肤色流行：黑白无常

 这篇文章是我们公司同事Aileen为“英语，美容，西方文化培训”写的，非常感谢~~~

10月Beauty（美人志）

 

Beyond Skin Deep

肤色流行：黑白无常

By Aileen Hsu

 

I saw her palms first. My eyes traveled up to her face, and my expression was nothing short of aghast. It was June - Halloween had long been over, and my junior high school classmate Steph looked as though she was trying to be the Great Pumpkin. Her peachy complexion was gone; it was now masked by a color that should never be found on human skin - bright orange. She shrugged. "Yeah…I should have washed my hands right after," she replied sheepishly. This was the first time I learned about self-tanner or "fake tan", a lotion rubbed onto the skin that gives the appearance of a suntan. 

我首先看到的是她手掌的颜色，随后目光上移，注意到她的脸，我完全被吓到了。现在正值六月，万圣节已经过去多时，但我的初中同学Steph看起来 却像是要把自己打扮成一个万圣节的大南瓜！她粉扑扑的肤色完全消失了，取而代之的是一种完全不属于人类肤色的亮橘色，这样看上去，她好像戴上了一个奇怪的面具。她耸耸肩说："当然，我弄完之后应该先把手洗干净的……"这是我第一次体验到所谓的美黑霜，就是不用晒太阳，把它抹在皮肤上就能让自己拥有日晒般古铜色皮肤的乳液。

 

During our teenage years, tanning was all the rage. As soon as the weather warmed up, my schoolmates would bust out their tank tops and shorts and spend hours laying in their yards soaking up the rays. They would compare tans upon returning from trips to Florida beaches during Spring Break. Most of them burned, and the peeling, raw, bright red skin on their noses, necks, backs, and arms made them look like they were suffering from particularly severe cases of Asian glow. After the skin had finished peeling and the pain and redness were gone, their skin acquired that beautiful bronze glow and all the pain seemed worth it. Americans and Europeans like to be tan. To them, paleness symbolizes the winter blues and sickliness. A glowing tan embodies health, athleticism, and sophistication. 

在我们十几岁的时候， 人人都疯狂得去晒黑。每当夏天悄悄来临的时候，我的同学们就穿着热辣的抹胸和短裤躺在院子里长时间地接受阳光照射。春天从佛罗里达度假归来后，大家会互相攀比，看看谁的皮肤晒得比较黑。尽管晒过之后，大部分人从鼻子、脖子、后背到四肢都会脱皮、通红、刺痛， 好像亚洲人饮酒的那种样子。。。脸红，但是皮肤脱皮之后就会真正变黑，这样的话之前所经历过的所有痛苦似乎就都变得很值得了。美国人和欧洲人喜欢把自己变得黑一点。对于他们来说，白皮肤意味着 多愁和多病。而生机勃勃的古铜色肌肤则体现了健康、动感和 神秘。

 

It wasn't until later that I discovered not everybody was into bronze skin.  I spent a good deal of my twenties traveling and living abroad in Asia in places like Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and of course, China. Just as many of my friends in Asia were amazed at how much was written about creating a tanned appearance in American fashion magazines, my American friends were baffled at how nearly every skincare product in Asia seemed to be dedicated to whitening. It doesn't matter which Asian country-porcelain skin embodies beauty, femininity, and sophistication. 

我二十多岁的时候在亚洲生活旅游过一阵，我去过日本、新加坡、泰国、中国台湾，当然还有中国大陆。正如我那些亚洲的朋友们对美国的时尚杂志上介绍的如何美黑感到诧异一样，我的美国朋友也同样对几乎所有的亚洲美容产品都有美白功效这一点难以理解。对亚洲人来说，雪白的肌肤才代表美丽、温 柔和神秘。

How do you account for this disparity in perspectives? Can we simply chalk it up to "cultural differences?" Or is there a more precise answer? As a makeup artist and an Asian American student of Asian Women's Studies, I would like to explore this with you.

