Indonesian culture (and most Indonesians) have a bias, a prejudice, in favor of white skin over dark. In a nation where most of the women have the loveliest shades of brown skin, Indonesians are told daily by their films, television, and fashion and beauty industries that white skin is preferred, is more beautiful, more elegant and refined.
To a westerner looking at Indonesian television and other media, it is a strange sight to see Indonesian women who look like an imitation of the white people in the country he just left. Imagine seeing Angelina Jolie or Kate Beckinsdale in their films speaking Indonesian. That is what Indonesian film stars trying to imitate western women looks like to us.
The film stars and models are beautiful, no doubt. But there are many more beautiful Indonesian ladies out there with the loveliest naturally dark skin. Most Indonesian ladies have the most breath taking sexy skin with the colors of honey, teak, mahogany, or chocolate. This dark skin is what is most lovely to a westerner. This is what is very alluring and very, very sexy because it is not as common in his home country.
There are not that many Indonesian celebrities famous in the west, just a few. But those women are all dark and sexy, indeed seen as sexy because they are dark skinned. To a westerner, the sexiest Indonesian celebrity is Tiara Lestari, her skin a lovely deep brown. Western celebrities include the loveliest women of all shades. We see loveliness in beautiful dark skinned women Halley Berry, Janet Jackson, Eva Mendez, Eva Longoria, and Rihanna. Why don’t many Indonesians think the same about the lovely dark women of their own nation?
To most westerners, any skin tone can be beautiful, but pale skin is unhealthy and unnatural. It reminds a person of someone who stays in the library all day and never goes outside, never works or does exercise, and is weak and becomes sick easily. Westerners love tanned skin because we know it is healthier. The sun on your skin feels good, makes you feel alive, and gives you energy. Look at western women like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Pamela Anderson, all blond white women who prefer to be tanned. In Europe they love sun tanning so much the workers will go to the city parks during lunch and lay in the sun in their underwear. (No doubt this would be shocking to most Indonesians were it to happen in their cities.)
Take a look at the women who are with foreigners. They are often quite dark. Once I saw another foreigner with an Indonesian woman who appeared to be Papuan. The other Indonesians stared at him, as though they could not believe this bule found her beautiful. Yet in America, Europe, or Australia he would be the envy of most men. They would think him lucky to have such a lovely lady by his side.
One of the first of many lovely Indonesian ladies I knew was about as dark as I am. (I’m American, but my family history is Latin American.) Yet she was convinced she was “so dark, with such black skin.” Her friends and family even made mean jokes about her supposed dark skin. So she always stayed out of the sun and wanted to look white. It was a surprise to her that I liked dark skinned women. When I took her to Bali, I encouraged her to wear a small bikini and lay on the beach, become tanned all over and return to her darker skin she had most of her life. She looked even sexier, and became much more confident now that she was no longer ashamed of the dark skin she had been born with.
Ladies of Indonesia, please don’t be ashamed of the natural dark loveliness you have. Dark skin is beautiful! So is white skin, but please don’t try to be something you are not. It just looks strange. Some ladies use skin bleaching and whitening creams and lotions. It just makes them look a little bit like a hantu! Even stranger is to see a woman with a white face and dark hands and neck. It makes them look like their head is attached to the body of another woman.
Be proud of your natural skin tone, not ashamed. Don’t try to change what you are. And if you are an Indonesian woman who is curious about or attracted to bules and want to be with one, the last thing you should do is bleach your skin. Your dark skin will be what attracts them to you (source)
The film stars and models are beautiful, no doubt. But there are many more beautiful Indonesian ladies out there with the loveliest naturally dark skin. Most Indonesian ladies have the most breath taking sexy skin with the colors of honey, teak, mahogany, or chocolate. This dark skin is what is most lovely to a westerner. This is what is very alluring and very, very sexy because it is not as common in his home country.
There are not that many Indonesian celebrities famous in the west, just a few. But those women are all dark and sexy, indeed seen as sexy because they are dark skinned. To a westerner, the sexiest Indonesian celebrity is Tiara Lestari, her skin a lovely deep brown. Western celebrities include the loveliest women of all shades. We see loveliness in beautiful dark skinned women Halley Berry, Janet Jackson, Eva Mendez, Eva Longoria, and Rihanna. Why don’t many Indonesians think the same about the lovely dark women of their own nation?
To most westerners, any skin tone can be beautiful, but pale skin is unhealthy and unnatural. It reminds a person of someone who stays in the library all day and never goes outside, never works or does exercise, and is weak and becomes sick easily. Westerners love tanned skin because we know it is healthier. The sun on your skin feels good, makes you feel alive, and gives you energy. Look at western women like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Pamela Anderson, all blond white women who prefer to be tanned. In Europe they love sun tanning so much the workers will go to the city parks during lunch and lay in the sun in their underwear. (No doubt this would be shocking to most Indonesians were it to happen in their cities.)
Take a look at the women who are with foreigners. They are often quite dark. Once I saw another foreigner with an Indonesian woman who appeared to be Papuan. The other Indonesians stared at him, as though they could not believe this bule found her beautiful. Yet in America, Europe, or Australia he would be the envy of most men. They would think him lucky to have such a lovely lady by his side.
One of the first of many lovely Indonesian ladies I knew was about as dark as I am. (I’m American, but my family history is Latin American.) Yet she was convinced she was “so dark, with such black skin.” Her friends and family even made mean jokes about her supposed dark skin. So she always stayed out of the sun and wanted to look white. It was a surprise to her that I liked dark skinned women. When I took her to Bali, I encouraged her to wear a small bikini and lay on the beach, become tanned all over and return to her darker skin she had most of her life. She looked even sexier, and became much more confident now that she was no longer ashamed of the dark skin she had been born with.
Ladies of Indonesia, please don’t be ashamed of the natural dark loveliness you have. Dark skin is beautiful! So is white skin, but please don’t try to be something you are not. It just looks strange. Some ladies use skin bleaching and whitening creams and lotions. It just makes them look a little bit like a hantu! Even stranger is to see a woman with a white face and dark hands and neck. It makes them look like their head is attached to the body of another woman.
Be proud of your natural skin tone, not ashamed. Don’t try to change what you are. And if you are an Indonesian woman who is curious about or attracted to bules and want to be with one, the last thing you should do is bleach your skin. Your dark skin will be what attracts them to you (source)
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