Asians and red/light brown hair?

[Wheatland]

I'm curious how people feel about Asians (Chinese, Korean, Japanese ect.) having red, light brown/blonde hair.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/me440_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/gar188_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/dim325_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/bi049_a.jpg


Do Asian girls look okay with the more unnatural colors or should they/we stick to the classic dark brown/black?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/asian_style_ziyi_zhang.jpg


When my DBF and I first met I had my hair dyed red for a short period of time but have had black hair since. He recently expressed that he'd like me to return to the red but I was surprised because I didn't think people were fond of Asians with unnatural hair colors.

Opinions?

[elbow chic]

I think Asian chicks should do whatever they like with their hair. :p

That said, I personally tend to love that fabulous glossy black, maybe because it is never going to happen for me in this life, even if I flat-ironed and dyed it half to death.

The girl in the second picture's hair is really, really cute, though.

[caiti42]

I think they can look lovely with a warm brown or a reddy colour.

I'm not fond of the blonde (which generally goes yellow) colour though.

Of course each to their own and everybody suits different things :)

[kyandii]

the lighter browns have a more younger and youthful look to them, kind of lolita-ish I guess.


I personally prefer the lighter browns, but the dark is very seductive, Geisha-ish.


I hope this doesn't offend anyone! I'm not trying to stereotype people.

[pepperminttea]

It's up to the individual, though I'll admit the classic black is my favourite. But if you watch enough anime, any hue becomes a normal hair colour. :D

[Kherome]

Well, first of all, it's your head of hair to do with what you wish.

But personally I do not like light colors on most Asians. It's not that flattering to the Asian complexion. Asian hair, in its natural state, is so beautiful, I can't imagine wanting to change it if I had it.

[Maverick494]

Well let me start off by saying that when you live in a country where pretty much every citizen has naturally black hair, I can understand the urge to shake it up and try a different color.

But being from a European country where medium/dark ash blonde is pretty much the basic color, having glossy black hair sounds like a dream. Whenever I see a girl with jet black hair I can't help but watch her. I just love that color and how shiny it looks in the sun.

So I think it all depends on your point of reference. In the end it's all about what you want and what you think looks good on you. My honest opinion though is that I dread seeing that liquid shiny jet black hair dyed lighter. I don't know if it's the hair type or the amount of processing it needs to go through before reaching those lighter colors, but somehow it always seems to lose what made it appealing to me. So personally, asians with jet black hair is a winning combination for me. But that's just my opinion and obviously your bf disagrees with me:D

[Wheatland]

I think Asian chicks should do whatever they like with their hair. :p

That said, I personally tend to love that fabulous glossy black, maybe because it is never going to happen for me in this life, even if I flat-ironed and dyed it half to death.

The girl in the second picture's hair is really, really cute, though.

I agree. The second one was my favorite.


I think they can look lovely with a warm brown or a reddy colour.

I'm not fond of the blonde (which generally goes yellow) colour though.

Of course each to their own and everybody suits different things :)

I like the warm brown too. A little softer.


the lighter browns have a more younger and youthful look to them, kind of lolita-ish I guess.


I personally prefer the lighter browns, but the dark is very seductive, Geisha-ish.


I hope this doesn't offend anyone! I'm not trying to stereotype people.

You just made me like my black hair again! :D

I'm sure you didn't offend anyone.


It's up to the individual, though I'll admit the classic black is my favourite. But if you watch enough anime, any hue becomes a normal hair colour. :D

Hahahahaha. Oh that is so true.

[rosycoco]

I love natural Asian hair! As someone with curly auburn hair, I guess we all covet what we don't have! My aunt is Japanese and when I first met her I fell in love with her hair, she had this long curtain of shiny black hair. It gleamed. It has since been dyed light brown, and while it looks nice, it doesn't have the same wow factor.
I myself think that everyone looks best when they stick more or less to what they are born with and not drastically change their natural colouring, but at the same time I understand some people enjoy it and it can look quite funky. It is just down to personal preference.

[Wheatland]

Well, first of all, it's your head of hair to do with what you wish.

But personally I do not like light colors on most Asians. It's not that flattering to the Asian complexion. Asian hair, in its natural state, is so beautiful, I can't imagine wanting to change it if I had it.

Since I've basically always had black hair I feel that way about red hair. I think it's crazy beautiful, but more so on Caucasians.


Well let me start off by saying that when you live in a country where pretty much every citizen has naturally black hair, I can understand the urge to shake it up and try a different color.

But being from a European country where medium/dark ash blonde is pretty much the basic color, having glossy black hair sounds like a dream. Whenever I see a girl with jet black hair I can't help but watch her. I just love that color and how shiny it looks in the sun.

So I think it all depends on your point of reference. In the end it's all about what you want and what you think looks good on you. My honest opinion though is that I dread seeing that liquid shiny jet black hair dyed lighter. I don't know if it's the hair type or the amount of processing it needs to go through before reaching those lighter colors, but somehow it always seems to lose what made it appealing to me. So personally, asians with jet black hair is a winning combination for me. But that's just my opinion and obviously your bf disagrees with me:D

I like the way you said "liquid shiny." I think that describes a lot of Asian hair very well.

[Wheatland]

I love natural Asian hair! As someone with curly auburn hair, I guess we all covet what we don't have! My aunt is Japanese and when I first met her I fell in love with her hair, she had this long curtain of shiny black hair. It gleamed. It has since been dyed light brown, and while it looks nice, it doesn't have the same wow factor.
I myself think that everyone looks best when they stick more or less to what they are born with and not drastically change their natural colouring, but at the same time I understand some people enjoy it and it can look quite funky. It is just down to personal preference.

I completely agree with coveting what we don't have! I loooove curly auburn hair! :D

[vanillabones]

I personally loveeeee and adore the reddish/brownish on asian peoples :) I think it's so cute and different. The black is so pretty and nice too but for some reason I just find the reds on asians really special, I think the two mix very well.

[Wheatland]

vanillabones (I love that s/n by the way!), I know what you mean about the reddish/brown hair on Asians. There's something very soft and gentle about it that I like.

[vanillabones]

Thanks :D
Yes I think that's it... and I love pale skin and I think reds really work best on very pale people which asian skin tends to be so it all just turns out so lovely.

I'm very pale and I wish I could pull it off but I'm too much of a 'Summer' toned girl and it would look just awful on me, I can only do ashy tones :)

ETA: Oh! Another thing I think I really like about it is the contrast with brown eyes. I think it's beautiful.

[Wheatland]

Yes, I get very pale during winter time and sometimes I feel like the black hair can be a bit harsh against how pale my skin gets. Red looks great with pale skin.

You should try on a red wig or something. Maybe you'll love it! :D

[monsterna]

Asians' only natural hair colors seem to be black and dark brown. It'd be pretty mean to say they couldn't have anything other than that! :) Asian women are gorgeous, and with any color hair. Red/titian is so pretty on them. But so is black. They can pull off anything!

[BlazingHeart]

My preference for hair in general is less processed, so I prefer the darker tones.

I've always thought the contrast between winter-pale skin and dark hair was striking, personally. But I suppose that's the typical wishing for something you don't have - I'm super pale with chestnut hair (which has shaded from sandy blonde to darker from the time I can remember having an opinion about my hair to now). My half-philippina cousins have skin almost as fair as mine but dark brown or black hair, and they are SO lovely!

In the end, though, you're the one who lives with it, so you should do what will make you happiest.

~Blaze

[luthein]

I think the lighter colors can definitely suit Asian complexions; I like the tea-hair look. It was really popular when I went to college. If you'd like something different but don't want to have processed hair, you could try some clip-in extensions.

[Annibelle]

I think reds and browns look fine on Asian hair, and they can look very pretty! I love the third photo. :heart: But I definitely prefer black. And since you live in Texas (instead of an Asian country), you'll still stand out quite a bit, maybe even more, for having smooth black hair! I'm the sort of person who thinks that almost everyone looks best with their natural color, though. (There are exceptions, though... but not many. :p )

[xoerincolleen]

I think the reddish/light brown hair is really pretty, but I LOVE the natural jet-black, shiny hair! Like other posters said, it's so different from what my hair looks like, I think it is so gorgeous and exotic-looking. I have light brown, slightly wavy hair and it just doesn't get that glossy shine that Asian hair has.

[LaceyNg]

i like both equally, as they each have someting to offer :)

when its black, i think the contrast between the pale skin and super dark, shiny hair is gorgeous!

BUT, i also LOVE an "unnatural" color on Asian hair, b/c i like the drama it gives. and i think most Asian skintones (and the brown eyes too) really compliment a honey or reddish color.

even when i've dyed by own hair dark, darker hair just seems to have more shine, so i think a really good moisture treatment is a MUST for anybody at ALL who goes lighter on their hair.

personally, if i were asian (and, oh, how i wish i'd been born one!) i'd go darkest brown (if i wasnt already), and then add in a few hilights and some back lowlights... but not too many of either. that way it'd still be KINDA natural lookin, but not just the same as everybody else :)

[Anje]

I tend to be fond of the near-black to blue-black tones, but then, I tend to think most people look best in their natural color.

I did know a Hmong guy growing up who naturally had hair the color in the first picture. He got teased about it a lot because the other kids thought he dyed it. It was really striking!

[xoxophelia]

I'm not as much of a fan of the reddish brown color but that is mainly because a lot of the people who I've seen with it, were doing it to follow a trend instead of doing what looked best for their coloring. To me it seems the reddish colors kind of clash with yellow undertones sometimes where as those with the very fair complexions can pull it off.

You should go with whatever makes you feel most comfortable and also your prettiest.

[Wheatland]

My preference for hair in general is less processed, so I prefer the darker tones.

I've always thought the contrast between winter-pale skin and dark hair was striking, personally. But I suppose that's the typical wishing for something you don't have - I'm super pale with chestnut hair (which has shaded from sandy blonde to darker from the time I can remember having an opinion about my hair to now). My half-philippina cousins have skin almost as fair as mine but dark brown or black hair, and they are SO lovely!

In the end, though, you're the one who lives with it, so you should do what will make you happiest.

~Blaze

I agree. I was probably going to stick with the black. :)


I think the lighter colors can definitely suit Asian complexions; I like the tea-hair look. It was really popular when I went to college. If you'd like something different but don't want to have processed hair, you could try some clip-in extensions.

I'm not sure what the tea-hair look is?


I think reds and browns look fine on Asian hair, and they can look very pretty! I love the third photo. :heart: But I definitely prefer black. And since you live in Texas (instead of an Asian country), you'll still stand out quite a bit, maybe even more, for having smooth black hair! I'm the sort of person who thinks that almost everyone looks best with their natural color, though. (There are exceptions, though... but not many. :p )

I guess as an Asian I kind of stick out but there are so many hispanic women here with beautiful shiny black hair! I do think it's very beautiful on them and I don't really mind blending in. I think I prefer black too.


