4. Results
4.8 Changing attitudes
From the analysis of the data collected in the interviews, results showcased a drift away from the skin whitening phenomenon. With many of the participants calming, they have no desire to whitening their skin. One participant stated, “Personally, now I don’t really use any product but many products that I want you to get contains whitening agents. I like my skin color now, I am not bothered to look whiter. Right now, I don’t own any (P8). Here the participant is talking about how at an early age, she perceived whiteness as pretty, but as she grew older, she realized that skin doesn’t matter. It is important to note that this particular participant is a mainlander Chinese descent Taiwanese woman. Her skin color is quite whiter than others in this study. Participants discussed their preference for a tanner looking skin. “I prefer tanned skin” (P10).
Now in her late thirty, P10 is a Taiwanese woman who was born in Changhua City born and raised in Taipei. Her father is Hakka, born in Hualien city and my mother is Holko, her father side of the family tend to have darker skin tone, her siblings and herself inherited darker skin tone from my father. So, growing up, her parents didn’t talk about skin whitening, she heard it more from my classmates talking about her skin tone, and sometimes they teased her for being darker than the average Taiwanese. It frustrated her a lot growing. Somehow, P10 loves outdoor activities, so her skin tone got even more ominous from the suntan, and then some people will say to her that her skin looked beautiful and healthy, that when she realized it more relevant to embrace how God created me to be. “I like to be dark” (P5).
This participant was aboriginal and already had darker looking skin. She stated that she is happy and content with her dark skin tone: “I think differently, aboriginals as ls we just accept ourselves and others. Another participant stated:
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“No, because my preference was tanned look When I was young I was told that the whiter, the prettier. But as time went by and as I made more foreigner friends, I learned that having darker skin is also a kind of beauty” (P7).
“I think it’s changing now because more and more people around me are willing to get more tanned or want to have darker skin in our generation, but I think our mums are dad’s generation won't change them an opinion on this” (P7).
An overwhelming number of the younger participants all claimed that they accepted having darker skin. A considerable aspect of this is due to social media. Through platforms like Instagram and Facebook, people are learning and seeing the beauty in other cultures whatever the skin tone.
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This study explored the popular practices about skin color among Taiwanese woman. This chapter includes the salient findings of the study and the existing literature along with the suggestions, the implications for future research, the researcher/interviewer’s insights, reflections, and the limitations of the study. Ground theory was used to gather information and analyze the data from recurring coding patterns from the interviews. To determine and explore, the popular discourses and practices about skin color amount Taiwanese woman.
One of the most interesting results from the interviews conducted for this study was a possible changing curve in the way people perceived having fair/white skin. Five of the participants showcased a desire for darker, or a tanner looking skin. This result was unexpected as Japan and Korea beauty cosmetic industry still is very large and dominant one in Taiwan today.
Having said that more and more Taiwanese people are traveling across the globe, with a 7.30%
increase in the numbers of Taiwanese people going around the world in 2007 alone (Tourism Taiwan 2018).
Chung and Bissell (2009) compliment this perfectly, as they highlighted the Asian women's obsession with skin whitening via whitening cosmetics. Societies fall in the trap of multinational skin cosmetics company and buy their products. This is a colossal issue in Asian and the Taiwanese society. This imbalanced exposure has existed for centuries and has created a psychological coping mechanism, where people want to be associated with whiteness, perceived as brilliant and intellect in their society. Cosmetic companies have profited and capitalized for decays on setting the beauty standard and reinforcing negative portrayal of darker skin to sell whitening products. Time and
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overwhelming percentage of the participants discussed their mothers as the most influential factor when it comes to learning about this phenomenon. For many, this study was the first introduction to any awareness raised to this phenomenon. It was surprising to see that even though a few of the younger participants were not using the products, no one had an issue or perceived the use of the whitening products in a negative light. There seems to be an accepting attitude towards this phenomenon. It seems to not be an issue for people in Taiwan. Unlike the many other parts of the world, Taiwan may be the perfect place for these multinational skincare companies to continue to thrive.On a cultural aspect, it can be concluded that there are lots of aesthetic values engraved in this phenomenon. White skin is a model of white Caucasian definition of classic beauty model which signifies grace, elegance but most importantly, a royal or regal nature which was the same initial concept centuries ago. Interestingly, there was no indication of any male influence throughout the whole study. In the interviews, there was zero mention of any male figure in relations to this phenomenon. Even though technically, a huge factor of beauty is to attract male partners. Unfortunately, this research did not dig deeper into the male figure mindset. So, this aspect could be a suggestion for future research on the skin whitening phenomenon. This thesis can contribute to further studies on the skin whitening phenomenon in the future. It may be interesting to see if there will be a change as Taiwan continue to grow and develop.
