How colonialism has shaped beauty standards in Indonesia
(Courtesy of Aninda Annisa)
I realized that I have been internalizing all my life racist beauty ideals that favor light skin tones and discriminate against darker ones.
When I was 21 years old, I studied abroad in Sweden for a semester and lived outside of Indonesia for the first time. I remember going to a Swedish grocery store shortly after arriving to pick up some body lotion, looking for the familiar words “whitening” and “brightening,” which dominated the labels of lotions back home. But the products in the store only referred to moisturizing skin; there was nothing about lightening it.
(Courtesy of Aninda Annisa)
Back in my dorm room, I realized for the first time how unjust it is that Indonesian society forces women to use skin lightening products. I realized that I had been internalizing all my life these racist beauty ideals that favor light skin tones and discriminate against darker skin tones — and that these weren’t the norm in every other country. I was used to hearing in Indonesia that I should wear sunscreen whenever I go out so my skin won’t darken and that I should wear whitening products on my face and body. I remember crying when my ex compared me to a girl with the same name as me and said that she was way more beautiful than me because her skin was white. But in Sweden, my friends told me that I was beautiful exactly the way I was.
Where did this all start to go wrong? How can Indonesians believe that being White or having Caucasian descent makes you more beautiful? Why do women in Indonesia use whitening products to get fairer skin? Is the beauty industry the one to blame or are they only working to meet market demand? Where did this start to go wrong?
The answer is: colonialism.
Starting in the 16th century, Indonesia was under colonialist rule for more than 350 years. When the Dutch East India Company arrived in Indonesia in the early 17th century, they created a social hierarchy in efforts to control the Indonesian population. They placed the Dutch on top, people of Chinese descent in the middle and the Indigenous Indonesians at the bottom. This structure reinforced White superiority in every respect — and beauty standards were no exception. This preference for White skin and features continues today even though Indonesia is no longer occupied by the Dutch.
Growing up in Indonesia, girls constantly hear that white skin means beautiful skin. Through beauty products, advertisements, billboards, beauty class and more, society reinforces this message. Most girls here use make-up to look “White.” The practice made me feel very insecure. I thought that because I am not White, I could never be beautiful. I couldn’t accept myself and used to cry over my inadequacy. And I know that so many other women of color were made to feel the same.
“I realized that I had been internalizing all my life these racist beauty ideals that favor light skin tones and discriminate against darker skin tones...”
Living in Sweden — where there were many migrants of color — made me realize that it does not matter what skin color you come with, you are beautiful in your own way. Since then, I try to avoid any product that has the purpose of “brightening.” All products that I use either for my face or my body are specifically to answer my skin problem. I use products that help my acne instead of brightening my face. I use products that moisturize my skin instead of making it white. My family noticed a change and I explained to them why. When I hang out with my friend, we often exchange current products that we use to help each other’s skin problems. During the talks, I said that we should stop choosing any product just to look “White.” We should care more about celebrating the skin we have.
It is time that Indonesia embraced women for who we are and eliminated these beauty stereotypes. Women of all skin tones are beautiful. Women of all sizes, hair colors, hair textures and eye colors are beautiful. Society needs to stop dividing us and start celebrating us. Colonialism ended ages ago; we should also stop internalizing “White is beautiful, beautiful is White.” From Sabang to Merauke, Indonesian people have many types of skin tones and each one is beautiful.
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