Sa-aat na! Perceptions of beauty in Cambodia

Sa-aat. It means 'beautiful' or 'clean' in Khmer. When I go out, pretty much anywhere in Kratie and definitely when I walk alone in Phnom Penh, I hear the same thing: sa-aat!

In Kratie, the ladies in the market like to chat and are generally talking about you as you walk by. Sometimes they ask me how old I am, where my family is, and generally want to know my business. They like to comment on my clothes and generally say "Sa-aat, sa-aat na" to themselves, me, or each other. It's a little awkward but always friendly. I say 'awkun' (thank you) and scurry away, not quite sure that I should say awkun at all.

During my fieldwork in 2010 a lot of photos were taken

The women that say
sa-aat directly to me often touch my arm and want to feel my skin as well. My co-worker has told me that her skin is black and ugly. A waitress told us that her face was pretty but her skin is not. I tell them, your skin is beautiful, you do not need white skin. My co-worker that calls her skin 'black' as well (Ah khmao or 'little darky' is a common derogatory nickname in Cambodia) asked me, "How do you get such white skin?" I told her, my parents have white skin, and their parents have white skin - I am white! I don't use any products to get this way. She just laughed and said she wished she had white skin, too.

Generally, Cambodians think that both men and women barang are beautiful and rich. The mindset that lighter skin is beautiful has been ingrained here since before colonialism with traditional ideas and values, and white skin is associated with wealth and status. An older Khmer woman told me that it was traditional to hide daughters away for months at a time, not allowing them to go outside so that their skin would be light in time to be married off. The desire for white skin has been reinforced by colonialism and present Western beauty ideologies. Whitening and lightening products are also pervasive and can be harmful. When it comes to advertising and branding, it is next to impossible to find an advertisement that doesn't use a light-skinned model or a simple moisturiser that doesn't promise to whiten one's skin. On the plus side, a lot of people in urban areas (especially women) are very sun safe, wearing long gloves, big hats, socks and even turtle-necks to protect them from the sun. I try my best to cover up, but the risk of overheating is too great!

Traditional Khmer clothing and uncommonly light skin

People also say sa-aat when I am wearing Khmer style clothing (a sampot (long skirt) and buttoned up shirt), which happened just this morning when my landlady saw me leave for work. In this case, it's about pride in seeing me wearing Khmer clothing. A form of passive encouragement, if you will. I like this use of sa-aat because it's not about me but the clothing and those small steps towards integration. The other use of sa-aat, to say that they like my white skin, is something that I would stop if I could. It creates a barrier between me and my co-workers that reinforces that I am the 'other' and some sort of exotic creature to be viewed from afar. They're still getting used to me, just as I'm still getting used to them!