我们要如何来解释东西方这种不同的观念呢？仅仅称之为"文化差异"吗？还是有更深一层的答案呢？作为一名化妆顾问和一个主修亚洲女性研究的亚裔美籍学生，我很乐意和大家一起探讨这个问题。

Comparing the histories of the popularity of whitening and tanning shows that the latter is definitely the more recent phenomenon. The preference for pale skin dates way back to when agriculture and civilization first appeared. From a Darwinist perspective, some anthropologists believe that men were attracted to women with pale skin for reasons having to do with natural selection. It was easier to detect illness and marks of disease on a woman with pale skin as opposed to a woman with darker skin. This made paler-skinned women more ideal candidates to mate with and produce genetically healthy offspring. If you don't buy that idea, maybe you will find the social status explanation more plausible. Simply put, paler skin indicated a higher social standing and greater wealth. Instead of toiling out in the fields and doing hard labor under the sun, a pale complexion showed that one could afford to leave the labor to others and live comfortably in the home. 

比较一下美白和美黑的历史，我们不难看出，美黑这种现象出现得非常晚。人类对白皮肤的钟爱要追溯到农业和人类社会文明产生伊始。根据达尔文的进化论观点，许多人类学家相信，从自然选择的某些角度出发，男性更容易被皮肤较白的女性所吸引。因为如果要从皮肤上来观察出这名女性是否身体健康的话，白皙的肯定比黝黑的更为容易分辨。这就让拥有白皙皮肤的女性成为传宗接代更理想的对象。如果你无法接受这种观点，你就会发现在社会阶层上的某些解释站不住脚。因为简单说来，皮肤更白的人种往往拥有更高的社会地位和财富。相对于每天在土地里太阳下辛勤劳作的人来说，白皮肤意味着可以舒舒服服待在家里，远离农业生产。

 

Up until the 20th century, American and European high fashion dictated that proper ladies be the color of porcelain, for it signified that they were from sufficiently wealthy families and did not have to work in the fields or factories and ruin their hands and feet. A tanned appearance was considered boorish and unsightly, and women took great pains to shelter themselves from the sun, wearing bonnets, wide-brim hats, and carrying parasols. 

20世纪之前，美国和欧洲的时尚界都仍是认为美丽时尚的女性应该皮肤嫩白，这代表她们来自十分富裕的家庭，远离了农田和工厂的辛苦劳作，手脚都完美无瑕。而明显经过日晒的肤色则代表了乡土与俗气。女性们为了不被太阳晒到做出了极大的努力：戴着无边帽和宽沿大帽、撑着遮阳伞。

 

In the 1920s, the perception of pale being beautiful took a drastic 180. Designer Coco Chanel first popularized the tan. The story goes that Chanel, while vacationing in Europe, developed a deep, bronze tan. Upon returning, she flaunted her new look at Paris fashion shows- and the world took notice. Since then, a tanned appearance has been equated with wealth and health; it has become a favorable indication of an individual's social status.

20世纪20年代，"一白遮百丑"的观点遭遇到了180 度的大转弯。著名设计师可可•香奈儿推广了黝黑的肤色。据说她在欧洲度假的时被晒黑了。度假归来之后，她就顶着全新的肤色出现在巴黎时装秀上——整个世界为之瞩目。从那时起，黝黑的肌肤才被等同于财富和健康，成为个人良好社会地位的体现。

 
Socio-economic occurrences during this time bolstered the tanned look as an ideal. Mass construction of railroads during the early part of the decade allowed more and more individuals to get to the beach affordably. Ever-shrinking bathing suits allowed more and more skin to be revealed, strengthening the connection between a tanned appearance and money and the ability to travel for leisure. In the 1930s, tanning received an even bigger boost as color films began to replace black and white films in Hollywood. Wanting to appear robust onscreen, actors began hanging out by the pool instead of the bar. The link between a tanned appearance to health and wealth was now firmly entrenched in the American mind.

