> I once heard a theory that whiter skins were considered more aesthetically pleasing in old days (in East Asia), because at that time everybody worked at field

> I once heard a theory that whiter skins were considered more aesthetically pleasing in old days (in East Asia), because at that time everybody worked at fields, so being pale meant that your family is so rich that you don't have to work. It was something that couldn't be attained by most people. > Fast forward to the industrial age: now poor women worked all day long in a factory, barely getting sunlight, while rich girls would visit beaches and sky resorts, tanning themselves. Suddenly, being slightly tanned is now considered "healthy" and, to some degree, "more beautiful". I actually heard this exact theory about skin perceptions in western countries, and I think it's regarded pretty well by sociologists/historians. Being "too pale" is an insult these days among Whites, and many people specifically go to tanning salons or lie in the sun, just to tan/darken their skin tone.