I think the reddish/light brown hair is really pretty, but I LOVE the natural jet-black, shiny hair! Like other posters said, it's so different from what my hair looks like, I think it is so gorgeous and exotic-looking. I have light brown, slightly wavy hair and it just doesn't get that glossy shine that Asian hair has.

I never really thought about it that way. My Mom has dark blonde wavy hair so I think never realized how different the two hair types really are. I always loved my Mom's hair!


i like both equally, as they each have someting to offer :)

when its black, i think the contrast between the pale skin and super dark, shiny hair is gorgeous!

BUT, i also LOVE an "unnatural" color on Asian hair, b/c i like the drama it gives. and i think most Asian skintones (and the brown eyes too) really compliment a honey or reddish color.

even when i've dyed by own hair dark, darker hair just seems to have more shine, so i think a really good moisture treatment is a MUST for anybody at ALL who goes lighter on their hair.

personally, if i were asian (and, oh, how i wish i'd been born one!) i'd go darkest brown (if i wasnt already), and then add in a few hilights and some back lowlights... but not too many of either. that way it'd still be KINDA natural lookin, but not just the same as everybody else :)

I do like the idea of highlights. I've never actually gotten them done before. Might be something nice to play around with if I get bored.

I also really like the honey color with an Asian complexion. :D

[battles]

I love the light brown or red hair, it looks so pretty. :p

[Wheatland]

I tend to be fond of the near-black to blue-black tones, but then, I tend to think most people look best in their natural color.

I did know a Hmong guy growing up who naturally had hair the color in the first picture. He got teased about it a lot because the other kids thought he dyed it. It was really striking!

I looove the blue black.
I knew a Korean girl who was also born with red hair like the first pic. Nobody teased her though, everyone thought she was beautiful. And she was. It was interesting because she had all the physical characteristics of an Asian but with Caucasian coloring.


I'm not as much of a fan of the reddish brown color but that is mainly because a lot of the people who I've seen with it, were doing it to follow a trend instead of doing what looked best for their coloring. To me it seems the reddish colors kind of clash with yellow undertones sometimes where as those with the very fair complexions can pull it off.

You should go with whatever makes you feel most comfortable and also your prettiest.

I agree that the red looks best with pale skin tones. Especially lighter reds.

[Wheatland]

battles, I think it's very pretty as well :D

[Coan-Teen]

I think reds are really beautiful on asian women and I also love natural black. I agree with other posters you should do what you like. You could always try red highlights instead of blonde. :) Whatever you decide, pictures!

[Arya]

When I was in Japan, I got reallly sick of seeing short curled bleached hair. NOONE had long dark hair, and very few had hair with any shine left after all the heat and backcombing. I do think it can look nice, but I really hate to see it paired with the really intense plastic surgery like nose bridges, or the eye one where they pull down the bottom lid. The girl on the bottom left looks like her eyes were altered a bit too much for me. (like this girl on the bottom right. Wai you ruin your face?)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/PopSister%2C_June_2011.jpg

I think asian hair is at it's most beautiful when it's long, flowing and black! I think hair tends to look best when you work with what you were born with, but there are always exceptions (ericthegreat for one!) But that's just my opinion.

[shawty]

Both ways look really good! It's up to you.

[Qwackie]

I think younger girls look better with lighter hair and older (somewhere around their thirties) look better with darker hair.

[AnnaJamila]

The asian complexion can be a bit sallow, and black tends to correct that so many people look well with it. I don't think blonde would work very well but as long as you pick the right shade of red or light brown it should be flattering! Maybe go to a salon?

I love bright red but my skin is so pink I have to stick with a very dark color to balance it, so I know how you feel.

[twilight_faerie]

I tend to think the darker the hair, the better. I absolutely *love* black Asian hair. I've don't think I've ever seen an Asian with blue-black hair, but I bet that'd be gorgeous. Dark red would also look really, really cool. I like browns and lighter reds too, but less so than darker colors. Blonde...not so much. It just looks unnatural.

[lacrymosa777]

imo...it's all about what goes with your complexion

[Red_Wednesday]

I think it depends on the person. On some Asians red/light brown hair might look very good. On others, not so much. Again, it depends on the individual.

[|Xei]

I'm so glad there were no "Asians who lighten their hair are trying to be white" comments amongst the responses. I've seen way too many of those on other forums.

Having grown up in a city with a large population of Asians, I've pretty much seen every shade and tone of red and brown on an Asian person. I think as long as the colour doesn't clash badly with your skin tone, then go for it. I've seen Asians sporting a colour that is not the most compatible with their skin tone, but because they have the right style of dress/make up, the hair colour ends up working in their favour and really pulls the whole look together.

As an Asian myself, I really do favour lightened hair (and by lightened hair, I mean anything starting from a dark, chestnut shell brown). While black hair might look really sleek and cool, I think lightened hair is a lot more fun and flexible in some ways. First of all, texture shows up better on lightened hair than black hair, and this can make styling a lot more interesting on lightened hair. When I had black hair and I tried to piece my hair out, it was never very noticeable until I stepped into a brightly-lit room or under the sun. Secondly, if you like to dress in a lot of black, lightened hair can bring in some colour contrast which makes your look a lot more interesting, and less monotone.

Lightened hair can also really brighten up the complexion. In my case, I have slightly tanned skin, and light brown hair brightens up my face a lot more than black does (doesn't stop me from wearing black though :p) because the tones just work better together. For some individuals, black hair can look plain/boring, and even give them a countryside look. So, lightened hair can make those individuals appear more trendy and fashionable.

Edit: I just want to add on a bit about Asians with blonde hair, because I get the impression that many people misunderstand why it's done. Asians who bleach their hair blonde don't do it because they think it will look natural. They know it will not look natural in any way, not with any type of styling/clothes/make-up/photoshop. It is precisely because it looks unnatural, and therefore shocking, that they do it. It's the same idea as anyone dyeing their hair an unnatural colour like blue, pink, green...etc.

[Helix]

I think that's a question best left for the individual to answer. Who am I to tell someone what to do with the hair on their own head? Besides, what looks good on one Asian person may not necessarily look good on another. Not all Asians have the same skin coloring, or features (which imo would determine whether a hair color suited them or not) so you can't ask us to put all Asians in one box.

If you really want my personal opinion I actually prefer the darker colors even though both colors look really pretty on the girls you posted.

The question really should be what do you like? (I assume you asked because you're considering a change in haircolor). At the end of the day only you know what looks best on you.

[maborosi]

Xei is definitely right. Texture and such does show a lot better on lighter hair. I'm naturally blonde so I know this.

Buuut, I love how shiny and glossy healthy black hair is. It is amazing how sleek and beautiful it looks.

To each his or her own! The pictures in the first post look great, either way :3

~maborosi~

[KittyLost]

You can do whatever you want with your hair as long as it makes you happy :)

I like the different colours,sometimes it can look good and sometimes it doesn't. It's down to whether it suits the individual or not, within any race. It looks good in those pictures you posted but there can be others where it doesn't look good.



Edit: I just want to add on a bit about Asians with blonde hair, because I get the impression that many people misunderstand why it's done. Asians who bleach their hair blonde don't do it because they think it will look natural. They know it will not look natural in any way, not with any type of styling/clothes/make-up/photoshop. It is precisely because it looks unnatural, and therefore shocking, that they do it. It's the same idea as anyone dyeing their hair an unnatural colour like blue, pink, green...etc.

I just wanna add that not everybody does it for attention or too shock people. I understand your point but other reasons instead of attention seeking are that people copy what they like. If they've seen something they like they may copy it "imitation is flattery". Also it good just be to make themselves feel better or add a spark of confidence in thier appearence. I've had my hair all different unnatural colours including a rainbow and I never did it for attention. I did it because when I was in a low mood it cheered me up. The countless compliments from strangers helped too :p

[ktijax]

I love long, black, shiney hair. A friend of mine used to have it but dyes it red and, for me, it's not as striking. It's fairly short though, so that may sway my view somewhat.

The third picture was really cute though. The lighter shades of red not so much.

I'm actually in the same boat as far as wanting/thinking about changing my natural brown, shiney hair to red.. I have very pale skin & blue eyes & have been told red looks decent on me. My natural color? Nobody compliments it. =/ I think red looks exotic & stands out. Whatever you decide.. PICTURES! :)

[kwaniesiam]

As long as it flatters your skin tone, go for it. I've seen people of all races and skin colors rock various shades of natural and unnatural hair. One of the most striking things I've seen was a very dark skinned black woman with a platinum blonde afro. It was awesome.

[Fufu]

I'm Asian and unfortunately jet black hair (my natural hair color) doesn't suit my skintone, I definitely need some colours to brighen up my skin tone. :)

[nazzooyzo]

I like the look. My favourite is the 4th photo

[luxepiggy]

I'm 100% Chinese, and I wish I had naturally black hair. Alas, for some odd reason, it looks black indoors under incandescent lighting or with flash photography, but in the sun it is definitely golden brown :shrug: I'm actually contemplating dyeing it blue-black, which I think would be so much more flattering for my cool-toned skin (^(oo)^)

[akevita2002]

I personally liked the 4th picture with the darker shade of light brown, if it's too blonde I think it looks very unnatural. It depends on your skin tone also, if you tan easily, most probably you would look good some shades lighter, but I wouldn't go for something too blonde. You could try the honey lightening method (although I'm not sure if it works on jet-black hair) so that you don't damage your hair. Also, you could lighten up a strand, or do some highlights, if you're not sure, don't go for something extreme.

Another problem would be the eyebrows, as you can see from the pics you posted, their eyebrows are lightened also. I have dark brown/black hair and even though I love the color as it is, I thought of lightening it a bit....so I took my sister's hair which is lighter (I kept her ponytail when I cut her hair :D), and I noticed that the color doesn't look so good on me, because my eyebrows are black.

Anyhow, it's your hair and what you really want matters! If you decide to do it, and the result doesn't satisfy you very much, it's ok, hair grows and it can be fixed!

[lilravendark]

Do what you want I dont think being Asian should stop you dying your hair any colour you want.Ive been red, green purple white hennaed and indigoed lol Currently its dark ash blonde that i have since dyed over with a temp chocolate. If you like it do it. Also of course blonde looks unnatural but thats the whole point, there are many different shades of blonde so its just finding what you think looks best on you. Theres a great site called faux blondes with many good examples.

[Audrey Horne]

I LOVE Asian hair just the way it is! That shine and the smooth texture, it looks like not a single hair is out of place :D
I love jet black hair! I dyed mine black but it doesn't really suite me :-( We all like and desire what we don't have! I've seen Asian hair fried beyond recognition to make it look brown :-( Being brown myself I don't understand :-) I always thought Asian hair is God-given, a gift to the every single person of the nation.
It's really up to your taste. Whatever makes you happy :-)

[Chetanlaiho]

Personally I think it looks awesome, but I spent a good amount of time looking at Japanese Gyaru and Lolita models who generally have dyed hair so I may be biased xD

Personally I kind of wish I had a similar skintone so I could pull certain colours off that I'm just too pale for xD (I actually envy the natural haircolour of most asians but I am really pale so I'm afraid it won't work for me).