而这个时期的社会经济事件也有力地支持褐色是完美肤色。短短十余年间，铁路的大规模修筑使得越来越多的人得以前往海滩度假。布料越来越少的泳装让女郎们可以露出更多肌肤，释放更多性感。这样，黝黑的皮肤就越发紧密地与休闲度假的财力和物力结合在了一起。三十年代，好莱坞的彩色影片取代黑白电影成为银幕主导，这同时强力地推动了古铜色的皮肤成为审美领域的主流。为了能在银幕上表现出强悍和性感，影星们不再留连酒吧，而是来到湖畔晒起了太阳。如今，在美国人的眼中，古铜色的皮肤和健康、财富之间有着千丝万缕的联系，他们的这种观点如今仍然根深蒂固。

 

Go to any town in the United States and you are sure to spot a couple of tanning salons on any major street. Customers pay the salon to lie in a tanning bed for a few minutes, a couple times a week to achieve the desired bronze color. The tanning industry has become a massive moneymaker with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Analysts estimate that the industry generated approximately $5 billion in revenue this past year. There are approximately 25,000 professional indoor tanning salons and another 20,000 to 25,000 locations such as health clubs, spas, video stores, and beauty salons that have one or two tanning units in the United States alone. 

去美国任意一个城市旅行，你都一定能在中心街区发现几家或大或小的美黑沙龙。顾客们花上一笔钱，每个星期来沙龙几次，躺在那儿晒上几分钟，就能得到渴望已久的古铜肤色。美黑如今已然成为快速致富的产业，而且，该产业现在正蓬勃发展，完全没有降温的迹象。经分析家们预估，去年美黑产业已经给国家财政创造了约 50亿美元收入。现在单是在美国，就有将近2万5千个专业室内美黑沙龙，还有另外的 2万到2万5千个形形色色的健康俱乐部、疗养院、录像厅和美容沙龙也都提供着美黑的服务。

 

In striking contrast, one must consider how deeply embedded the notion of paleness being beautiful and refined is embedded in Chinese culture. Every historical beauty, certainly each one of the Four Great Beauties, was graced with porcelain-like skin. Royal Consort Yang Guifei might have been a bit chubby by our standards, but no one can deny that she was pale! In Louis Cha's (Jin Yong) martial arts novels, all important female characters, particularly the hero's main love interest, possess skin that is as white and pure as snow. Having a population that grew up with these stories and ideals of beauty, it is not hard to fathom why the whitening rage caught on like fire in China as soon as the right scientific advances were made and consumer products with bleaching properties were made available to the masses. In English, "tan" is a neutral word-possessing neither a negative nor positive connotation. It is simply a color. But whitening in the Chinese language retains a positive connotation, literally translating to "beautiful white." What a difference! 

相应地，我们必须认识到，在中国文化中，以白为美的观念已经根深蒂固。历代的典型美女，包括公认的"四大美人"，无一例外地拥有晶莹如雪的肌肤。我们可能会觉得杨贵妃在现代人看来有点过于丰满，但毫无疑问她肤若凝脂。在金庸的武侠小说中，大凡重要的女性角色，尤其是英雄们心目中的理想对象，都拥有如雪般晶莹剔透的白皙肤色。光是从这些流行的文学作品中对完美女性的描绘，我们就不难了解为什么中国人会如此狂热地追求美白了。尤其是当科学的美白方法运用到美白产品中后，美白变得更加大众化，中国的美白狂潮更是愈演愈烈。在英语中，" tan"是个中性词，不含褒义也不含贬义，就只是代表了褐色这种颜色。而"whitening"在中文中被翻译成"美白"，有肯定的涵义，差异很明显啊！

 

Just as some whitening ingredients have been discovered to be carcinogenic, there has been an increasing awareness of the dangers of tanning: rapid aging and most worrying, skin cancer. Thus, alternative means to achieve the bronze glow without exposing one's skin to harmful UVA and UVB rays have gained immense popularity. "Sunless tanning" has now entered the bronze-loving population. Products line store shelves to help people achieve that caramel color they so crave.  Technology has improved since the days my friend Steph turned orange in the 90's- thank goodness! The end result is much more natural these days, although there are still many who overdo it and turn out orange. Almost all tanning salons offer sunless tanning where customers enter a shower-like chamber and a machine sprays the body. For a higher fee, a professional airbrushes the body, achieving a more precise application. They even use different tones to contour the body, creating the illusion of a more attractive figure.

