Why is it we tend to desire those things which we don’t have. If we have straight hair, we want curly hair; if we have curly hair, we want straight hair. If we live in the mountains, we want to go to the ocean; if we live on the ocean, we long for the mountains.
And, people who have pale skin covet dark skin and people who have brown skin, want white skin. While my weight means I’m not the picture of beauty here, my creamy white skin is envied by many Lao people. I’ve always said that I was born in the wrong century. If I’d been alive in the Renaissance, I could have been the pale, plump beauty reclining naked on the couch. Instead, I was born in America in the 20th century where pale and plump are not considered signs of beauty or wealth. But since pale and well-nourished people have adequate food to eat and enough means to be able to avoid slaving in the sun, I can see how they are desired traits in many cultures.
I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, then, that skin-whitening creams are all the rage here (and in many other parts of the world) and umbrellas are used more on sunny days than rainy ones. I gaze in amazement at the women wearing gloves and long-sleeved coats turned backwards while riding their motorbikes in 100+ degree temperatures. Sometimes, my view is impaired by the sweat running into my eye as I do this. When I first arrived in Vientiane, I wondered why motorbike riding induced backward jacket-wearing. Now, I have learned that it is to avoid sun-exposure to the neck and collar area. And it is not only the women who are obsessed with pallor. I have spotted many men sporting their ‘winter’ gloves on the motorbike as the sun’s rays beat down on the handlebars. Sometimes I wonder about Vitamin D levels.
How is it, then, that I have managed to make myself so ‘ugly’? People who know me, know I am far from a sun-worshiper and I generally apply sunscreen liberally and hang in the shade whenever possible. But, the rays in Laos are intense and I find myself getting darker with even brief periods out and about. Consequently, with all the biking, swimming and running I’ve done of late, my body is like a patchwork quilt of skin tones. My arms, which get the most sun exposure, seem to belong to a different body when placed on my abdomen, which never sees the sun. Yes, I put sunscreen on my face daily and sometimes remember to put a lotion with sunscreen on my arms, but I am still the most golden brown I’ve been since my swimming days. Too bad, it’s not a desirable thing here. But I’m just not ready to sacrifice comfort and convenience for freckle-free skin. (I don’t really tan, my freckles just get closer together.)
While the Lao women chide me for allowing my skin to get so ‘black’ there are some bright sides. After 5 years on the frozen Minnesota tundra, I have quit taking my Vitamin D supplement. And, I often have the pool to myself at lunchtime while the Lao people are hiding from the sun.
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