Overall it appears that Taiwanese people do not perceive the skin whitening epidemic as an issue that could be damaging to society. It’s entirely accepted and has become such a social norm in Taiwanese culture, in contrast to other Asian countries, that have created campaigns to talk about the damages of skin whitening products. Taiwan, seemingly perceive it as an interesting
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topic to look at, but there is no sense of urgency as it is just not viewed as an issue. Participants that stated they would never you any skin whitening products, did not showcase and push back against this phenomenon. For them, it is simply a personal decision. Even though there was an apparent trend from the younger generation, showcasing that they are content with their skin and are more leaning towards a tanner look. The fact of the matter is that in Taiwan statue matters and centuries-long traditions and beliefs are not going to go away overnight. Having said that it was interesting to see the demands for a darker skin tone amongst younger Taiwanese women. This could signify the massive effect of social media that could change a considerable percentage of the younger generation in Taiwan.
5.2 Meaning of whiteness and its association.
Almost every single interviewee shared a similar view about the way they perceived whiteness. Ten of the participants from the study referred to whiteness as a sign of beauty, except the indigenous participant who stated she does not view it as anything. (Franklin, 1968) and (Hall, 1995) compliment this in the literature. The literature discussed that this colonial legacy in South Asia brought about one of the contributory factors in the belief “white is powerful” and “white is beautiful” (Goon & Craven 2003).
This preference for racial groups of lighter skin color can also be found in Taiwan. While there might not be outward discrimination towards people with darker skin tone, there is a presumed superiority against the aboriginal Taiwanese among the rest of the Taiwanese society. It may even be subconscious, but it exists. A great example was the indigenous participant who express her fear of getting a job, claimed not to have had many Taiwanese friends and has appeared
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to otherized herself. As well as nonaboriginal Taiwanese participants, others distinguish themselves from the aborigines.
The explicit nature of conversations about appearance, and in particular, skin tone, have consistently caught me off guard in Taiwan. However, a huge misconception is usually that Asian women want to be racially white. Participants made clear in the interviews that the average Taiwanese woman, although she may seek and desire for whiter paler skin. There is little desire to actually to be racially “white” person. The findings of this thesis suggest that women are subscribing to this skin lightening phenomenon for vanity, social acceptance, and self-enhancement. The results also indicate that the pressure to stay white tends to diminish when one ages. There has always been the association of darkness with uncleanness as highlighted. While European history for centuries has portrayed this concept for a century, this study showcased that this notion popular not only through Europe but also Asia. It appears it has had a lasting effect as still today participant mentioned that whiteness signified cleanness. A lot of the participants referred to whiter paler skin, allowing them to be perceived as clean and trustworthy.
5.3 Gender influences
Although this study mainly focused on the Taiwanese females, it is interesting to find that none of the participants discussed the topic in the context of the Taiwanese male preceptive. Only one participant referred to the Taiwanese male figure in this study. For further research, it would be interesting to develop and explore the views of the Taiwanese male on the topic of the skin whitening phenomenon. Contrary to this, a significant number of participants identified their mothers as a huge influencer when it comes to being introduced to the skin whitening phenomenon.
Other than that, it was their female colleagues or classmates that would suggest products for them.
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These patterns in the study showed that females are the leading people who are keeping this phenomenon active and passing down for generations.
Many participants stated that they are perfectly contented with their skin have. Several participants discussed that they preferred to be tan or have darker skin. As they realized that it is also very desirable to have darker skin in other parts of the world. A possible explanation for this may be the effect of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. While it is a positive thing to see more and more people accepting themselves. It can be argued that there is a thin line between going over bored to the complete opposite of skin whitening. Tanning beds and sun tanning are also issue’s that plagues the west. It can also be noted that there was still a considerable amount of the participants who did not mind or were not against the skin whitening processes.
Many participants stated they did not care as long as people are informed of the ingredients and do their research before using the products. When asked "what are your opinions on the process of skin whitening," participants said:
"If they want to be white then that's their business so like I wouldn't judge they but they have to share the information for the product if it's good or Not. People still have to remember you are you beautiful" (P5).
