Accidentally Racist?

Well, it's that time of year again when the students of Japan everywhere strap white and red bands and hats to themselves and run around the baseball field like crazy people for fun in an event called Sports Day! It's quite an enjoyable and ridiculous time, really. They train every day starting a few weeks prior to the event and give it their all every time, in true Japanese fashion. They have races, many of which are running, but some of which are just a bit crazy and difficult to explain. . . I'll talk about them later, though. . .

This time around, I was asked to participate in their "folk dance" part of Sports Day. While we were all baking in the sun waiting for the students' meeting to finish, the other female staff members and I had a conversation. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, while they were covered from head to toe in layers of clothing. I heard them priding themselves on their genius cover-ups and discussing the difference between light and dark colors being in the sun. The teacher in black was ridiculed while the one in light blue was praised for being so smart about her color selection.

Every day we hear Japanese people say "atsui, ne!? which means, "Boy, isn't it hot!" It is pretty hot in the sun here, possibly more so than in Philadelphia, anyway, but I find myself really angry when I hear this statement made in this kind of situation.

I once brought it up to my Eikaiwa (English Conversation) class. Why the hell do Japanese women complain about how hot it is and then cover themselves in multiple layers!? I've been told various things. . .

1. They're afraid of cancer.
2. They think it's hotter to have the sun touching your actual skin.
3. There's this ancient mindset that tanned skin is less beautiful than lighter skin, so they avoid sun like the plague in order to keep themselves nice and pasty. Back in the day, only the poor farmers and laborers were tan, while the wealthy and classy people had lovely, light skin.
4. Everybody else does it. That's just how it is. . .

I realize all of these points are somewhat valid, but it still frustrates me to see these women try so desperately to keep the sun from touching them at all times. When women drive, they wear long gloves. They have long sleeves underneath their t-shirts just in case the sun is near. They have these hideous and obnoxious hats that cover them out like umbrellas (yet they don't wear sunglasses). Often, too, they use an umbrella for shade. Many of their skin creams have whitening agents in them. I can't stand, however, to hear the excuse that it's an old tradition or thought that tan skin is ugly. They DEFINITELY still think this today. Why are they so ashamed to admit this?

I was born with a tan. I'm not so sure they understand that. I always have one because of my ethnicity, not because I spend all day in the sun. Yeah, I'm not covered head to toe, but even if I were, my skin color is only ever going to get darker than what it is. They think that every other country outside Japan loves to tan, so we just don't bother trying any way to protect ourselves. That's where darker people come from. That's why we have so much more cancer than them, too.

One of the teachers asked me, "Are you not worried about the sun on your skin?" I told her plainly that I had sunscreen on and sunglasses. What else would they like me to do? I tan very, very easily, but I would rather be cool in my t-shirt than sweating to death under these stupid layers of 'skin protection!' I doubt they are trying to be offensive and racist, but I've heard similar shit my whole life and I already have my own issues about my skin getting darker without this notion that my skin color is ugly factoring in.

When we practiced yesterday, there was one other teacher, a Japanese woman with decent English, who was wearing a hat but only a t-shirt. She was immediately accosted by the other women about covering up. Today, when we practiced again, I saw her wearing a nice white jacket over her t-shirt. She said "When I was young, it was OK, but now, it's not OK." Which means, "When I was a child, unaware of the need to be gorgeously pale and only interested in my comfort and joys of playing in the sun, I didn't bother covering up like this, but now you have to in order to be socially acceptable to the other women of Japan." I think it's terrible that they push their ideas onto one another like this.

I have lived here over a year now and I just felt like I needed to express my disgust with the fact that the tone of your skin is an issue in Japan. I'm not too sure it's racism. . . colorism?