked a debate over skin tone and education levels. Many believed the inference to be that darker-skinned students are less intelligent than their lighter-skinned colleagues in a country where fairer skin has long been equated with higher class – as a whiter complexion suggests a life not spent toiling on a farm.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
how exactly is this a ‘business tip’?
Know your market and its culture.
How I hate that stupid word advert!!
Lighter skin suggests washed cleaner. Women get into this as a vanity/envy competition amongst themselves. When it comes to sex most men aren't too selective. Human cosmetic features were selected for by mothers in their babies, favoring their lighter skinned children which then tend to have higher survival rates.
On the beaches in Thailand, the Thai girls would sit in the shade rather than in the sun for fear of the sun making their skin darker. They would tell me they didn’t want to look like the “Malay’s”.
THAILAND?
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