Skin Tone

The Japanese ladies in my sanshin group (I need a more macho hobby…I should go back to campanology) were discussing the fact that younger Japanese people have a much paler skin tone than their generation does. I thought they just stayed indoors playing video games so were pale like veal! My friend who is a bit of a beauty/cosmetics expert, claims Japanese youth take high doses of glutathione intravenously, which inhibits melanin production. I've never heard of this practice and was wondering if anyone on this board knows if this is a trend amongst young Japanese people?

Ukigumo said:

The Japanese ladies in my sanshin group (I need a more macho hobby…I should go back to campanology) were discussing the fact that younger Japanese people have a much paler skin tone than their generation does. I thought they just stayed indoors playing video games so were pale like veal! My friend who is a bit of a beauty/cosmetics expert, claims Japanese youth take high doses of glutathione intravenously, which inhibits melanin production. I've never heard of this practice and was wondering if anyone on this board knows if this is a trend amongst young Japanese people?

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While it appears to be a thing, I highly doubt it's a substantive trend. Your friend's sample may be biased towards people into beauty and cosmetics or by a handful of articles or product marketing. On the other hand, I'm certainly not in touch with Japanese youth culture so beyond the fact that I haven't heard of it either, I really can't say anything definitively.

Most Japanese ladies NEVER leave home without a thick layer of SPF50+ products.



Arm covers and "sun visors" are indispensable in the summer months.

I wonder if I could get one of those visors to place nice with my bike helmet.

thomas said:

Most Japanese ladies NEVER leave home without a thick layer of SPF50+ products.

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Arm covers and "sun visors" are indispensable in the summer months.

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Yup, this and sunbrellas (UV umbrellas) if it's hot and sunny you'll probably see every other woman with one. Honestly even I would get one, I don't like being cooked by the sun when it's super hot

I suspected 'shielding' was the primary method of avoiding tanning, but I can't imagine one of those über cool young person, with those spiky, asymmetric, golden-highlighted hair styles, wearing a visor or arm covers. I may be wrong…

It's funny how in countries populated by fair-skinned people, the modern trend is for a tanned hue whereas in countries darker skin-toned people, a fair complexion is the ideal.

Ukigumo said:

It's funny how in countries populated by fair-skinned people, the modern trend is for a tanned hue whereas in countries darker skin-toned people, a fair complexion is the ideal.

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Trends typically arise from things that are a challenge to obtain, perhaps as a means to further solidify one's own social status by successfully aligning with the trend
Maybe if it were something naturally or easily obtainable, it would no longer be desirable due to the fact that virtually anyone can attain it (in the bag full of red balls every kid wants that one blue ball in it...)

Haruto Uzumaki said:

Trends typically arise from things that are a challenge to obtain, perhaps as a means to further solidify one's own social status by successfully aligning with the trend

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You may be correct. In Victorian times and indeed well before, very pale skin was desirable amongst the upper classes because tanned skin indicated a manual labor under the sun! Look at portraiture of Queen Elizabeth I, for example.

Haruto Uzumaki said:

Maybe if it were something naturally or easily obtainable, it would no longer be desirable

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Tanned/pale skin is easily obtainable, the former in just a few minutes on a sunny day.

Haruto Uzumaki said:

due to the fact that virtually anyone can attain it (in the bag full of red balls every kid wants that one blue ball in it...)

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What about '出る釘は打たれる'? It needs to be applied far more tightly non my opinion

In south Asia, for example, fair skin is very desirable but blonde/red/auburn hair isn't. Perhaps the odd highlight but not total Scandinavian blonde!

Ukigumo said:

Tanned/pale skin is easily obtainable, the former in just a few minutes on a sunny day.

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I think you'd be surprised to discover how many people have issues with tanning and how much of a process it is for them. Many people suffer from sunburns in attempts to tan and end up having to use a controlled environment like a tanning bed to carefully not overdo it. Some people just don't get that tanned from the sun at all. And even if it isn't an issue, the average modern human's daily life demotes noticeable tanning (from an already less pale complexion) so in a way, in places like the US it can show that you have a lot of free time to potentially be going to the beach and whatnot as opposed to working in an office all day (and even if you're not going to the beach and all that, faking it can provide a similar impression towards people subconsciously)

Ukigumo said:

In south Asia, for example, fair skin is very desirable but blonde/red/auburn hair isn't. Perhaps the odd highlight but not total Scandinavian blonde!

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I think the culture ultimately defines what trends are actually selected, so blonde hair might not become a trend there, but the bottom line is society will by nature find challenges collectively to use as a "trend" to see who can play the game of fit in and who can't. If the culture won't allow it then it likely can't become a trend.

Ukigumo said:

出る釘は打たれる

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Well, conformism doesn't always mean conforming to the most conformable social standard; it often deals with conforming to standards that are difficult or even nearly impossible to achieve which is usually what leads to the sticking out in the first place (the nails sticking out being mainly those who don't bother trying to participate in the trend, at the expense of being outcast)
And for the record I think most of the time, whoever is swinging that hammer ends up knocking the nails out of the hole when they're sticking out, rather than hammering them down I have hardly ever seen a case of a "stuck out nail" being successfully hammered down into conformity, usually they just completely separate from the entire construct