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Comment by batista | Hacker News Reader

Of course they do not. Malaysians for example are dark colored, as are Indonesians etc. Also Indians are far from pale.

I work with many Indians and they themselves refer to "Asian" as a different race (meaning East Asian), so I didn't mean Indian people by this, rather East Asian, obviously many East Asians are much darker skinned than whites, however I personally know Asians that are fairly pale and I am sure at times I have been more tan than they are (when I would spend more time outside) and I primarily of German-Irish ancestry.

For whatever reason, pale skin is highly coveted by many Asian cultures and some will avoid the sun almost entirely to avoid darkening their skin. As well as using (potentially dangerous) skin lightening products which is a huge market in Asia: http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v35/naacr_vol35_273.pdf

Interesting.. although the ones I'm referring to live here in the U.S., some were born here so I don't think they are a part of this trend.

>For whatever reason, pale skin is highly coveted by many Asian cultures and some will avoid the sun almost entirely to avoid darkening their skin.

Isn't the opposite also true in Western cultures? In Europe, where I live, people want to look darker, and go sunbathing. And in the US there's also this "fake tan" thing.

Here in Southeastern Europe, there's definitely a strong preference towards white in folklore; 150 years ago, only rich folks' daughters could afford to avoid crop work and stay indoors long enough to stay white.

Tanning is a recent phenomenon, started in the 20's as I recall.

Both are a result of the socio-economic signals they send. Until recent history in industrialized nations, being able to spend your days inside, as opposed to in the sun, where your skin darkens, was a luxury that only money/power could buy. In today's society, being able to go on vacation and darken your skin is a luxury not afforded to the average working man who spends his days working, largely indoors.

It's all about socio-economic status signals.

Dialect quirk. In the United States "Asian" refers exclusively to East Asian people - Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc, and does not include Indians, Pakistanis, Russians, or anyone else on the continent.

My understanding is that in British English "Asian" can include Indians and others from around there. I don't know if Russians are included, though.

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