“Why Do Young Thai Women Desire White Skin?” Understanding Conscious and Nonconscious Motivations of Young Women in Bangkok

Abstract

Skin whitening has been studied mainly using a postcolonial attitude analysis emphasizing conscious reasons behind skin bleaching. Studies dedicated to gaining a rich understanding of nonconscious motivations for skin whitening are scarce, especially in Asia. Therefore, two studies were conducted by using an innovative mix of research protocols to access to both conscious and nonconscious motivations. The studies were conducted among 92 female regular skin whitening users, aged 18-24 years, in Bangkok, Thailand. Study 1, among 42 women, used three-combined qualitative research techniques of laddering, projective technique, and photo elicitation. Study 2 was conducted among 50 women to quantitatively test nonconscious motives implicitly associated with different white skin tones. The results revealed that motives are not linked to westernization. In a very competitive environment, light skin is seen as a strategic method to maintain men's loyalty, enhance self-esteem, and guarantee career success. Managerial and methodological implications for marketers are discussed.

The Effect of Containment Measures during the Covid-19 Pandemic to Sedentary Behavior of Thai Adults: Evidence from Thailand’s Surveillance on Physical Activity 2019–2020

“…Many studies have documented that females are less physically active and more sedentary than males [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Body composition, innate physical strength, and self-efficacy were often pointed to as the cause [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ], apart from cultural factors (e.g., domestication, belief in fair skin as an asset) which may contribute to the higher level of SB of women in Thai society [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. During the pandemic period, females were reported to have a higher compliance with self-isolation measures [ 36 ] and higher psychological distress [ 37 ], and that may have led them to be more house-bound and, thus, more sedentary than males.…”

Emerging masculinities in Chinese luxury social media marketing

“…For example, both male and female Chinese judge fair-skinned women as more attractive (Mak, 2007;Gao et al, 2013). Thai women prefer lighter skin and use skin-whiteners (Cuny and Opaswongkarn, 2016). Among men, 68 percent in Hong Kong and 55 percent in Taiwan prefer women with lighter skin (Schwartz, 2002).…”

“…The Asian preference for lighter skin affects consumers' responses to advertisements featuring lighter-vs darker-skinned models (Cuny and Opaswongkarn, 2016;Krishen et al, 2014). Therefore, model skin tone may moderate behavior responses to masculinity portrayals:…”

“…They suggest a white jade appearance, which helps beauty product and services providers meet Asian women's preferences (e.g. Cuny and Opaswongkarn, 2016), may offer similar opportunities for increased sales to men. The more favorable Chinese response to lighter-skinned males and the prevalence and effectiveness of LFM images relate to prior research on fair skin (Gao et al, 2013;Krishen et al, 2014;Leong, 2006;Li et al, 2008;Mak, 2007;Schwartz, 2002).…”

Viewpoint: forever young-Gay men and cosmetic medical treatments

“…Thus, evolutionary forces and sociocultural drivers merge to influence how consumers judge beauty, with their judgments changing in response to global marketing programs (e.g. a desire among Asian women for lighter skin tones; Cuny and Opaswongkarn, 2017). In addition, as a response to these sociocultural influencers, consumers often enhance or modify their beauty characteristics using clothing, over-the-counter beauty products (e.g.…”