[Tsuruko]

In Japan, by most of society, having pale skin is something beautiful, there are several reasons why, of course.

I noted that it was mentioned that, working people = tanned, royals/rich = pale, and that is one reason. If you're pale, you're seen as rich, not having to work outside, but if you're tanned, you're seen as peasant. This mostly applies to earlier, pre-westernized Japanese society.

Yet many Western Societies consider pale skin a beauty trait. Just look at the Victorians. It was no wonder they were completely obsessed with Japan.

One can still see Japanese women wearing white gloves when walking about in kimono, this is because they don't want unsightly tan lines from the sun.

Wearing Geta without tabi for two years have left me with geta strap tan lines. Yetch.

There is another reason why pale skin is desired, but it's another past reason. Geisha would paint their skin white, and Geisha were once seen as celebrities in Japan, and they were considered 'iki' which means cool, or chic, and thus, to be fashionable like a Geisha was cool, it was the in thing. Being Pale without having to wear Oshiroi ( white make up ) was a good thing, not every Japanese lady wanted to waste time applying Oshiroi nor was it practical.

The reason Geisha wear the white make up is because of the parties they would attend. These parties were at night, and in a time before electricity, they would paint their faces white to stand out in the low light of the tea houses, giving them a sort of ethereal glow. : )