The Skin Tone Bias that Exists in China and the Role that Physical Appearance Plays

Abstract

For cultural and historical reasons, skin tone bias has been an important factor in the construction of modern society. Nonetheless, the Chinese skin tone bias, as opposed to the traditional Western perception, has different roots and expressions. The appearance also needs to be taken into account. This research conducted a series of experiments and reviewed much of the relevant literature to explore the role of appearance as a factor in skin tone bias. The results show that appearance does have some influence on skin tone bias and reveal some specific perceptions of skin tone among Chinese people. These results will be discussed using theoretical tools.