It’s usually not appreciated to talk about the color of a person, as the topic tends to allude to things like racism. So, why do people, especially men, prefer a fair skin tone? Is that just a part of what we have been experiencing in society or is there a more scientific basis to it? Well, here are some key insights that can help unravel why fair skin is attractive. However, that cannot erase the fact that fair skin does come across as more attractive in comparison to other skin tones such as black and brown.
Talking about white, the color is associated with purity, virtue, trust, cleanliness and wisdom. Many experts feel that our basic psychology associated with color white could be a key factor why we find fair skin more attractive. It explains why traffic lights are red, green and yellow and not blue, pink and purple. Similarly, all other colors have different association in our mind. Psychological association with white color – The human mind is programmed to associate different colors with different meanings. For example, red is about passion, anger, love and danger whereas green is about nature, abundance and new beginnings.
In comparison, the wealthier class would be more involved in jobs and businesses that required them to work indoors. Subconsciously, such things have become a part of our upbringing and it may explain our preference for fair skin. This would have helped them to get a fairer complexion. For example, people from economically weaker classes of society who may be doing hard work in the sun would have darker skin tones. Indicator of wealth – In some communities, fair skin used to be an indicator of an individual’s wealth.
In comparison, people with darker skin tones may have certain asymmetrical features related to their cheek bones, nose to lips triangle, eye sockets, etc. A symmetrical face is naturally more attractive to the brain, and since fair skinned people generally have this trait, it makes them more attractive. Higher facial symmetry – It’s common knowledge that the human brain prefers symmetry over asymmetry. This links to the choice of skin as well, since people with fair skin generally have a more symmetrical face.
Even though we may have a natural liking for fair skin, there can always be exceptions. There are also men who may prefer to bond with black or brown complexioned women. Women, for example, prefer darker men, as darker shades are associated with things like virility, killer instinct and mystery. Ultimately, the phrase ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ prevails.
People with light skin pigmentation are often referred to as "white" or "fair", although these usages can be ambiguous in some countries where they are used to refer specifically to certain ethnic groups or populations. Light skin is most commonly found amongst the native populations of Europe and Northeast Asia as measured through skin reflectance. Light skin is a human skin color that has a base level of eumelanin pigmentation that has adapted to environments of low UV radiation.
As populations migrated away from the tropics into areas of low UV radiation, they developed light skin pigmentation as an evolutionary selection acting against vitamin D depletion.
Humans with darker skin who live further from the tropics have low vitamin D levels, which also can lead to health complications. Humans with light skin pigmentation have skin with low amounts of eumelanin, and possess fewer melanosomes than humans with dark skin pigmentation. This helps the body to synthesize higher amounts of vitamin D for bodily processes such as calcium development.Light-skinned people who live near the equator with high sunlight are at an increased risk of folate depletion. As consequence of folate depletion, they are at a higher risk of DNA damage, birth defects, and numerous types of cancers, especially skin cancer. Light skin provides better absorption qualities of ultraviolet radiation.
The distribution of light-skinned populations is highly correlated with the low ultraviolet radiation levels of the regions inhabited by them. Due to colonization, imperialism, and increased mobility of people between geographical regions in recent centuries, light-skinned populations today are found all over the world. Historically, light-skinned populations almost exclusively lived far from the equator, in high latitude areas with low sunlight intensity.
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