[Fadedbluedreams]

My personal opinion is that one's natural hair color is almost always the most flattering for them. I don't typically think that blonde and red look very natural or flattering on asians because it reduces the contrast between hair and skin and I just LOVE contrast, such as in your picture.

[Shield31]

All of the pictures are beautiful. The hair color or basic style makes no difference in my opinion.

[NotInPortland]

You should do whatever you want with your hair :) Personally I've always loved the dark brown and black Asian hair though, probably because you'd rarely see it where I'm from and it usually goes so well with their complexion, and it's just stunning I wish I had long black hair like it.....:)

[curlymarcia]

I think that hair color should also match personality also. I truly believe that black asian hair is really glossy and beauty, but also all the browns and red suits them very well. I saw an asian girl with few higlights and she was stunning.

[McFearless]

I can't say I'm a fan. Why would anyone take the most gorgeous hair on the planet and make it look dull and damaged? That doesn't speak for everyone but I have yet to see an Asian with light coloured hair that looks as healthy as their natural. I do know that healthy looking hair is not everybody's goal. I also understand the need to shake things up. I have naturally jet black hair and I went lighter too. Black can reflect more light so I'm back to black.

[lw8666]

I think a very light brown to medium brown looks awesome on Asian hair.

I haven't seen many with red, but I'm sure it would look great too. :)

[Wheatland]

That's for the responses everyone!!! It's interesting hearing everyone's opinions.

[McFearless]

I'm so glad there were no "Asians who lighten their hair are trying to be white" comments amongst the responses. I've seen way too many of those on other forums.

Having grown up in a city with a large population of Asians, I've pretty much seen every shade and tone of red and brown on an Asian person. I think as long as the colour doesn't clash badly with your skin tone, then go for it. I've seen Asians sporting a colour that is not the most compatible with their skin tone, but because they have the right style of dress/make up, the hair colour ends up working in their favour and really pulls the whole look together.

As an Asian myself, I really do favour lightened hair (and by lightened hair, I mean anything starting from a dark, chestnut shell brown). While black hair might look really sleek and cool, I think lightened hair is a lot more fun and flexible in some ways. First of all, texture shows up better on lightened hair than black hair, and this can make styling a lot more interesting on lightened hair. When I had black hair and I tried to piece my hair out, it was never very noticeable until I stepped into a brightly-lit room or under the sun. Secondly, if you like to dress in a lot of black, lightened hair can bring in some colour contrast which makes your look a lot more interesting, and less monotone.

Lightened hair can also really brighten up the complexion. In my case, I have slightly tanned skin, and light brown hair brightens up my face a lot more than black does (doesn't stop me from wearing black though :p) because the tones just work better together. For some individuals, black hair can look plain/boring, and even give them a countryside look. So, lightened hair can make those individuals appear more trendy and fashionable.

Edit: I just want to add on a bit about Asians with blonde hair, because I get the impression that many people misunderstand why it's done. Asians who bleach their hair blonde don't do it because they think it will look natural. They know it will not look natural in any way, not with any type of styling/clothes/make-up/photoshop. It is precisely because it looks unnatural, and therefore shocking, that they do it. It's the same idea as anyone dyeing their hair an unnatural colour like blue, pink, green...etc.

Well in many Asian countries there is media and social pressure to look a certain way. Skin bleaching, eye-lid surgery, etc, but I think that has to do with fitting this ridiculous "ideal", not trying to be "white". It just so happens that the ideal in many places is white.

I completely agree with everyone who said complexion determines what is most flattering on a person, but it also depends on if you care about what is "flattering" anyway.

I'm not Asian, but I've dyed my hair different colours and have sported some crazy cuts. I wasn't trying to pass them off as natural because who would believe that, and whats the fuss with looking natural anyway? I did it for fun.

[RitaCeleste]

I like it lighter on you. I color my own hair red and auburn a lot. My roots are black but when it grows out it lightens up some and just a mousy dark brown. When I see Asians rocking colors other than Black, Blue Black, and Black/Brown I think they look more American. Weird thing to think, huh? I worked in a factory with lots of Asians once and noticed a huge variety of skin tones so it would seem Asians could work a lot of different colors and still look good. My kids are huge Anime fans and I always wonder why the cartoons show hair in all colors, yet it seems like Asians don't often embrace a rainbow of hair colors. I have some Native American in my family, so Asians would say I have Asian eyes (bit funny seen with my big nose). They seemed shocked that I was quite happy with my eyes and wouldn't want the surgery to fix them. I showed them how to paint on an eyelid if they really wanted to without surgery. I use to complain about my own eyes being small and not being able to see my eyeshadow. My grandmother would just say, "You have Indian eyes and they are beautiful." I guess I just believed her. White people never even seem to notice my eyes are different but Asians will notice it right away. I don't think I look more or less Native American, or whiter, based on what hair color I picked for the month. Sadly I think the kind of people who are really put out by Asians dyeing their hair colors other black probably also like to picture Asian women barefoot and pregnant, or bowing then serving them tea! I think Asian women should feel just as free to color their hair as white women. Nothing makes me happier than coloring my hair. My sister loves to tell me no natural redhead has skin as dark as mine and I laugh and name a few who do! Be happy, and if hair dye makes you happy grab the color and go!

[growingpains]

Each to their own. I'm not about to say what color someone else should have their hair. That said, I really personally like all the colors asian girls have their hair. I think natural is gorgeous. I think the dyed orangey colors are awesome, I think the light reddy browns are fantastic.

I used to live in Korea and saw so many pretty heads of dyed hair (and so many nice natural). I was always jealous (and still am) of asian hair. I tend to find the texture really nice and I love how it can grow longer and get dyed lighter than many caucasian heads without seeming to suffer the same degree of damage.

I can't decide what color I like best! I like them all! I think it's cool you will stay dark probably. Easier to grown long that way. Less effort too.

xo

[Raqdoll]

I say 'It's your head, do what will make you happy!' I'm also going to chime in with others who have mentioned highlighting - I love dark Asian hair with red/brown highlights.

[squiggyflop]

well, i like the dark black best, but red looks kinda pretty sometimes. its not all that unnatural. but i like the darker reddish browns.. light reds tend to look best on people with freckles and ultra pale skin IMHO.

however, i must say, that i tend to think that all over red color looks best on a teenage asian girl.. it just doesnt have the classic elegant beauty that i find appealing in 20-30 year old asian women. i dunno, maybe im just jealous because i was born with auburn hair and always wanted black hair, but black hair just looks so timeless.. my mother has such nice dark brown almost black hair.. or you know, she did before she went gray.. i always wished i had got her hair instead of my dads..

[Seanymph]

Well in many Asian countries there is media and social pressure to look a certain way. Skin bleaching, eye-lid surgery, etc, but I think that has to do with fitting this ridiculous "ideal", not trying to be "white". It just so happens that the ideal in many places is white.

I completely agree with everyone who said complexion determines what is most flattering on a person, but it also depends on if you care about what is "flattering" anyway.

I'm not Asian, but I've dyed my hair different colours and have sported some crazy cuts. I wasn't trying to pass them off as natural because who would believe that, and whats the fuss with looking natural anyway? I did it for fun.

I definitely agree with the bold. I believe your natural hair color is the best. Asians do not look good with any hair color lighter than brown in my opinion. I mean there hair tends to look dry and damaged from over bleaching teezing, and heat damage from styling tools. The pics that was shown through this thread can not compare to an Asians natural cool slippery shiny liquid black hair. It just can't.

[crystal_89]

It doesn't matter if they're Asian or not, anyone can do whatever they like with their hair.
I personally liked the hair on all those girls you showed and thought they managed to pull off the look quite well.

I'm half Asian and I know that lighter colours don't suit my complexion as well as my naturally black hair, but I don't really care. Sometimes I get bored and want a change and go lighter or get foils.

Have the hair that makes you happy.

[Fufu]

I'm fair.. but strangely all black hair don't look good on me -__-

[xoxophelia]

It seems fair in this argument to also remember that not all asians have "glossy" type 1 hair. Many have waves, curl, or even what we consider frizzy hair. You can see it all. So it isn't simply an option between glossy straight hair and colored hair.

[McFearless]

It seems fair in this argument to also remember that not all asians have "glossy" type 1 hair. Many have waves, curl, or even what we consider frizzy hair. You can see it all. So it isn't simply an option between glossy straight hair and colored hair.

This is true, but the waves and curls are still gorgeous and glossy!

[RitaPG]

I've seen asians do pretty much every hair color (that includes pink and blue) and it's awesome :D
I think it depends on the person, but I like the brown tones, it softens the look and looks super cute.
But on the other hand, I dyed my hair black for years, because I loved that glossy black hair they tend to have :crush:

[TheBluffs]

I very much love it when Asians have the gorgoes black hair. It just looks so classy, and elegant! It matches creemy complecions perfectly.
To add to this, I feel that Asians dyring their hair extreamly unatural colours, are the same as 'circle lenses' (Extreamly popular in Asian comunities). I'l never understand why someone would put contants without medical reason to make their eyes look a different colour.
You know it is not real, and doesn't that go against the point dying hair/colour contacts?

[RitaCeleste]

Well, that seems kinda weird. I always wanted Maven Lens. If I could stand contacts I wouldn't even want my eyes look Human much less natural! I want the purple ones too. When I spend good money on hair dye and it turns out looking natural I can't help but be a little disappointed no matter how high-end it looks. I go without makeup a lot, I like to put the color on my hair and look like I made some effort while avoiding much of the actual styling, plucking, cosmetic application etc. Besides if you're doing all that and trying to look natural, who exactly do you think you are fooling? Really? Lets pretend I'm this gorgeous when I roll out of bed every morning? It does seem strange to me, this high maintenance natural I see.

[elbow chic]

This thread has made me google both "nose bridge surgery" and "circle lenses." Very interesting. lol.

I kind of want some circle lenses now, if someone reputable were to make them. But not nose bridge surgery. My nose is quite... pronounced... enough. I always thought little button noses were the height of femininity, so it is strangely cheering to know that someone out there WITH a teeny button nose is willing to part with several thousand dollars to get a taller one. :laugh:

[HairFaerie]

I think they can look lovely with a warm brown or a reddy colour.

I'm not fond of the blonde (which generally goes yellow) colour though.

Of course each to their own and everybody suits different things :)

My thoughts, exactly!

[Wheatland]

This thread has made me google both "nose bridge surgery" and "circle lenses." Very interesting. lol.

I kind of want some circle lenses now, if someone reputable were to make them. But not nose bridge surgery. My nose is quite... pronounced... enough. I always thought little button noses were the height of femininity, so it is strangely cheering to know that someone out there WITH a teeny button nose is willing to part with several thousand dollars to get a taller one. :laugh:

Haha. Yes, nose-bridge surgery is quite popular amongst Asian communities. It is something that over time, Asians have come to admire in the Caucasian race I think.

