Chapter 1: Colorism in Asian America
Chapter 2: The Darker and Lighter Sister: Telling Our Stories
Chapter 3: The Survey
Chapter 4: Making a Better Me? Pure. White. Flawless.
Chapter 5: The Unkindest Cut: Cosmetic Surgery
Epilogue
Appendices
Joanne L. Rondilla is a doctoral candidate in ethnic studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Paul Spickard is professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
This eye-opener exposes a prevalent but concealed issue of colorism
among Asian Americans. . . . Considering that the scholarly
literature on colorism among Asian Americans is very limited in
contrast with the rich literature on other racial groups, Rondilla
and Spickard's book is a pioneering work that raises numerous
questions inviting further research. Highly recommended.
*CHOICE*
Rondilla and Spickard deftly expose the unacknowledged but
pervasive phenomenon of colorism in Asian American communities.
Their brilliant and complex analysis goes beyond the Black/White
racial paradigm and covers a broad range of topics including family
pressures to be light, class status, the use of skin lighteners,
and cosmetic surgery. The analysis is daring and pathbreaking. This
is, unequivocally, the most comprehensive and sophisticated book on
this issue to date.
*Margaret Hunter, Loyola Marymount University*
Is Lighter Better? breaks new ground to explore the many ways that
colorism profoundly influences Asian Americans, especially women.
Relying upon in-depth interviews and survey data with individuals
from many Asian communities, the authors skillfully link the desire
for lighter skin and 'sharp' [European-like] facial features to
systems of racial domination and status inequalities that equate
dark complexion with a peasant past. Complicit in fostering
colorism is the beauty industry, which promises that skin
lighteners and cosmetic surgery to alter Asian features—to look
more White—solve all problems. Replete with rich examples and keen
insights, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in
the complexities of color hierarchies.
*Verna M. Keith, Arizona State University*
This is a riveting book, which reveals the complex issue of
colorism in the Asian Pacific Islander American community. People
are caught between assumed hegemonic Whiteness and challenges to
authenticity because they may not be 'Asian looking enough.'
Colorism strikes at the very core of what it means to be Asian
American today. Is it just 'self hate' that motivates some to
whiten their skin, straighten their hair, or have eyelid surgery?
Is Lighter Better? exposes the unspoken assumptions of colorism in
some Asian Pacific Islander communities and brings to light complex
bodily negotiations and hierarchies of acceptance based on race,
class, and gender appearances. The answers may not always be as
they appear.
*Rebecca Chiyoko King-O'Riain, author of Pure Beauty: Judging Race
in Japanese American Beauty Pageants*
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