I`ve never really understood Geisha. Their heavily made up and whitewashed faces do not appear beautiful to me. They look like ghosts. With their long flowing robes and curious walk on tiny shoes, they assume the appearance of zombies. When I see them in the street I add uneasy moaning noises to complete the effect.
In Japan a pale white face is the ideal to aim for for all women in society. It suggests (at least historically) that if you had a white face, you are able to afford parasols, creams and other forms of protection (such as the modern U.V. ray reflecting visors) from the harsh and unforgiving sun of the long hot Japanese summers that the poor would not be able to afford. Of course in the modern West the reverse is true. It was only up until a short time ago that only the rich could afford expensive holidays to hot, tropical climates.
I sometimes wonder that if this is the case, why aren`t there large two way mass emigration plans for the West and East so that those women longing for a face only achievable by months of sun deprivation are planted in Denmark or England and those Danish and English uprooted by the plan are manoeuvred to the East. I think that would make a lot of people happier?
