Covering your face

[Ol4577]

Why do many Asians (Koreans?) cover their body and face when walking? I could ask but I'm not sure if that might be rude.

 

[VNwalking]

Probably to prevent sun exposure.
In Asia white skin is beautiful, tanned skin is ugly.
(And skin cancer is not a common thing. Just saying...we should all probably cover up like that.)

 

[Former member 59618]

Probably to prevent sun exposure.
In Asia white skin is beautiful, tanned skin is ugly.
(And skin cancer is not a common thing. Just saying...we should all probably cover up like that.)

Second this. When I was in Vietnam in 2019, I was asked pointedly “why do you want dark skin?” (Having spent 2 months in Bali, I had acquired a nice tan).

I also saw a good many skin whitening advertisements in SE Asia.

 

[Former member 107885]

Second this. When I was in Vietnam in 2019, I was asked pointedly “why do you want dark skin?” (Having spent 2 months in Bali, I had acquired a nice tan).

I also saw a good many skin whitening advertisements in SE Asia.

Yes totally agree! Noticeable that in many countries across Asia adverts tend to show show folks with paler skin, esp. beauty and lifestyle products.

 

[natefaith]

I could ask but I'm not sure if that might be rude.

For me, as long as folks ask about my culture with curiosity and a desire to learn, in general I don't think it's rude.

Buen Camino!

 

[Bradypus]

Probably to prevent sun exposure.
In Asia white skin is beautiful, tanned skin is ugly.
(And skin cancer is not a common thing. Just saying...we should all probably cover up like that.)

I think that's probably most of the answer. I walked the Camino Frances in January when at least 1/3 of the pilgrims I met were Korean and none had their faces covered while walking. Very different from my last summer walk in 2016 when many of the Koreans were very fully screened against the sun.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

there are plenty of Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and other SE Asian pilgrims on the road. Some of them walk covered up, some don't... I recall it's the Japanese are most concerned about sun exposure, but not all of them are so careful.
Maybe we should ask them.

 

[J Willhaus]

We hosted a graduate student from China one year and she was always very concerned about sun exposure and often brought an umbrella whenever we went out. After she had been in the US for 2 years, she was less concerned about it.

 

[Felice]

My husband walked briefly with a Japanese beautician on his first camino. She told him that she was worried as to what her clients were going to think when she returned home with a tanned face.

 

[Sho]

When I visited with a colleague in Vietnam whom I'd met there the year before, she frowned at the tan I'd acquired in Cambodia in the few weeks before seeing her on this trip, asking why I had let myself become so dark and ugly.

 

[C clearly]

The OP's question has been answered - people most likely cover their skin to avoid sun exposure.

To avoid further discussion of cultural attitudes toward skin colour, I will close the thread.