<P> We learn as girls that in ways both subtle and obvious, personal and political, our value as females is largely determined by how we look....For black women, the domination of physical aspects of beauty in women's definition and value render us invisible, partially erased, or obsessed, sometimes for a lifetime, since most of us lack the major talismans of Western beauty . Black women find themselves involved in a lifelong effort to self - define in a culture that provides them no positive reflection . </P> <P> A preference for fair or lighter skin continues in some countries, including Latin American countries where whites form a minority . In Brazil, a dark - skinned person is more likely to experience discrimination . Many actors and actresses in Latin America have European features--blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin . A light - skinned person is considered more privileged and has a higher social status; a person with light skin is considered more beautiful and lighter skin suggests that the person has more wealth . Skin color is such an obsession in some countries that specific words describe distinct skin tones - from (for example) "jincha", Puerto Rican slang for "glass of milk" to "morena", literally "brown". </P> <P> In India, society regards pale skin as more attractive and associates dark skin with lower class status; this results in a massive market for skin - whitening creams . Fairer skin - tones also correlate to higher caste - status in the Hindu social order--although the system is not based on skin tone . Actors and actresses in Indian cinema tend to have light skin tones, and Indian cinematographers have used graphics and intense lighting to achieve more "desirable" skin tones . Fair skin tones are claimed to be an asset in Indian marketing . </P> <P> Skin - whitening products have remained popular over time, often due to historical beliefs and perceptions about fair skin . Sales of skin - whitening products across the world grew from $40 billion to $43 billion in 2008 . In South and East Asian countries, people have traditionally seen light skin as more attractive, and a preference for lighter skin remains prevalent . In ancient China and Japan, for example, pale skin can be traced back to ancient drawings depicting women and goddesses with fair skin tones . In ancient China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, pale skin was seen as a sign of wealth . Thus skin - whitening cosmetic products are popular in East Asia . Four out of ten women surveyed in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea used a skin - whitening cream, and more than 60 companies globally compete for Asia's estimated $18 billion market . Changes in regulations in the cosmetic industry led to skin - care companies introducing harm - free skin lighteners . In Japan, the geisha have a reputation for their white - painted faces, and the appeal of the bihaku (美白), or "beautiful white", ideal leads many Japanese women to avoid any form of tanning . There are exceptions to this, with Japanese fashion trends such as ganguro emphasizing tanned skin . Skin whitening is also not uncommon in Africa, and several research projects have suggested a general preference for lighter skin in the African - American community . In contrast, one study on men of the Bikosso tribe in Cameroon found no preference for attractiveness of females based on lighter skin color, bringing into question the universality of earlier studies that had exclusively focused on skin - color preferences among non-African populations . </P>

The color of the skin in different races is primarily caused by the