I don't know very many Asian people, but when I do meet one and we start talking I inevitably get a compliment on my nose. It's kind of interesting. My Mom is Caucasian so I got a bit of a bridge.

[RitaCeleste]

I'd go for a smaller, straighter nose before I went for eye surgery any day. (cuter like yours!) Your thread got me wondering if I really do look so white that no one would ever think I should be required to dye my own hair blue black and give up my red hair. (I still cringe about some of these posts!) I think I fall under the white girl can wear rainbow hair colors clause. (I'm pushing to dye it blue oneday but loved ones are discouraging me.)

[celebriangel]

I, personally, adore the shining liquid jet-black of asian hair, and if I had it I wouldn't give it up for anything.

That said, I do think the final two pictures are nice. I prefer when asian people have darker colours - I saw a girl recently with a glossy dark red-brown, very dark but definitely not black, and it was *beautiful*. That said, I am a very big fan of dark hair in general - the darker the hair, the more shine it is capable of, and I adore the contrast with light skin.

Also, I think the soft browns look younger/lolita/girlish, whereas the black is more mature, sophisticated and seductive. Since I prefer the latter look - and always have done (well, maybe the seductive bit is relatively recent, but you get the idea) - it's the one I would go for.

But, you know, it's your hair and all that. The only time I would be upset is if I were to see blonde fried asian hair. That does make me sad, given that in its natural state it's so beautiful.

[whitestiletto]

I think asian girls look nice with dyed lighter hair. I have always been a little jealous of the look it creates. I love Tokyo street fashion.

Totally awesome blog of Japanese hairstyles!
http://worldhairstyles.com/tag/harajuku-hairstyles/

On a side note, I also love how asian girls look with bangs. I can't get bangs because my hair is very light and wavy and it just flips everywhere, but asian hair takes bangs so niceley! To frame the pretty eyes.

[Gladtobemom]

I'm curious how people feel about Asians (Chinese, Korean, Japanese ect.) having red, light brown/blonde hair.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/me440_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/gar188_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/dim325_a.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/bi049_a.jpg


Do Asian girls look okay with the more unnatural colors or should they/we stick to the classic dark brown/black?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Taylani/asian_style_ziyi_zhang.jpg


When my DBF and I first met I had my hair dyed red for a short period of time but have had black hair since. He recently expressed that he'd like me to return to the red but I was surprised because I didn't think people were fond of Asians with unnatural hair colors.

Opinions?

I lived in CA for years, our house was in San Marino (actually, our house was split by the San Marino/Pasadena border). I saw LOTS of young Asian women experimenting with hairstyles of all sorts. Honestly, the most attractive colors are ones that work with the skin tone. I saw a lot of "anime" colors. My next door neighbor's college aged daughter had the front of her hair (bangs and a bit of the sides) black and the back was a rich dark scarlet (a VERY red, no rusty color at all). It was gorgeous. Her hair was about BSL, she wore a lot of pigtails and messy updos. I thought she looked spectacular.

Wavy's Kindergarten teacher was Japanese, she had short spiky hair with longish bangs. She had it colored a bright coppery red and it looked beautiful against her pale skin. She was very good with her makeup too and her glasses were a dark mossy green color. She was soooo cute!

I think what turns out to be a mistake is to color the hair without making sure the tone looks good with the skin color and the makeup needs to be adjusted also.

[QueenJoey]

I'm Vietnamese, and my natural hair color is a light honey brown color with natural blonde highlights. Given, I'm also French, but still, I used to get lots of compliments on how pretty my color was before I dyed it.

(In case you're wondering why I would dye my hair when I got many compliments, it's for this reason: a photoshoot. I dyed it a dark mahogany shade because it was a gothic shoot. And the color looks more natural than my natural color because it matches my dark brown eyebrows.)

But yeah, I think light brown looks particularly adorable on Asians.

[Schipperchow]

I think it depends on the person. I personally prefer to keep hair closest to its natural state but have seen some (typically teens/early 20's) carry off some edgy colors quite well. Unfortunately, I have also seen some (20's/30's) in an office work environment with multiple shades of red to light brown on one head that have not been so appealing to me. I think it's critical to work with a colorist who will take your skin tone in consideration as well as your hair's porosity, etc so that whatever shade you choose is flattering.

[|Xei]

I very much love it when Asians have the gorgoes black hair. It just looks so classy, and elegant! It matches creemy complecions perfectly.
To add to this, I feel that Asians dyring their hair extreamly unatural colours, are the same as 'circle lenses' (Extreamly popular in Asian comunities). I'l never understand why someone would put contants without medical reason to make their eyes look a different colour.
You know it is not real, and doesn't that go against the point dying hair/colour contacts?

I see colour contacts as a form of cosmetic for the eyes. It's like how one would wear different colours of clothing/make up on different days. Changing up one's look with different colours is fun :)


I'm fair.. but strangely all black hair don't look good on me -__-

I'm not fair, but black hair also doesn't look good on me :p (actually, I just remembered. Blue-black looked good.)

[Seanymph]

Haha. Yes, nose-bridge surgery is quite popular amongst Asian communities. It is something that over time, Asians have come to admire in the Caucasian race I think.

I don't know very many Asian people, but when I do meet one and we start talking I inevitably get a compliment on my nose. It's kind of interesting. My Mom is Caucasian so I got a bit of a bridge.



:rolleyes:

[Automne]

Brown and red are nice, but black is so beautiful.. The other day I saw an asian girl with long black hair, she looked very pretty.

[heartgoesboom]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/pineye/Photoon2009-11-02at10062.jpg

i loved having light hair. it looks nice with my tan skin. i got a lot of compliments on the color... but it was SO damaged. after 5 years of light hair, i dyed my hair back to black and i think i like it better. it's pretty nice to have the hairstylist do my hair and comment on how thick and beautiful it is... rather than a hair stylist saying it's good i'm getting a trim because it's dry, lol. but i don't have the stereotypical silky black asian hair though. oh well!

[Fufu]

|Xei: Blue Black hair or Purple Black hair color sounds interesting to me... :)

[Eolan]

As long as it flatters your skin tone, go for it. I've seen people of all races and skin colors rock various shades of natural and unnatural hair.

Exactly.

If you want to dye your hair, dye your hair. Simple as that. :)

[Helix]

:rolleyes:

:spitting:

[BabyRay33]

I just had to pop in and say that I love the red/brown color that asian girls get when they dye their hair. I want the same color for myself!! Havent managed to match it yet though.

[Nae]

Well, I would say that if you prefer the darker colors don't just dye it because DBF mentioned it. If you like the lighter colors, by all means, go for it!

Asians look good with all sorts of different colors. The lighter colors don't necessarily look "natural" but that really isn't the point is it?? It is about whether you like the look and want to have it. Point blank.

I will say that my only real opinion on the lighter colors is that it looks "younger" to me. Most likely because I usually see it on younger adults and teens. But who knows, in 20-30 years maybe it will be what I think of when I imagine older Asian women. /shrug

Styles are always changing. Do whatever you like with your hair!!! We love you either way!

[Akiko]

Generally speaking, natural hair color is most flattering, I think.

Reddish brown hair is OK if it is well kept. But in reality, it is high maintenance and not many can keep up with the time or cost. After seeing so many bleach/color their hair and end up damaging a great deal, I prefer natural. Blond looks silly to me.

It also depends on what they wear. Natural black hair goes well with kimono. I sometimes see a traditional wedding kimono and reddish brown hair, which looks quite bad to me.

[Sunshineliz]

Do what you want with your hair, regardless of DBF.

For my personal opinion, I love the glossy black hair. I've never liked the reddish and light brown hair on any Asian I've seen in real life. That said, those girls in the original post looked great! Since they look like professional photos, they probably had colorists that made sure the specific tones they picked looked good for their skin, and the girls I've seen in real life probably did not.

Then again, orange is my least favorite color, so I'm probably a little prejudiced against it. Except on people who get that hair color naturally (or look like it could be :))--they look stunning!

IMHO nature quite often knows what looks best on us and that is usually what we get!

(And yes I understand the whole wanting to shock, shake things up, have something different, etc. To each their own, but OP asked for opinions and I like natural.)

[Arya]

While I'd never say that people who indulge in fashion 'want to look white', and I'm glad no one did, I do want to point out that cultural imperialism has really affected what is the 'ideal' beauty seen in most countries. In Japan I think it is the most obvious, where the more extreme surgeries are more common. Caucasian has (unfortunately) become the standard of beauty everywhere. Lighter skin is considered more beautiful, a thin high bridged nose, rounder coloured eyes, longer face, larger breasts, etc. So while I'd never say the girls I saw in Japan with eyelid surgery, coloured contacts, blonde skin, nose bridge, chin and breast implants wearing mickey mouse jewelery was 'trying to be white' I think it's important to think about cultural imperialism and institutional racism and their effects on the body and our images of the body. The association of more common 'northern european' traits as being the cute or pretty traits is something I hope we all recognize as damaging to women of diverse heritage and diverse beauty.

[getoffmyskittle]

If you can rock it, why worry about what other people think? :wink:

[trolleypup]

As long as it flatters your skin tone, go for it. I've seen people of all races and skin colors rock various shades of natural and unnatural hair. One of the most striking things I've seen was a very dark skinned black woman with a platinum blonde afro. It was awesome.
That is a truth! Or with snow white hair! Wow!

Do what pleases you.

It doesn't matter if they're Asian or not, anyone can do whatever they like with their hair.
I personally liked the hair on all those girls you showed and thought they managed to pull off the look quite well.

I'm half Asian and I know that lighter colours don't suit my complexion as well as my naturally black hair, but I don't really care. Sometimes I get bored and want a change and go lighter or get foils.
Another halfsie, my hair fades from almost black to dark brown with red brown streaks.

Of course we want what we can't have...I'd take my mom's hair in a second. Jet black and super coarse and straight.

Just like length, what color you are comfortable with looks good.

[cheetahfast]

In the pictures you posted the brown hair looks beautiful. I think it depends on how well the dye job is though, and I perfer the natural glossy black hair most asians have. I have many asian friends and envy their naturally beautiful hair. It's nice and silky with that magical sheen.

Off topic a bit, but it drives me crazy that some asians get their eyes done, they look stunning without the double eyelids. It's totally unnecessary.

[Wheatland]

:rolleyes:

Because a smiley face is always an appropriate and mature way to disagree with someone.

[Wheatland]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/pineye/Photoon2009-11-02at10062.jpg

i loved having light hair. it looks nice with my tan skin. i got a lot of compliments on the color... but it was SO damaged. after 5 years of light hair, i dyed my hair back to black and i think i like it better. it's pretty nice to have the hairstylist do my hair and comment on how thick and beautiful it is... rather than a hair stylist saying it's good i'm getting a trim because it's dry, lol. but i don't have the stereotypical silky black asian hair though. oh well!

That color was so beautiful! But I also like your color now!

