I admit it, I’m a pasty Irishman. A natural bronzed Adonis I am not however I don’t think I’m asking too much by wanting to have a choice of sunscreens I can buy within a whole bloody continent.
The thing about the majority of (South East) Asia is that people want to be whiter; they think it demonstrates more wealth and class. Ok whatever, I’m not hear to judge that but I am gonna judge the knock on effect. It’s almost impossible to buy normal sunscreen anywhere, sunscreen that doesn’t have bloody ‘whitener’ in it. I’m already just one shade of paper, I certainly don’t need to become any whiter!
So basically my choice is:
a) don’t use any sunscreen and develop 3rd degree burns on my albino-esque body. Not very appealing
b) buy the standard whitening sunscreen and, if it’s even possible, become whiter than I was BEFORE I went out in the sun. Marvellous.
Neither of these options are really screaming out to me so here’s my plea. Mr pharmaceutical company, can you please spare a thought for people who don’t wanna be sunburnt and don’t wanna be whiter than Casper the friendly ghost. There are a lot of us out there, so start stocking some normal sunscreen. Peace.
As you know, blogging changed my life. I left Ireland broke, with no plan, with just a one-way ticket to Thailand and no money. Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I’ve made more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. And I did it all from my laptop as I travel the world and live my dream.
you can buy plenty of sunscreen without whitening agents throughout asia.
i’ve spent years and years in asia, and while you can probably find it in an international chemist in Bangkok or KL, if you’re in the back end of nowhere, it’s sunny as hell, and you’ve only got a tiny, local cornershop as your chemist, good luck finding it mate. Maybe you’ve got a better search function mate! But i’ve been stranded numerous times!
Haha this is the funniest post ever. Maybe you can find another Irish traveller to bum off some sunscreen 🙂
that’s true, if there’s one thing i can rely on it’s that a fellow irishman will be equally as pasty as me 😛
Hahaha great rant!
I’m a Geordie who has lived in the cold, bitter and grey North-East cost all my life….yet I tan like a Footballer’s wive on a sunbed!
My mother blatantly had an affair with an Italian 😛
**North East Coast**
strange mate, very strange *raises one eyebrow
I think your only chance is to either stock up on it the next time you go back home or get the whitener stuff and just think of it as freckle remover (because I have some of that Scots/English/Irish DNA, too and I have freckles).
damn our genetics 😛
that picture is AWESOME!! it’s like a trainwreck…i just can’t look away!
As for the non-whitening formula…perhaps you can pair it with a self tanner?? 😉
hahahaha, good plan – i’ll look it to it! thanks jen!
Aren’t there any sunscreens with beta-carotene? I use only those!
BTW the pic is horrible! Ouch!
i have no idea :S but i doubt it!
you can’t blame some asians for wanting to be white. Here in the Philippines, most women are OBSESSED with whitening products! LOL…
But you can still find decent sunscreens here (from Hawaiian tropic to banana boat and many others…)
lol, not blaming anyone. Just bemoaning the fact that it doesnt suit me!!
haha love this rant Johnny…I vote option 2 – pale is interesting apparently 🙂
‘interesting’ hmmmm, sounds like a pity compliment to me!