Beauty and the Bleach

There was a really interesting article in the Los Angeles Times a couple of days ago on the skin-whitening craze that’s been occurring within much of Asian-American culture as of late.
Women are the target, and they are going to great lengths to be as pale as possible, whether it’s by using whitening creams or actual medical procedures.
While skin-whitening products have been popular in Asia for decades, the U.S. has recently picked up on its potential within the past four years, and is now a multimillion-dollar industry.
The belief is that a porcelain-white face is the feminine ideal, as well as represents wealth.
One native of China, Qi, compared it to Western women’s obsession with tanning. “When you see darker, you think they are very rich. They have a boat. They have enough time to go to the beach.”
While some may say it’s that simple, there seems to be much deeper sexist and racist implications going on here. What do ya’ll think?