[xovictoryxo]

i think it looks SO GORGEOUS and exotic

[Katurday]

While I'd never say that people who indulge in fashion 'want to look white', and I'm glad no one did, I do want to point out that cultural imperialism has really affected what is the 'ideal' beauty seen in most countries. In Japan I think it is the most obvious, where the more extreme surgeries are more common. Caucasian has (unfortunately) become the standard of beauty everywhere. Lighter skin is considered more beautiful, a thin high bridged nose, rounder coloured eyes, longer face, larger breasts, etc. So while I'd never say the girls I saw in Japan with eyelid surgery, coloured contacts, blonde skin, nose bridge, chin and breast implants wearing mickey mouse jewelery was 'trying to be white' I think it's important to think about cultural imperialism and institutional racism and their effects on the body and our images of the body. The association of more common 'northern european' traits as being the cute or pretty traits is something I hope we all recognize as damaging to women of diverse heritage and diverse beauty.

To be fair, there is a play of cultural imperialism, but a lot of it is misguided or exaggerated. For example, many cultures had the ideal of snowy pale skin (such as Asians) LOOOOOOONG before the white man came into play. Many cultures also would not want to look white at all, but certain white features are seen as unique and ways to stand out. In fact, I've seen fewer white people with the porcelain "ideal" than I have Asians - until most cultures desire freckly and delicate skin, I'm going to doubt its a white thing. Furthermore, what is present in the culture's media is not necessarily the ideal at all - one might point out the large breasts, but as far as I can tell breast augmentation is not being crazily followed and small breasted Japanese girls do just fine in the dating department. I think one should acknowledge that "white beauty" is pretty much a player in the game of things, but also keep a sober mind - the idea that other cultures would give up themselves to be just like white people is a bit absurd, especially when some traits were always there.

[xovictoryxo]

. I have many asian friends and envy their naturally beautiful hair. It's nice and silky with that magical sheen.


me too! so jealous!

[Kumiko033]

All I say is loads of make-up to fit the haircolour to their skin. I've seen loads of these girls day in day out and not one of them has looked good with this hair colour in real life IMO. I think asian girls their natural black hair is A GIFT. It's beautifull in natural state, and I mean it! I used to be so jealous when I was 6 and watched Mulan, i wanted straight thick black asian hair. Yet I all see them dyed..all this is my opinion I'm sorry if I'm offending anyone but I am so fund of the art of natural beauty.
and if someone tries to get me, yes I bleached my hair aswell but that was to hide my mullet, I'd rather dye my hair then cut it ever again, basta :)

[McFearless]

Because a smiley face is always an appropriate and mature way to disagree with someone.

I think she was rolling her eyes at the absurdity that is eye lid surgery and nose bridge implants, not you or your opinion. :)

[bluesnowflake]

I think their unique glossy black is gorgeous, but they should be allowed to do whatever they want with their hair color- I mean, everyone else can, right?

[McFearless]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v416/pineye/Photoon2009-11-02at10062.jpg

i loved having light hair. it looks nice with my tan skin. i got a lot of compliments on the color... but it was SO damaged. after 5 years of light hair, i dyed my hair back to black and i think i like it better. it's pretty nice to have the hairstylist do my hair and comment on how thick and beautiful it is... rather than a hair stylist saying it's good i'm getting a trim because it's dry, lol. but i don't have the stereotypical silky black asian hair though. oh well!

I really love your hair here and in your avatar. Are these highlights or an all over dye?

[McFearless]

To be fair, there is a play of cultural imperialism, but a lot of it is misguided or exaggerated. For example, many cultures had the ideal of snowy pale skin (such as Asians) LOOOOOOONG before the white man came into play. Many cultures also would not want to look white at all, but certain white features are seen as unique and ways to stand out. In fact, I've seen fewer white people with the porcelain "ideal" than I have Asians - until most cultures desire freckly and delicate skin, I'm going to doubt its a white thing. Furthermore, what is present in the culture's media is not necessarily the ideal at all - one might point out the large breasts, but as far as I can tell breast augmentation is not being crazily followed and small breasted Japanese girls do just fine in the dating department. I think one should acknowledge that "white beauty" is pretty much a player in the game of things, but also keep a sober mind - the idea that other cultures would give up themselves to be just like white people is a bit absurd, especially when some traits were always there.

When would you say the white man came to play? And which cultures had the ideal of paler skin before the "white man came to play"?
I think its important to point out that nobody said Asians or Hispanics or African Americans or Africans want to look white. The media shoves ideals down our throat, and we'd be in denial to pretend that the ideal is not a white person. The irony is, that many of these so called white features are not exclusive to the Caucasian race.

[RitaCeleste]

I don't know, I live in the rural south. There have been instances when I have not been considered white enough to date a boy I liked. There was one instance where I look so white, a drunk man pulled a knife on a black man I was sitting with in a restaurant. I am actually a very diluted descendant of tri-racial people. One sister was blond, one was teased and called a Mexican. I was torn between wanting blond children to please my grandparents and wanting more darn color in my kids so they would be free to socialize with anybody, any time, anywhere. I pleased my grandparents but for the sake of my future grandkids, I hope they will choose to have more colorful kids. I refuse to favor lighter or push it or one race or color lighter or darker. But if you want to be considered whiter than you are here, its best to act like you are as white as anybody else and do what white people do. White people buy hair dye, perms, colored contacts, nose jobs, boob jobs and whatever else the self-same media convinces them they want or need or need to want. My grandma showed me I could buy blond hair in a box just like she did when I was seven. I would have been slapped if I asked if I was white enough to get away with using it! lol The rule in my mixed family is act white and demand to be treated like you are and you will be! I've thought about race issues a lot, sometime its best to let a box of hair dye just be a color you can buy if you want it. Sometimes it doesn't mean you want to look whiter, sometimes it just means you wanted to have some fun. I look whiter already, sometimes I'd rather look little stranger because I am. I think much depends on who you are trying to please and what you gain or loose from pleasing one group of people over another and in the end how much of your own pleasure was sacrificed in the process. What does it take to get the job you want? Who do you want to be friends with? Looks can be one part of the puzzle but trust me, they aren't all that's ever gonna be required. We decide who we are based on what we do each day, we can create and recreate ourselves to be what we want to be. I find a lot of freedom in not trying to look natural but it does limit me in some areas.

[Akiko]

To be fair, there is a play of cultural imperialism, but a lot of it is misguided or exaggerated. For example, many cultures had the ideal of snowy pale skin (such as Asians) LOOOOOOONG before the white man came into play.

This is very true.

I know, at least where I am from (Japan), pale skin has been valued highly for over a thousand years. The first description of beautiful pale skin was mentioned in the book of Nihon shoki written in 720AD long before Japanese saw any white people. We had diplomatic relationship with China back then.

Pale skin Japanese like are not like Caucasian's. It's the smooth pale porcelain like skin without blemish or speckles. Shiseido, Kao, and other cosmetic companies sell tons of lotions and creams for BIHAKU-beautiful white-, which promise you to have porcelain like skin.

As for hair color, it's been quite a long history of admiring long long dark black hair.:)

[Rosie23]

I love the second and fourth hair color. I think asians look great in browns, light brown, dark (brown or black), and red...but no blondes. It totally washes their skin out.

[MaryRose]

I adore the black shiny hair that you have naturally. The other colors look nice too but the black is the most stunning.

[Jcv-Shelley]

Well I'm asian and I've always loved my way way black hair :D. The only chemical processing I've ever done to it are highlights, and I immediately missed how it was in only a month. In fact, I'm still growing it out. Highlights don't come off easy on me you know lol. Right now it's off my scalp but tumbling down my length...ew right?

[Seanymph]

This is very true.

I know, at least where I am from (Japan), pale skin has been valued highly for over a thousand years. The first description of beautiful pale skin was mentioned in the book of Nihon shoki written in 720AD long before Japanese saw any white people. We had diplomatic relationship with China back then.

Pale skin Japanese like are not like Caucasian's. It's the smooth pale porcelain like skin without blemish or speckles. Shiseido, Kao, and other cosmetic companies sell tons of lotions and creams for BIHAKU-beautiful white-, which promise you to have porcelain like skin.

As for hair color, it's been quite a long history of admiring long long dark black hair.:)

Bleach creams? :rolleyes:

[Seanymph]

Because a smiley face is always an appropriate and mature way to disagree with someone.


Uhm maybe because my general reaction to your post was not to smile but to roll my eyes. You asked for opinions, and your getting them. I will leave it as that.

[ktijax]

I see colour contacts as a form of cosmetic for the eyes. It's like how one would wear different colours of clothing/make up on different days. Changing up one's look with different colours is fun :)

I agree.. I have very light blue eyes & want to get violet just to change it up. I love that that's possible! :magic:

[heartgoesboom]

I really love your hair here and in your avatar. Are these highlights or an all over dye?

aw, thank you :) the lighting sucks there but it was lighter in person. i would dye my hair as light as possible by my self and then get highlights at the salon. :X it probably wouldn't have been so damaged if i knew what i was doing with the color in the beginning.

[Anywhere]

Boy, do I feel silly. I was under the impression that the light brown hair on Asians was all natural, I never see roots and the eyebrows match up. I figured the all Asians have dark hair was a stereotype.
That being said, I prefer darker hair on most people anyway.. so my opinion isn't Asian-exclusive.

ETA: That being said, after reading a few pages, I noticed most people commented on the contrast between pale skin and dark hair. In my neck of the woods, anyone of Asian decent seems pretty tan, a good 3+ shades tanner than me on average. Therefore, I don't think tan skin and light brown hair look that great, it reminds me of the white kids at school with brown hair who get insane tans, real and fake. I like there to be at least a little contrast between hair and skin color on anyone.

[dmarie16]

I love asian hair! It is so silky and shiny! It really is stunning. But my belief is we all have the ability to change whatever we want in our hair. The only opinion that matters is what YOU like! Just remember that the biggest changes to your natural hair are going to be the ones that cause the most damage. You really must choose what you are willing to give up in order to get the end result you are looking for. Do what feels right to you. Don't worry what others think.

[88Marisa]

I live in an area with a large asian population, so I've seen all those hair colors in person before, and they mostly looked nice. I think the light brown shades look particularly striking. I do think blonde streaks in dark hair looks really bad, because although I've seen people from many ethnicities try that look, I've never thought it looked good on anyone.

However, I really am against all the harsh chemicals in hair dye and other hair treatments, and I strongly feel that people of every age and ethnicity should be encouraged to wear the hair texture and color that they grow naturally. Of course, in the end, it's their decision and not my business.

[JuliaDancer]

I guess I've been around too many Asians, being half Chinese and going to science schools... But I have seen all different colors on all types of Asian hair, from the very fine and silky straight to the coarse and slightly wavy, and I really dislike red/orange on Asian complexions. Besides black, I do like the more chocolate light browns, or even a raspberry-ish highlight but anything with that rusty red color or the yellow (attempting to be blonde) just looks awful to me. Makes me think of a mummy... Sorry if I'm offending anyone, it's just my personal taste. You should definitely do whatever makes you feel good about yourself.

