TAN BUT NOT TOO TAN: Understanding Skin Color Amongst Chinese Transnational Adoptees

Studies examining the impact of skin color on women’s lives, specifically Asian American women, have primarily ignored Chinese transnational adoptees. Often, research in this area operates under the assumption that there is knowledge of East Asian culture shaping skin color preference, but for Chinese adoptees, extensive and lived knowledge surrounding skin color is not guaranteed among this group due to their unique proximity to whiteness. Furthermore, research on adoptees often focuses on identity and culture formation, but few have focused on beauty standards and skin color as identity and culture formation. Thus, I conducted 21 in-depth qualitative interviews in the Fall 2023, to investigate the role of skin color and beauty standards in the lives of Chinese adoptees. Participants tentatively discussed what they knew about skin color in an East Asian contextual standard. In a Western context, skin color was a function of race and beauty. Additionally, participants placed their skin color in a Western preference for tan but not Brown skin. Participants also raised concern and stigma surrounding their facial features rather than their skin color. Finally, participants created a new beauty standard that is neither completely situated in Chinese or American Culture.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Creekmore, Caroline

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Katz, Sheila
• Lee, Shayne
• Nguyen, An

• Chinese Transnational adoptees, Asian Americans, skin color, beauty standards, race, grounded theory, qualitative research, in-depth interviews, intersectionality, photo-elicitation

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/17692

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/17692