正如有些美白产品的成分中含有致癌物质一样，美黑也开始引起越来越多的危害——人们会变得早衰、焦躁，还容易患皮肤癌。这样一来，一种不让肌肤在有害的紫外线下曝晒就能获得古铜色的皮肤的方法迅速流行起来。"不晒而黑"进入了美黑爱好者的视线。商店置物架上琳琅满目的美黑产品就能帮助人们得到梦寐以求的小麦色。让人庆幸的是，从九十年代我的朋友 Steph把自己变成橘黄色那天过后，美黑科技越来越发达了。最近推出的终极美黑产品日益接近纯天然，当然还是有些人因为使用过度而把自己弄成橘黄色。几乎所有的美黑沙龙都提供"不晒而黑"服务，顾客们可以去一间浴室一样的房间，在喷雾器喷出的美黑乳液中得到想要的肤色。这些沙龙还有更专业更精细的喷雾器可以细致入微地给顾客全身均匀涂抹美黑乳液，当然这种服务收费会高一些。他们甚至还能用不同的色调来勾勒身体的线条，让客人们的身材看起来充满诱惑。

 

Today, most foundations contain a bit of SPF protection, and bronzers have become almost as much of a staple in the makeup bag as mascara. Bronzers come in many forms - powder, liquid and spray. Their purpose is to give the face a sun-kissed glow without overdoing it. As a makeup artist, bronzers have been a godsend. Many of my previous clients, tired of being pasty, came to me wanting to purchase a foundation many shades darker than their natural skin tone. As a responsible and decent human being, I could not let them make such a horrible mistake! A light swish of powder bronzer on the forehead, nose, cheekbones, and chin was all it took to achieve that sun-kissed glow they desired.

如今，绝大多数 粉底都有SPF这种基础成分，能抵御紫外线对皮肤的伤害，它们也成为像眉笔一样普及的日常必备化妆品了。 美黑产品有很多形态：粉状、乳液或是喷雾。这些产品的目的在于让你的脸看起来有阳光照射过的光芒，同时又不会真正晒伤皮肤。对作为化妆师的我来说，美黑底产品的出现让我如获至宝。我以前的很多客人厌倦了她们苍白的妆容，纷纷来找我，寻求 比她们自然皮肤色黑的粉底"出于对她们负责任的态度，我决不会让她们去冒险尝试一些有害的东西。只需要在前额、鼻头、颧骨和下巴处扑上一点点 古铜色粉 就能得到梦寐以求的日晒效果。

 

Interestingly enough, I've also had experiences with the opposite situation - Chinese and Indians wanting to purchase a foundation several shades lighter than their natural skin tone. A beautiful and aristocratic Indian woman came by my counter and insisted on purchasing one of our foundations in the lightest shade. She had a beautiful caramel coloring, but the color she wanted to purchase was more suited for someone like Nicole Kidman. She was adamant in her decision and didn't take my advice. Sure enough, she came back a few weeks later, admitting the color made her look like she was wearing a mask. I have seen and cringed at many of the same situations here in China - women who are wearing foundation that makes them look gray and ashy.