[Annibelle]

Pale skin Japanese like are not like Caucasian's. It's the smooth pale porcelain like skin without blemish or speckles. Shiseido, Kao, and other cosmetic companies sell tons of lotions and creams for BIHAKU-beautiful white-, which promise you to have porcelain like skin.

While I agree with you, is it possible to compliment one race without putting down another? :( To say that Caucasian pale skin is "blemished" (blemish, by definition, meaning "defect" or "deformity"), unlike perfect Japanese skin, may make Asians feel better about their skin, but you don't have to put down whites to make Asians feel better. Asians are beautiful on their own without being compared to whites, whose skin is apparently "defective." :o

[Katurday]

When would you say the white man came to play? And which cultures had the ideal of paler skin before the "white man came to play"?
I think its important to point out that nobody said Asians or Hispanics or African Americans or Africans want to look white. The media shoves ideals down our throat, and we'd be in denial to pretend that the ideal is not a white person. The irony is, that many of these so called white features are not exclusive to the Caucasian race.
When can you say that the white man came into play in general? I'm not going to call paleness a white ideal among Asians because they had pale moon maidens for thousands of years to aspire to. I wouldn't call white skin blemished, but it is different than most Asian ideals(I do think freckles are beautiful because my boyfriend has them). If we brought up other races, it would be a different discussion - influence is VERY complex. I mean, when is it sensitive to say that other races have influence in the beauty ideal? I tanned my skin (and I have olive skin so its going to do that) and my friend scolded me unprovoked for not keeping it paler. Who is in the wrong here?

I think a lot of people pointed out that it seemed Asians pursued certain white features, and I'd like to point out that its not quite that simple at all - not for Asians, and not for any other race.

[Arya]

To be fair, there is a play of cultural imperialism, but a lot of it is misguided or exaggerated. For example, many cultures had the ideal of snowy pale skin (such as Asians) LOOOOOOONG before the white man came into play. Many cultures also would not want to look white at all, but certain white features are seen as unique and ways to stand out. In fact, I've seen fewer white people with the porcelain "ideal" than I have Asians - until most cultures desire freckly and delicate skin, I'm going to doubt its a white thing. Furthermore, what is present in the culture's media is not necessarily the ideal at all - one might point out the large breasts, but as far as I can tell breast augmentation is not being crazily followed and small breasted Japanese girls do just fine in the dating department. I think one should acknowledge that "white beauty" is pretty much a player in the game of things, but also keep a sober mind - the idea that other cultures would give up themselves to be just like white people is a bit absurd, especially when some traits were always there.

I'll give you that some cultures valued paler skin..but to take japan for an example, the ideal heian beauty had: pale skin, a moon shaped face, sloping shoulders, feminine softness, and a figure that looked good in kimono (no protruding breasts), narrow (single lid) eyes and thin nose, and shiny straight black hair as long as possible. If you don't see cultural imperialism at work in images like this, I wonder why not.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/img_dir/2009/07/29/2009072900359_0.jpg

[RitaCeleste]

Well, white people only seem to get scolded when they dye their hair unnatural colors. And white people buy as much cosmetic surgery and dental work as anyone else. When white people want to look different it is all Hollywood's fault or Vogue's supposedly. I think its totally unfair to blow off the media machines in different countries and act like they want to look white too. The fact is all these things can be done, someone is profiting from doing them to people and they want to promote their businesses. I see shows like the Doctors showing people all kinds of cosmetic surgery stuff to let people know what is available. I think the contacts and hair dye are pretty safe and temporary for everyone. I dislike the fact no matter what race you are, you are subjected to comparisons to unnatural beauties seen on TV or in Magazines. Its only flesh, remember beauty fades but cute is forever!:D

[eri401]

While I agree with you, is it possible to compliment one race without putting down another? :( To say that Caucasian pale skin is "blemished" (blemish, by definition, meaning "defect" or "deformity"), unlike perfect Japanese skin, may make Asians feel better about their skin, but you don't have to put down whites to make Asians feel better. Asians are beautiful on their own without being compared to whites, whose skin is apparently "defective." :o

Eh I don't think that was her intention (doesn't seem like English isn't her first language). No one is saying white people skin is defective. Rather, the pale skin that Asians desire is not really just about the kind of skin COLOR. When Asians say they like porcelain skin, they want an unblemished skin -- no freckles, no tan, no wrinkles, no nothing. However people get confused and think Asians are saying they want white people's skin. They freak out over skin lightening products in Asia because it becomes (unfairly) associated with the history of white-preference in the US due to racism.

ANYWAY I can't believe this has devolved into a conversation about race and skin color :confused::confused::confused:

I want to share 1 story that this reminded me of.

In college, I had a seminar with someone I thought was the most beautiful girl ever. She was a Danish foreign exchange student with natural white-blond hair and blue eyes - though I grew up in California, I have never seen naturally platinum blond hair like that before. We were doing a school project together and at one point, she leans over and tugs on my hair and says "You have the most beautiful hair. I have been admiring it all semester!"

Now, I do not have that watery black hair that "all East Asians" supposedly have. It is dark brown and slightly wavy. Plus, 50% of the student body at my University was Asian-American so black hair was pretty common and therefore boring. I was incredibly shocked.

She explained that where she was from, everyone had light hair and she was fascinated by really dark hair. And while I was flabbergasted into silence, she went on about the different shades in my hair and so on.

Anyway, everyone admires different forms of beauty. It made me reevaluate my looks and appreciate them a little more. However, we should also be free to experiment with our looks too. :p

[RitaCeleste]

When I heard how they changed Asian eyes to look bigger I was wondering if they could move it in the other direction and change white eyes to look Asian. Asian eyes looks so exotic and beautiful to white women I'm sure a doctor could sell that. LMAO! There is a lot to be said for being happy with what you were given. However, it is human nature to covet what we don't have.

[Aveyronnaise]

While I agree with you, is it possible to compliment one race without putting down another? :( To say that Caucasian pale skin is "blemished" (blemish, by definition, meaning "defect" or "deformity"), unlike perfect Japanese skin, may make Asians feel better about their skin, but you don't have to put down whites to make Asians feel better. Asians are beautiful on their own without being compared to whites, whose skin is apparently "defective." :o
Just adding something as a tangent but "blemished" is the "correct" dermatology term for moles and freckles and the like. I found this out after reading over some of my Dr.'s notes about my skin. I have olive Mexican skin with lots of moles and I was all offended when I read the notes that said something to the effect of " highly blemished skin" - darn it ! I can't remember the words he used.

[Akiko]

While I agree with you, is it possible to compliment one race without putting down another? :( To say that Caucasian pale skin is "blemished" (blemish, by definition, meaning "defect" or "deformity"), unlike perfect Japanese skin, may make Asians feel better about their skin, but you don't have to put down whites to make Asians feel better. Asians are beautiful on their own without being compared to whites, whose skin is apparently "defective." :o

I do not think you understood what I meant.:( Japanese has placed a value on porcelain-like smooth skin without blemish throughout history. However that porcelain-like pale skin does not mean that of white people, which is a totally different skin color.

Asian pale skin color is different. In fact most people in Japan had no experience of even seeing Caucasians until the 20th century. It is just practically impossible to have a desire to look like them for the most part.

Japanese skin is not perfect. That's why cosmetic companies sell all those products to make skin look perfect. Some pay quite a bit of money to get their aging spots, scars, whatever removed. I did not say white people have defective skin, though. :confused: I guess I did not explain well.

ETA: whoops, typo.

[McFearless]

When can you say that the white man came into play in general? I'm not going to call paleness a white ideal among Asians because they had pale moon maidens for thousands of years to aspire to. I wouldn't call white skin blemished, but it is different than most Asian ideals(I do think freckles are beautiful because my boyfriend has them). If we brought up other races, it would be a different discussion - influence is VERY complex. I mean, when is it sensitive to say that other races have influence in the beauty ideal? I tanned my skin (and I have olive skin so its going to do that) and my friend scolded me unprovoked for not keeping it paler. Who is in the wrong here?

I think a lot of people pointed out that it seemed Asians pursued certain white features, and I'd like to point out that its not quite that simple at all - not for Asians, and not for any other race.

You said cultures had the ideal of pale white skin before the "white man came into play". I'm just asking you to give examples.was just curious which cultures besides Japan you were talking about.

White skin is blemished. So is every other skin colour. Everybody has either a beauty mark, an acne scar, different tones, etc. I've yet to see somebody without a blemish, and those without them have bleached their skin. It wasn't an insult to Caucasian skin. Asian skin isn't even blemish free naturally.

As far as your friend telling you to keep your skin pale....I can't say I understand why she did that. Excessive tanning is dangerous. Is that why? Could she have thought you went to a tanning bed or laid out in the sun for hours? Or does she think pale is more beautiful?

I do agree that other races have an influence on the ideal, but lets be honest. The ideal is a white male/woman with what is known to be "hispanic", "african" and therefore "african american" features.
Tan skin and dark skin is found to be attractive if a white person does it more often than a black person. A white person could tan and become the same colour as a black person's natural tone, but the white person will beat them in the majority of our 8 billion people's eyes. Same goes for full lips. Do you see how people fawn over Angelina Jolie's lips? A full bum?

Many Asians do pursue what they know the be white features because of the media and adances in technology. Skin aside, there is nose bridge surgeries and eye-lid surgeries. They are very, very common in many Asian countries. I mentioned it before, but it is ironic that many of these features are considered "white", when it is not a guarantee that being white you will have a prominent nose bridge and double lids. How many white people do we see, and even on LHC, with hooded eye-lids? A wide nose with a less prominent nose bridge?


And yes I do agree that freckles are really cute and nobody should ever get rid of theirs. :)


Btw: http://i56.tinypic.com/k32jag.jpg
Contact lenses like these are dangeous and watching The Doctors I've learned that many teens are brought to the hospital because they weren't able to remove them. Doctors have to peel them off your eyeball. Scary.

[RoseRed27]

I think lighter colors and darker colors can both look very flattering. But I understand where seanymph is coming from. I think she was put off by someone getting "complimented" for looking more European. Race, skin tone and hair is a part of the black community too and I think she sees some parallels. Certainly not exactly the same, but it makes me think. Thousands of years where the ideal is a round face, jet black hair, pale skin and almond eyes and then there is a shift where much of what is admired is the opposite? Hmmm. What changes happened in those years? Cultures change on their own, but such a shift?:confused:

And the thing about skin tone: Yes, Japanese Chinese and others have, for thousands of years, admired pale skin. But not all Asians have very pale skin or are capable of pale skin (by avoiding the sun). I hear a lot of praise for skin lightening soaps and creams from some of my south east Asian friends and coworkers. It's not exactly coming from the same place as an admiration of a pale Asian noble. A group of brown people fawning over the "progress" that a papaya soap has given one of their own for her wedding, doesn't sit right with me. I know it's not exactly the same situation in Japan, but they are Asian after all.

