The same mindset being poked existed in Thailand, in the early 70’s. Every Thai national of Burmese and Malay background , bought cosmetics to emulate their lighter skinned cousins, which were all the rage in their versions of supermarket magazines.
In Việt Nam until the last three or four years women hid themselves totally from the sun. Most still do but that is changing with women adopting Western fashions. All of them have heard from birth that they must not let the sun touch their skin or they will turn black and never get a husband. For that reason Vietnamese women have always been far more susceptible to colds and flu than men who go about bare-armed. and many Viets consider colds and flu to be women's maladies. Depression and manic depression is also much more common among women then men for the same sun-averse reason. I induced a friend of mine to get sun on her skin every day and when she started to do that her severe manic depression went away altogether and she stopped having viruses which had been almost constant with her. When she married I convinced her husband to promote sunshine. He then said he would rather have a healthy dark skinned wife than a white sickly wife. No, she didn't turn black.
The evanescence of the manic depression was an unexpected side effect of the sunshine treatment which I had advised for her constant illness. I have since researched that and find that some neuros and doctors say that sunshine (vitamin D) is the only effective medication for depression.