有趣的是，我同样也有过一次截然相反的经历。中国人和印度人追求一种能让自己的肤色看起来更加白皙的粉底。一位美丽高贵的印度女性来找我， 想买最白的粉底"。她的皮肤是健康美 丽的小麦色， 但是那粉底的颜色比较适合妮可·基德曼的那种皮肤。她美白的愿望如此强烈，完全听不进我的劝告， 还是卖了最白的粉底。当然，几个星期她又回来了，沮丧地承认过于白皙的皮肤让她看上去好像戴了一个面具。我在中国也见过很多这 样的情况，那些涂上厚厚的美白粉底的女人们常常显得苍白而黯淡。

 

In the cosmetic world, there is a philosophy that advocates transcending societal expectations for beautiful skin color- be YOURSELF but better. Highlight and show off your features; never mask them.

在化妆品界，有一个超越社会对美丽肌肤颜色的期待的观念，那就是更好的自己。要突出和渲染你的特色，绝不是掩盖自己的脸。

 

I personally prefer to be a bit on the pale side, but that is purely a matter of personal preference - I like using bright colors in makeup and it shows up better against pale skin. I like the contrast between my pale skin and my dark eyes and dark hair. I use products with SPF protection and carry an umbrella when I can, but I never seek to go beyond something other than my natural color.  Many Chinese women I have talked to prefer pale skin for themselves for much the same reasons as I do, but I hope that deep down that the societal issue of class and status is not the main catalyst.  Everyone should do what works for them. There are Westerners who look far more attractive pale and Asians who should have some color. We should strive to be true to our natural appearance; if we use beauty products, it should be because we like the way we look and want to highlight or accentuate our unique features, not because we want to conform to lofty societal expectations. Beauty transcends continents, cultures, and history - it is more than skin deep. It originates from one's individuality.

我个人其实更喜欢皮肤白点儿，但那纯属个人的偏好——化妆的时候， 我喜欢用很鲜艳的眼影，腮红，而白皮肤会让颜色比较突出，比较灿烂 。我喜欢自己白皙的皮肤和黑色眼睛以及黑色头发对比后带来的视觉冲击力。我使用带有SPF值的化妆品，出门的时候尽量带着阳伞，但是我从来没有试图用什么方法去背离我的自然肤色。我曾经和很多中国女性交谈过，她们很多都希望拥有更白的皮肤，理由和我一样。我希望的是，阶级和阶层的因素不要成为衡量美丑的主要标准。每个人都应该选择适合自己的 。 有一些西方人更白的话就更有魅力，而 有一些亚洲人肤色深些更为漂亮。我们应该努力对自己诚实一点，如果我们非得用到某些美容产品的话，那我们一定要对自己满意，只是希望用这些产品来突现自己的优点，强调自己与众不同的魅力，而不是因为我们要去遵从追求上流社会的期待。美丽超越国界，超越文化，也超越历史——远远不止皮肤那么表面——而是源自于每个人独特的个性。

Don't get into the hype--just be yourself!

别太跟风。白不能遮百丑，黑也不能！所以，还是做自己吧！

 

 

Links

1 Halloween had long been over, and my junior high school classmate Steph looked as though she was trying to be the Great Pumpkin.

"Great Pumpkin"是万圣节（ Halloween）里的主角，也叫做Halloween Jack。在文章中，作者一是用南瓜（ pumpkin）的颜色来形容朋友的肤色；二是以"Great Pumpkin"这个大家耳熟能详的虚构人物来强调朋友因肤色而在众人中特别显眼来开她的玩笑。

 

2 the winter blues

"blue"除了表示颜色之外，还有个意思是"忧愁、忧郁"。" winter"在这里是强调忧愁、忧伤的程度，同时也和前面的"paleness"相呼应，暗示皮肤过白给人的感觉非常阴郁。

 

3 chalk it up

这是个固定的搭配，意思是"宣布"。

 

4 took a drastic 180

"take a 180" 是个固定的搭配，意思是"态度、趋势等发生了180的大转变"。"drastic "在这里是强调转变的程度之大。

 

5 Don't get into the hype.

"hype"一般指的是过分夸张、通常带有欺瞒大众的性质的广告。在文章中，作者是用这个词语来指代美黑和美白的流行趋势，并用这句话来警告大家不要盲目跟随潮流。