And there is something stronger than admiration in many instances. Just look at the popular surgeries. I admire the hair shown in old prints and paintings of Japan. Long, black and seemingly endless. When I straighten my hair, I like it to look a bit like that. But then I wash my hair and the curls come back. I admire the epicanthic folds that many Asian eyes have (I know, not all Asians have them and they aren't exclusive to Asians, my blond SO has them too ;)), but I'm not going to get surgery to imitate it.

While I think media and European "influence" often plays a part, sometimes we dye our hair, because we want a change, not because we're rejecting our culture. I can't wait for the day when we are all one grey color and can do what ever we want with our hair! :D

[Wheatland]

Uhm maybe because my general reaction to your post was not to smile but to roll my eyes. You asked for opinions, and your getting them. I will leave it as that.

So you do know how to use your words? Bravo.

Edit: Perhaps others are right, and I'm not understanding what you meant. Were you rolling your eyes because I said I receive compliments or because you think it's ridiculous that one race would want to look like another. If the later is the case then I agree.

[Katurday]

You said cultures had the ideal of pale white skin before the "white man came into play". I'm just asking you to give examples.
White skin is blemished though. So is every other skin colour. Everybody has either a beauty mark, an acne scar, different tones, etc. I've yet to see somebody without a blemish, and those without them have bleached their skin.

As far as your friend telling you to keep your skin pale....I can't say I understand why she did that. Excessive tanning is dangerous. Is that why? Could she have thought you went to a tanning bed or laid out in the sun for hours? Or does she think pale is more beautiful?

I do agree that other races have an influence on the ideal, but lets be honest. The ideal is a white male/woman with what is known to be "hispanic", "african" and therefore "african american" features.
Tan skin and dark skin is found to be attractive if a white person does it more often than a black person. A white person could tan and become the same colour as a black person's natural tone, but the white person will beat them in the majority of our 8 billion people's eyes. Same goes for full lips. Do you see how people fawn over Angelina Jolie's lips? A full bum?

Many Asians do pursue what they know the be white features because of the media and adances in technology. Skin aside, there is nose bridge surgeries and eye-lid surgeries. They are very, very common in many Asian countries. I mentioned it before, but it is ironic that many of these features are considered "white", when it is not a guarantee that being white you will have a prominent nose bridge and double lids. How many white people do we see, and even on LHC, with hooded eye-lids? A wide nose with a less prominent nose bridge?


And yes I do agree that freckles are really cute and nobody should ever get rid of theirs. :)
I'm not denying that many cultures were influenced by white ideals - the most obvious being those Latin America and horrible things such as paper bag tests in the US. But a quick Google search on depiction of gods in many pieces of art from Japan, China, and throughout the world kinda pushes the paleness ideal. Many cultures such as Japan were pretty isolated during the 15th -16th centuries and the art is consistently pale individuals.

My friend was male and wasn't concerned about the risks of tanning. He pretty much spun it like "pale girls are better looking". When I had tanned for prom, he commented I looked Latina, and I took it as a compliment! Now I get what his stupid comment was all about. I've got olive skin, I am NEVER going to get that pale. It was an overall rude comment and I don't really get why it needed to be shared.

[Katurday]

http://i56.tinypic.com/k32jag.jpg
Contact lenses like these are dangeous and watching The Doctors I've learned that many teens are brought to the hospital because they weren't able to remove them. Doctors have to peel them off your eyeball. Scary.
I own a pair of circle lenses. They are aprooved medically in Korea and Japan, possibly China. I don't know, Japan seems to have pretty good medical standards last I checked. Taking them off is the same as any other contact - those teens were likely unable to take regular contacts off too. Peeling them off the eyeball? Yes, I guess I do that every day. As far as I know, the FDA is hardly the golden throne of medicine testing and safety, they approved a lot of crap that ends up making people deformed and ill. As with all contacts, they carry a dose of risk and you will find them in various amounts of quality and comfort. There will always be someone going blind for being an unhygienic idiot for every 200 people that do it right.

[RitaCeleste]

How come no one ever asks kids dyeing their hair black and wearing loads of eyeliner if they are just trying look Japanese??? How come when white women perm their hair, and do all kinds of stuff to make their lips fuller people don't tell them they are just suffering from white guilt and trying to look blacker? Okay its all good and fun until you look at which race more serial killers and rapists prefer and then its not a good day to be a white girl. Seriously, if a black girl has red hair, I don't think she's trying to look whiter. I don't get why color in a box is a great threat to ethnic pride? And I don't get get why people think those boxes should only be bought by white girls or else you don't love your race. And I don't get why all the fun colors are for teens who can't use them because the school dress code forbids unnatural colors. Or why if your hair is blue, you must be goth or punk. I don't know who decided what was fashionable this year in clothes and don't really care about that anymore than I care about what the trendy cuts and colors are this week. When I look at a box of hair dye, I think, do I want this on my head??? That's it.

[toodramatik]

I think it has nothing to do with wanting to look white. Just not like every other girl in the street. It's more comparable to white girls dyeing their hair purple or pink.

I think the 4th hair colour you posted is really pretty. I actually love lightened hair on asian girls.. not to the bleach blonde extremity, nor do I like the whole bleach blonde-fake tan-fake lashes look some try to pull off a la Tila Tequila (for any race really). But the beautiful pale skin, lightened hair is gorgeous imho

[RoseRed27]

How come no one ever asks kids dyeing their hair black and wearing loads of eyeliner if they are just trying look Japanese??? How come when white women perm their hair, and do all kinds of stuff to make their lips fuller people don't tell them they are just suffering from white guilt and trying to look blacker? Okay its all good and fun until you look at which race more serial killers and rapists prefer and then its not a good day to be a white girl. Seriously, if a black girl has red hair, I don't think she's trying to look whiter. I don't get why color in a box is a great threat to ethnic pride? And I don't get get why people think those boxes should only be bought by white girls or else you don't love your race. And I don't get why all the fun colors are for teens who can't use them because the school dress code forbids unnatural colors. Or why if your hair is blue, you must be goth or punk. I don't know who decided what was fashionable this year in clothes and don't really care about that anymore than I care about what the trendy cuts and colors are this week. When I look at a box of hair dye, I think, do I want this on my head??? That's it.


Ummm, about the crimes. They are perpetrated against white women a lot because there are more white women. According to RAINN (rape abuse and incest national network), the majority of rape victims are white. But Whites are the racial majority! Minorities are actually more likely to be raped, but there are more white victims, because there are more whites in general. Whites have the higher numbers but minorities have the higher percentage. If you were Black or an American Native woman saying you are more likely to be raped, then you'd be correct, unfortunately.

I'm not sure if your mentioning whites having lip injections is meant as a parallel to Asians having nose bridge and eyelid surgeries. Because it's not for the same reasons. Full lips can be seen as a sign of youth and fertility that every race is capable of. In much of European art I've seen women with what I wouldn't consider thin lips. (i.e. The Birth of Venus) I don't think lip injections are quite the same thing as removing a racial feature. Many people who are affected by these pressures assure me it's not to look "more white", but to look "less ethnic", "more contemporary". :rolleyes: Nothing says 2011, like eyelid surgery and blue contacts 24/7! :p

But in general, when it comes to hair dye, it's often just because someone wants a little change. Dyeing your hair red, doesn't always mean you abhor your natural black color. You may just want to see what your hair will look like red! :D

[Arya]

How come no one ever asks kids dyeing their hair black and wearing loads of eyeliner if they are just trying look Japanese??? How come when white women perm their hair, and do all kinds of stuff to make their lips fuller people don't tell them they are just suffering from white guilt and trying to look blacker? Okay its all good and fun until you look at which race more serial killers and rapists prefer and then its not a good day to be a white girl. Seriously, if a black girl has red hair, I don't think she's trying to look whiter. I don't get why color in a box is a great threat to ethnic pride? And I don't get get why people think those boxes should only be bought by white girls or else you don't love your race. And I don't get why all the fun colors are for teens who can't use them because the school dress code forbids unnatural colors. Or why if your hair is blue, you must be goth or punk. I don't know who decided what was fashionable this year in clothes and don't really care about that anymore than I care about what the trendy cuts and colors are this week. When I look at a box of hair dye, I think, do I want this on my head??? That's it.

What you say is true, dying your hair can be about just wanting to look like whatever you want, but it can also be buying into european beauty standards. And you know, white chicks to get crap for 'trying to be black'. Sometimes I feel like as a white girl who likes fashion, I can't win! If I wear big earrings I'm 'trying to be black', if I wear a hair stick or a wrap top I'm 'trying to be asian' or a headscarf I'm 'trying to be hispanic' or it's 'cultural appropriation' to use henna, and on this very board I got yelled at for considering dying my hair blonde!

I'm just saying that the problems of beauty ideals and racism/discrimination often come hand in hand. I think it's important to be critical of the fact women of colour are hardly ever shown in magazines/advertising, black models are often exoticized or digitally altered to be paler. I think it's important to criticize this ideal of the stick thin blonde big eyed small nosed full lipped big boobed long legged look as the only beauty ideal without criticizing women who do look like that. I think it's important to be careful and consider cultural imperialism and capitalism and marketing negative effects on our psyche and self esteem. It's also important to shrug some of it off and try and do what you want to do, and look like what you want to look like, be that dying your hair blonde or whatever you want to do. I don't think that hair dye specifically is necessarily dangerous. But I do feel like hair dye, especially when women feel that they *must* dye/alter their natural hair to look beautiful, especially when the ideal hair is that of the dominant/oppressive group points to worrying roots of that trend. So yeah, I'd never be critical of an individual who decides to dye their hair or have surgery or whatever, but I think it's fine to be critical of the media/culture that pushes the idea that X hair is the best.

[IcarusBride]

I love black asian hair!! I think it's so beautiful.

[JuliaDancer]

How come no one ever asks kids dyeing their hair black and wearing loads of eyeliner if they are just trying look Japanese??? How come when white women perm their hair, and do all kinds of stuff to make their lips fuller people don't tell them they are just suffering from white guilt and trying to look blacker? Okay its all good and fun until you look at which race more serial killers and rapists prefer and then its not a good day to be a white girl. Seriously, if a black girl has red hair, I don't think she's trying to look whiter. I don't get why color in a box is a great threat to ethnic pride? And I don't get get why people think those boxes should only be bought by white girls or else you don't love your race. And I don't get why all the fun colors are for teens who can't use them because the school dress code forbids unnatural colors. Or why if your hair is blue, you must be goth or punk. I don't know who decided what was fashionable this year in clothes and don't really care about that anymore than I care about what the trendy cuts and colors are this week. When I look at a box of hair dye, I think, do I want this on my head??? That's it.

If there was a "like" button, I would press it. =)

[ktijax]

http://i56.tinypic.com/k32jag.jpg



Omg this picture scares me! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! :couch:

[RitaCeleste]

What you say is true, dying your hair can be about just wanting to look like whatever you want, but it can also be buying into european beauty standards. And you know, white chicks to get crap for 'trying to be black'. Sometimes I feel like as a white girl who likes fashion, I can't win! If I wear big earrings I'm 'trying to be black', if I wear a hair stick or a wrap top I'm 'trying to be asian' or a headscarf I'm 'trying to be hispanic' or it's 'cultural appropriation' to use henna, and on this very board I got yelled at for considering dying my hair blonde!

