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Originally Posted by mercedesjin
Internalized racism can also refer to the idea of "white features" being considered more beautiful. No, Japan doesn't have many more races - but that doesn't mean it's completely cut off from the world.
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Actually when this tradition began that is exactly what Japan was: cut off from the rest of the world. No foreigners were allowed into Japan. It was called a "chain country" meaning it was like a chain was around the isolated islands of Japan.
The pale skin of the elite was considered more attractive than the darker skin of those that worked in the fields. At the same time, black or crooked teeth were not considered a negative and there are stories of women with perfectly white teeth who break them with rocks to get a man.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mercedesjin
Maybe many Japanese citizens haven't seen black people with their own eyes, but they DO see them - and they DO exist. They might see black people, or anyone with darker skin, portrayed on the TV or in movies. The way that many black people and darker skinned people are portrayed influences people's thoughts and ideas.
If all you see on TV are people with lighter skin, and shows and movies suggest that people with lighter skin are more beautiful than people with darker skin - then yes, you can fall victim to internalized racism. It doesn't matter where in the world you are. Media has a huge control over race relations. All you need is a TV.
And ESPECIALLY for something like fashion, where most models are going to be people with lighter skin because lighter skin is considered more beautiful - yeah, internalized racism is pretty prominent, no matter where you are.
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Again, the tradition of lighter skin as more attractive than darker skin is has a long tradition before the modern era in Japan, and before black people were in Japan.
Nowdays that tradition is just that, a tradition. For as many women that avoid the sun to keep their skin pale, there are as many women who go to tanning salons and beaches to get their skin dark. Neither fad, fashion or tradition has anything to do with black people. I am not saying there isn't racism in Japan, but this "truism" really has nothing to do with black people...or white people, for that matter.