Categorize Chinese fair skin beauty standard or any other East Asian fair skin preferences as “white worshiping” is ignorant and the new RACISM.
Recently, a wave of Western users have flooded Xiaohongshu (Rednote), criticizing Chinese people for “bleaching” their skin to “look white.” On platforms like X and Tumblr, they went even further—accusing Chinese artists of “whitewashing” their own people and calling them racist. They refuse to believe that Chinese people naturally have light skin and insist that China’s preference for fair skin is a result of colonial brainwashing.
Honestly? This is not just ignorant—it’s insulting.
1. Chinese People Have Always Had Light Skin
Let’s get this straight: many Chinese people are naturally light-skinned. Just like any other large population, we have a range of skin tones—from fair to wheat-colored to tan. But claiming that all Chinese people have dark skin and that we “bleach” to look white is simply wrong.
Historically, Western travelers who visited China in the 17th and 18th centuries often described Chinese people as “fair” or “pale.” It wasn’t until the 19th century—when Western racial theories were developed—that they started classifying us as “yellow” to separate us from Europeans.
2. “White Skin is Beautiful” Has Nothing to Do with Western Influence
One of the biggest misconceptions is that China’s preference for fair skin comes from colonialism. This is completely false.
Chinese culture has valued fair skin for thousands of years—long before we even had contact with the West. In ancient poetry, beautiful women were described as having “skin like jade” (肤如凝脂) or “as bright as snow” (冰肌玉骨). Why? Because in traditional Chinese society, fair skin was linked to class, not race. If you worked in the fields all day, you’d get tanned. If you were rich and stayed indoors, your skin remained fair. That’s why fair skin was a symbol of status—not because we wanted to “look white.”
3. The Real Problem? Westerners Still Think Only White People Can Be Fair-Skinned
Here’s the irony: the people accusing Chinese artists of “whitewashing” are actually influenced by 19th-century white skin superiority theory (even if they don’t realize it).
How Did Westerners Start Believing White Skin = Superior?
In the 19th century, European scientists created racial hierarchy theories that classified people by skin color. They placed “white people”(mostly German or Anglo people) at the top, calling them the most “civilized” and “intelligent,” while other races were seen as inferior. To maintain this superiority, they had to make white skin EXCLUSIVE-so they categorized Asians as “yellow” and Africans as “black,” even though many Asians were naturally fair-skinned.
This mindset still affects some Westerners today. They assume:
If someone has fair skin, they must be white.
If an Asian person is fair-skinned, they must have bleached their skin.
If an Asian artist draws fair-skinned Asians, they must be “whitewashing.”
See the problem? They are still thinking in 19th-century racial terms—where white = superior, and only white people are allowed to be fair-skinned.
4. Pushing a New Form of Racial Bias
These so-called “anti-racists” claim to support diversity, but in reality, they are forcing a Western racial narrative onto Asians.
They don’t actually care about how Chinese people see themselves.They ignore our history, beauty standards, and natural diversity.They attack artists simply for drawing what they see in real life.
This isn’t about fighting racism. It’s about forcing their own version of race onto us.
5. Who Decides What Chinese People Should Look Like?
Chinese people don’t need Western approval to define our own beauty. Our culture, history, and diversity speak for themselves.
To those who think Chinese people should all be “yellow” or “brown”—ask yourself, why do you feel so uncomfortable with fair-skinned Asians? Is it because it challenges your idea of race?
