-^-for posterity-^-

streets full of small motorcycles precariously packed with a wide variety of goods. large blocks of ice tied on the back dripping a trail of cool water under the hot sun. six or seven large boxes balanced and tied down with twine. bicycles carrying two or three or four people. two people on a motorcycle supporting a large four or five foot glass window pane between them. cages full of chickens. three and sometimes four live pigs tied on the back kicking and squealing. either their uncomfortable or they know their about to become part of a spring roll. most people wear small masks because of the exhaust. it looks, at times, like a small mobile army of doctors responding to a catastrophe.

most of the girls wear long gloves that stretch up to their shoulders. they are grey or tan and look miserable. they also wear large hats to shield them from the sun. they normally wear long pants when outside in the sun. on their faces, instead of a small mask covering their nose and mouth, they wear a large bandana that covers them from the lower part of their eyes all the way to their shirts. sunglasses complete the costume and they’re ready to mount their motorcycle. why, you ask? surely it isn’t for comfort. i sweat enough and i wear shorts and a light shirt. if i would have covered every square inch of my body in such a manor i would be a walking salt lick. it is because of beauty. white skin is beautiful.

now, for the other side of the coin: at school, a lot of girls spend much money and many winter hours tanning in beauty parlors. they will leave at given times for their “fake bake” and return a nice shade or orangeish brown. sometimes more orange than brown. the amount of money they spend on such beautification might well be a months or years wage over here. brown skin is beautiful.

i don’t think vietnamese women or american women are forced to undergo such measures for their beauty. i can’t imagine that covering every square inch of skin in the baking sun is fun. also, i wouldn’t describe spending money and time laying in a fluorescent light coffin for hours as being a party. well, what forces these women to do it? won’t they be beautiful without all this extra work? are we all just striving for some perfect shade of light brown? is that beauty?

the first thing i thought of when i saw these women driving around on their motorcycles covered from head to toe was fundamentalist islam. what are the similarities between women who are forced to wear clothing from head to toe and women who choose to suffer in a similar fashion. also, what similarities are there with american college girls wasting away their winter months fake baking? what about women being forced, or choosing to wear coverings? with black strings? what part of it is religion and what part of it is accepted social standards?

why do women have to go through with all of this?

it’s easy to ask a lot of questions. it’s a lot harder to come up with any substantial answers. if anyone has any insight please email me.