"I think they're not good or bad that's because a woman wants to be beautiful and to be white then you can be more beautiful" (P11).
Overall, this study showcased what some popular discourses and practices about skin color amongst Taiwanese women. It is vital to understand different cultures and the reason why people
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make the decisions that they do. A massive reason for deciding to explore this aspect of the study was that previous studies focused more on the health and racial aspect of this phenomenon.
Through the exploration and the process of the data collection methods, a great dialogue was created. Knowledge was exchanged amongst both the interviewer and interviewees. Few participants were not aware that skincare whitening products contained some harmful ingredients.
Studies like this help to distribute knowledge, inform people as well as developing an understanding and clear up misconception.
5.4 Limitations
The first limitation of this research was the sampling size of the participants. First, quickly visible that the different Taiwanese ethnicity groups were too large to define in the short time available for this study to conclude. It was proven extremely difficult to interview all the various ethnic groups. The process of gaining access, organizing a meeting in a suitable time for both parties, and traveling to a different location to conduct the research data collection process was time-consuming. Due to the importance of gathering information from has many different types of Taiwanese ethnic groups. Finding the perfect candidates (while it was not hard to do) was time-consuming.
Another limitation was the age of most participants. As a working group who are always on the go, it was hard to organize suitable times. This led to resulted in limiting the numbers of participants interviewed in the data collection phase. The researcher aimed to target more participant for this study but unfortunate this proved to be more difficult than expected.
The third limitation is a common struggle that is usually faced when conducting a qualitative study. This study struggled with insufficient external validity with very little ability to
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generalize the finding. The sample of this study is too small to have credibility inaccuracy of a current position in any social settings. The size of the sample was restricted due to the researcher availability of time. Accompanying that was the inability to travel outside the capital to get a different perspective from different corners of the island. Instead, the study was limited to Taipei city inhabitants. The convenient sampling method may have just gotten the views of a specific group of people and definitely a representative of the whole population. Thus, affect the quality of data that was gathered. A factor that also made it difficult to generalize a conclusion that has been drawn from this research because it is impossible to conclude just by simply what a biased sample says.
The Outcomes of the data collected was also a limitation in this study because some participants may have been shy or were not confident enough with their English. They answered at a time with just short, simple sentences. Like yes/no/I do not know, instead of the deep ones.
Even with a very skilled interviewer, it was hard to get some participants to elaborate on their answers past those quotation that were given.
Another limitation included language barriers which created a tedious, time-consuming task when writing down the trans-scripts. The researcher required a translator at times, someone to translate the question and answers for participants that had little to non-English. With no budget, the researcher had to rely on volunteer translators. There was also no incentive, so this made it harder to find willing participants, although they were helpful people in the end.
Due to the research not being able to read Mandarin, data collection for the literature was limited . There was no budget for a translator and because some of the participants had busy schedule, many of the interview was conducted over the phone. While some interviews were on a
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personal one-to-one basis in a quiet area, the bulk of the participants were interviewed in a mass setting (such as a cafe, classrooms, another large gathering area, offices).
The process of collecting data for this study was time-consuming and expensive process.
The task of traveling around to different location was also very time consuming and exhausting.
Another limitation related to sampling may be the cultural differences affecting the acceptance of skin whitening products. The sampling size in consist of mostly Hakka and mainlanders' Taiwanese women. Most of these women already had white complexion. There's a probability of some kind of cultural bias. Which may result in the results of the research leaned over those groups ideals. Also, to note the interviewer has very dark skin. Perhaps participants may not have been entirely truthful and held back due to the fear of insulting or offending the interviewer.
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Appendix 1
Interviews question
Theme sheet for in-depth interviews to be conducted with twenty Taiwanese women.
Q1. what does whiteness mean to you?
Q2Have you/ Do you feel any social pressure to have whiter skin?
Q3. Have you ever used any skin whitening products and why/why not?
Q4. When did you first become aware of this phenomenon?
Q5. In what aspects of your daily life have you ever experienced the ideals and norms of whiteness?
Q6 Do you think the ideal regarding skin colors vary across ethnic groups?
Q7. How many skincare whitening products do you currently own?
Q8. Are you aware that some products without skin whitening products hold names that would imply there do?
Q9. Would you agree that this phenomenon is a cultural or social issue?
Q10. What are your opinions on the process of skin whitening?
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