The Market for Beauty

The market for “beauty” looks different in every culture. I first noticed this when I went to buy deodorant in Thailand. No deodorant on the shelf made claims to make the buyer smell better, perspire less, or feel fresher. Instead they claimed to turn the buyer’s armpits a few shade whiter. Yes, whiter. While my western friends are lying in the sun and investing in tanning sprays, my Thai friends are purchasing soaps, shaving cream, and lotions to make them paler.

Even food is not exempt from this marketing scheme. Today I found a whitening smoothie on my menu.

Other attractive features in Thai culture seem to be large, broad noses and small biceps for college boys. I’ve been told that some of the guys even take feminine hormones to try to decrease their muscle size.

Again, from my American upbringing, this makes no sense. But who’s to say that desiring tan skin and large biceps makes sense. And why do we make such a big deal about everything from the color of our hair to the width of our toes?

Man looks at the external appearances, but God looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) For those of you who stare in the mirror every morning and can’t stop thinking about how undeniably gorgeous you are, perhaps this might be sad news. But for the rest of us, we can rejoice that God made us in His image. Tan or pale, large or small, brown eyes or blue eyes, we all have a chance to harvest beauty in our heart. Stop stressing, people, (I include myself in that exhortation) and stick it to the marketing companies. God made all people and all cultures beautiful AS THEY ARE.