I'm just saying that the problems of beauty ideals and racism/discrimination often come hand in hand. I think it's important to be critical of the fact women of color are hardly ever shown in magazines/advertising, black models are often exoticized or digitally altered to be paler. I think it's important to criticize this ideal of the stick thin blonde big eyed small nosed full lipped big boobed long legged look as the only beauty ideal without criticizing women who do look like that. I think it's important to be careful and consider cultural imperialism and capitalism and marketing negative effects on our psyche and self esteem. It's also important to shrug some of it off and try and do what you want to do, and look like what you want to look like, be that dying your hair blonde or whatever you want to do. I don't think that hair dye specifically is necessarily dangerous. But I do feel like hair dye, especially when women feel that they *must* dye/alter their natural hair to look beautiful, especially when the ideal hair is that of the dominant/oppressive group points to worrying roots of that trend. So yeah, I'd never be critical of an individual who decides to dye their hair or have surgery or whatever, but I think it's fine to be critical of the media/culture that pushes the idea that X hair is the best.


Its okay to question the media and trends and so called marketing experts. For awhile I was a fan of Poser generated art. The models for the art are not human, they are computer generated dolls. Then I thought, hey what if real people get the idea they are suppose to look plastic? That is actually what we have going on with implants and photochop. For older women I think its less of a problem, but what about teens trying form ideas of what the standards are and whether or not they measure up? Its great that a lot of things are possible today but the marketing of them leaves a lot of people feeling they need things they don't need. Part of it is our own fault. If we didn't respond to favorable then we would be presented with different images. Each little click in US has their own standards and required brands that must be bought. On a real level people like to try and impose standards of dress and appearance on other people. I have decided people love to try and force their ideals on other people every chance they get and ideals go can go in any direction. I don't think you should be told blond is best, or black is best or purple is off-limits. I think people should stop judging people so harshly just based on the clothing brand, hair color, etc. You really do not know what a person's heart is based on their appearance. Most people can't sort out the ethnic identity of a mixed person simply by looking and that's if they can sort out the ethnic identity of an unmixed person accurately! Like the original poster, she said her mother is white, but I wouldn't have known from looking. What see is not what you get, yet people often try to turn themselves into walking billboards for all brands of ideology.

[RoseRed27]

Omg this picture scares me! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! :couch:

Yep, that pic's a bit much! That's Michelle Phan. She does make up tutorials on youtube. I think that look was supposed to be inspired by a lady gaga music video. She's wearing circle lenses to make her eyes look more doll-like but the size of her eyes have been digitally enlarged to look unnaturally huge and creepy. :D (Like in the music video)

[Helix]

How come no one ever asks kids dyeing their hair black and wearing loads of eyeliner if they are just trying look Japanese??? How come when white women perm their hair, and do all kinds of stuff to make their lips fuller people don't tell them they are just suffering from white guilt and trying to look blacker? Okay its all good and fun until you look at which race more serial killers and rapists prefer and then its not a good day to be a white girl. Seriously, if a black girl has red hair, I don't think she's trying to look whiter. I don't get why color in a box is a great threat to ethnic pride? And I don't get get why people think those boxes should only be bought by white girls or else you don't love your race. And I don't get why all the fun colors are for teens who can't use them because the school dress code forbids unnatural colors. Or why if your hair is blue, you must be goth or punk. I don't know who decided what was fashionable this year in clothes and don't really care about that anymore than I care about what the trendy cuts and colors are this week. When I look at a box of hair dye, I think, do I want this on my head??? That's it.

Not trying to hijack this thread (seems like its gone off course anyway), but just thought I should point out that red and blonde hair occur naturally in the black race in the absence of admixture as well. However, because they are recessive traits it doesn't occur as often as black/brown hair (except in places like Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands where it's actually relatively common to see a person of African descent with naturally blonde hair). When I lived in Africa there was a Zambian girl in our form (secondary school) with naturally red hair - My classmates and l thought it was a little odd, but at the same time agreed that it suited her. So a black girl who colors her hair those colors could argue that she is mimicking traits that occur naturally, (though infrequently), in her race or she just wanted a change.

You are right in saying that changing hair color alone does not mean you are trying to be another race. Now when you're altering all the features that identify your ethnicity...then maybe there's room for discussion about outside influences. But hair color alone? No.

At the end of the day people have the right to alter their bodies/hair as much as they want. You have the right to dislike what they do but before throwing judgement try to think about what the underlying reason is that makes them do these things. A little empathy never hurt anybody...

[snakewitch]

Do whatever you want. But nothing lighter than those colors looks in the least bit natural, and I always though that obviously unnatural hair colors looked silly.

[Wheatland]

Not trying to hijack this thread (seems like its gone off course anyway), but just thought I should point out that red and blonde hair occur naturally in the black race in the absence of admixture as well. However, because they are recessive traits it doesn't occur as often as black/brown hair (except in places like Papua New Guinea and the Solomon islands where it's actually relatively common to see a person of African descent with naturally blonde hair). When I lived in Africa there was a Zambian girl in our form (secondary school) with naturally red hair - My classmates and l thought it was a little odd, but at the same time agreed that it suited her. So a black girl who colors her hair those colors could argue that she is mimicking traits that occur naturally, (though infrequently), in her race or she just wanted a change.

You are right in saying that changing hair color alone does not mean you are trying to be another race. Now when you're altering all the features that identify your ethnicity...then maybe there's room for discussion about outside influences. But hair color alone? No.

At the end of the day people have the right to alter their bodies/hair as much as they want. You have the right to dislike what they do but before throwing judgement try to think about what the underlying reason is that makes them do these things. A little empathy never hurt anybody...


I don't think anyone here is judging anybody. Everyone's just stating their opinions and how they interpret certain aspects of the discussion.

[lilalong]

I think all the colors are lovely, but personally I love that jet black shiny hair.

[kouran]

I think asians look good with any colour. I have seen asians that looked really well with even several different colours, rainbow-like!

[McFearless]

Yep, that pic's a bit much! That's Michelle Phan. She does make up tutorials on youtube. I think that look was supposed to be inspired by a lady gaga music video. She's wearing circle lenses to make her eyes look more doll-like but the size of her eyes have been digitally enlarged to look unnaturally huge and creepy. :D (Like in the music video)
Ah yes that reminds me. The contacts were marketed specifically to look like Lady gaga's eyes in that music video. She wasn't wearing contacts though. Her eyes were digitally enhanced. My knowledge is pretty limited on what brand those contacts were, but the doctors(the show) reported having to peel the lenses of. My quality contacts don't require me to peel them off with any pain.

[jojo]

I think the most beautiful hair colour is the one that gives you confidence in yourself, nothing is quite as attractive as somebody with confidence.

[Nae]

Race is just a cultural construction anyways. You are a human, you can have any sort of human colored hair that you want, or any human-created color that you want.

There are cultural beauty standards but not any of us fulfill them perfectly because they are just ideals. No big deal.

I actually found an interesting article about Beauty Ideals Around the World. (On the first page there is a photo of a showgirl, showing a lot of her bottom that might not be safe for work so be warned.) http://www.newsweek.com/photo/2010/07/19/beauty-ideals-around-the-world.html

[jojo]

I actually looked for the like button with your comment nae!

[|Xei]

Race is just a cultural construction anyways. You are a human, you can have any sort of human colored hair that you want, or any human-created color that you want.

There are cultural beauty standards but not any of us fulfill them perfectly because they are just ideals. No big deal.

I actually found an interesting article about Beauty Ideals Around the World. (On the first page there is a photo of a showgirl, showing a lot of her bottom that might not be safe for work so be warned.) http://www.newsweek.com/photo/2010/07/19/beauty-ideals-around-the-world.html

That leg surgery from China sounds extremely scary. I have never heard of it, and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone actually doing it.

[McFearless]

That leg surgery from China sounds extremely scary. I have never heard of it, and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone actually doing it.

It is scary and I can't imagine why that would seem like a good idea. I've heard of it before, but of a woman doing it in America.

[Arya]

Ah yes that reminds me. The contacts were marketed specifically to look like Lady gaga's eyes in that music video. She wasn't wearing contacts though. Her eyes were digitally enhanced. My knowledge is pretty limited on what brand those contacts were, but the doctors(the show) reported having to peel the lenses of. My quality contacts don't require me to peel them off with any pain.

naw, those contacts have been around for ages, years before gaga did that video.

[wandlimb]

I think all the colours look lovely.

[Chetanlaiho]

naw, those contacts have been around for ages, years before gaga did that video.

This basically, circle lenses have been around for years in Asia and if you use them correctly (clean them, throw them away after their expiration date etc.) they're perfectly safe. I remember some American news show being all 'it's not FDA approved so it's evil' but the general consensus was that if you're smart in handling them, it's just as dangerous as normal contact lenses.

[RitaCeleste]

The circle lenses allow less oxygen to the eye, often contain less water, sometimes the color on them is irritating. Doctors have recommended things like not leaving them in longer than 3 hours at a time. When you google it you have to dig around to find out that fake circle lenses are also being sold and they are inferior products to the major brands. Another issue is proper fit. It would seem easy enough to get a contact prescription with your eye measurements though. They are not that different from other contacts but they are different. Most regular contacts are thinner, contain more water, breath better, can be worn longer.

[Seanymph]

So you do know how to use your words? Bravo.

Edit: Perhaps others are right, and I'm not understanding what you meant. Were you rolling your eyes because I said I receive compliments or because you think it's ridiculous that one race would want to look like another. If the later is the case then I agree.


It's the later :D

[gogirlanime]

Just like any race of woman you have to pick something that is going to work with YOU specifically. Not everyone is going to be able to pull off any color. I think there are a lot of Asian women that pull of different colors. One of my favorite celebrities in Japan Yoshizawa Hitomi pulls off blonde very well. I look great as a red-head, but look way to goth with black hair. Equally (I'm not saying they CAN'T) if someone who is African-American tried to pull off a natural Irish red it might not look right. Then again, I love the way Rihanna does red hair. You just have to figure out what works for YOU

http://morningtime.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/yossie.jpg

or the super famous Ayumi Hamasaki

http://www.oneasianworld.com/images/300px-Ayumi_Hamasaki.jpg

[Wheatland]

It's the later :D


Oh ok, I'm sorry! :flower:

[LunaMoon]

I like healthy looking hair. I lived in china and know chinese have great, strong hair and they can do a lot (coloring, perms) almost without damage.
I think once you care for your hair and the color suits you, doesn't mather if looks natural or not. I like to see pink hair, for example, and this is not a natural color for sure.
I saw wonderful looking chinese ladies with blond and red hair, but I still think the dark, natural hair is sooo beautiful...But is just me... I have light hair and we always like what we don't have...

[waialeale]

I love the look of light golden brown on Asian skin tones.