Face value

Face value

Sometimes it pains me to see how much value Thais put into face. And here, I'm talking literally about one's features, and that also extends to the body.

So much has been said about the quack doctors that do quickie Botox or silicone injections that have had disastrous results. You're lucky if you get away with a crooked nose or a sagging chin, because some have met with fatal ends, all from vanity and the desire to conform to society's expectations.

Yet it doesn't stop.

Most recently a friend pointed out a new smartphone application in Thai called Krachok Wat Phiew Khao, literally White Face Test Mirror.

What it does is analyse your selfies for the degree of whiteness of your skin. There are just three steps to the procedure: take a selfie, press Use to process, then the program analyses how white you are on a scale of 1-10.

It also provides a little description to go with the analysis, after which you can save your picture, and even share with your friends on Facebook with a single click of your finger! You can also do a group analysis, although the program will only provide an average measurement of combined whiteness. (I'm sure a future, upgraded version will be able to offer separate reports for each face, otherwise what's the use?)

It had received a rating of four stars, and reviews were gushing: "Great!" "The girls will go crazy for this app!" "I love it because it's in Thai."

It sounded so ridiculous I just had to try it. The app featured a picture of a good-looking Caucasian girl with her face against that of a cute, blue-eyed Caucasian toddler. Both were in winter clothes, cable-knitted beanies over their heads. Nothing could have been further removed from the targeted Thai user in the sun-drenched heat, traffic and som tum diets of real Bangkok. I took my selfie, even smiling for the camera just in case my teeth would help reflect a little more light into the picture, pressed Use, and waited with bated breath.

The analysis gave me a 6.10, with the demeaning remark: "You can just about scrape through day by day."

The cheek!

I haven't been enjoying the sun for years now, ever since melasma blotches began to appear, and I apply sunscreen religiously, so I know my face is whiter than it has ever been. Yet I got a measly 6.10, which is just over the midway range. I'm sure it must be the lighting!

I can imagine that young, impressionable girls in search of that white skin illusion would be totally aghast if they got anything below 8.

A quick check on Thailand's most popular website and discussion forum Pantip.com turned up a chat among users. One user chirped: "I got 7.86 with the remarks, 'Your skin is pinkish white!' How much did you get? Imagine a guy getting this much! That means I've got beautiful skin. I'm sure the girls will be jealous!" This raised a flurry of comments, ending with one that said, dismally: "-1.84."

I can just imagine this poor soul who plunged below the bottom end of the scale rushing out to MBK to buy up the latest whitening skin creams that were probably produced in a tiny back room of some village in China.

Despite the warnings from our Food and Drug Administration, young hopefuls still buy up these cheap, dubious creams.

You can now actually just buy these products from the comfort of your smartphone screen, without having to brave the harsh sunlight outside. Websites, Facebook and Instagram are full of people flaunting skincare products that promise you the moon. The thing is, people actually go for them, no questions asked. Are Thais that desperate they are willing to spend their hard-earned money on products that have nothing substantial behind them other than a vague promise? Some even get some celebrity endorsements, which get them better sales results than a small ad in Thailand's largest daily at a fraction of the cost.

I'm not sure who initiated this "white skin good, dark skin bad" value, but it is here to stay, and a lot of money is going to be circulated in this industry before people learn to be happy in their own skin.


Usnisa Sukhsvasti is the features editor of the Bangkok Post.

Usnisa Sukhsvasti

Feature Editor

M.R. Usnisa Sukhsvasti is Bangkok Post’s features editor, a teacher at Chulalongkorn University and a social worker.

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