Jessica Simpson's'The Price of Beauty': Thailand

A friend recommend watching this 8-part series to get a better understanding on beauty and makeup in other cultures.

In the introduction of the first episode, Jessica Simpson explains that the purpose for her journey is to find out what each culture's definition of beauty is, and why it's so important for women to reach for these ideals. While acting as the host and the guide for the show, she confesses that her intent of the journey is mostly catharsis for the pressure she feels to be beautiful.

The first episode was about Thailand. Jessica travels with her two friends Ken (her stylist, makeup artist, and hairdresser) and CaCee, and when they land they get a Thai massage. While you are a little bit disappointed they show up at a spa first thing, they explain that the massage is actually quite vigorous and was recommended to them by Thai women because it improves circulation.

Their beauty ambassador to Thailand was model and television personality Sonia Couling. She takes them to a Thai marketplace where she shows them clothes Thai women wear, types of jewelry that are common, and they stop at a fortune teller's booth to have fortunes told (because apparently it's popular with women).

They go to a Thai delicatessen stall, where they are shown a variety of fried insects such as fried worms, crickets and cockroaches. While Jessica and her friends are busy freaking out, a pop up on the screen explains insects are high in amino acids which help with skin, nails, and hair. Sonia Couling also explains that consuming them helps you burn fat and detox. Despite the promise of speeding up the metabolism, Jessica begins dry heaving at the stall.
All three of them grab a fried insect (looked like a grub) and try to chew and swallow. They all begin dry heaving and make a huge scene while Thai citizens walk by staring at them.

They finally move on to beauty products, and Sonia takes them to a cosmetic stall where she begins by saying Thai women want to be fair as possible. Amongst the blush, and eye pencils are whitening creams, and Sonia informs them that being tan is considered low-class in Thailand and that the paler Thai people are associated with money.
A reoccurring theme I've noticed in my reading popped up again in this show, when Sonia said that the tan people are associated with working in the sun, which seems to be the basis of judgement on class in many other cultures.
Even the foundations being sold at the stall have whiteners in them, therefore are dangerous to use over time. Sonia announces they are to meet a friend of hers in the cafe nearby who had her skin destroyed by skin whiteners. The woman they are introduced to, Panya, was a singer in a nightclub who had wanted to whiten her face, and by using a product recommended by a friend, the darker layers of skin began to peel off and reveal a lighter shade. Eventually the sun exposure caused burns on her face, and she had huge bleach marks on her face with discolored spots of darker areas. Panya no longer sang as she was scared to go out in public, and her husband left her after the damage was done. Cosmetic production and ingredients are not overseen or regulated in Thailand.

By the end everyone is in tears, and Jessica stoops down to give her an awkward hug, telling her to keep singing despite the discoloration on her face.

Afterward, Jessica, CaCee, and Ken climb into a tuk-tuk (a tiny mini cab in Thailand) and head to a Buddhist monastery. Because most of Thailand is Buddhist, they wanted to know how their religion views beauty and inner beauty. The monk said inner beauty comes from meditation, and during a 40 minute meditation process, Jessica begins to fidget and giggle.

They leave Bangkok for the Chaing Rai Provence of Thailand, to visit a tribe called the Karen (Kariang). The women wear stacks of gold rings around their necks that stretch and elongate the neck. A similar practice is also done with the Padaung women of Burma. The elongated neck is a symbol of wealth and beauty, and betters a woman's prospects of finding a husband.

Putting on the rings is voluntary, and women may put rings on as young as 6 years old or never put on rings at all. The rings can weigh as much as twenty pounds and it can crush down on the shoulders and ribs.
They stay for an evening celebration of a 6 year old girl, named Chum Chum, who has asked her mother to put the rings on her. The little girl sits patiently as these long gold rings become smaller and interlock on her neck. After she is finished, their beauty ambassador offers to make up Jessica and CaCee in the same traditional garb.

They put on necklaces with a front of faux-rings that simply ties in the back, but they can still feel the weight on the front. They even put them on Ken, even though they don't traditional garb men in this way, so all the village women laugh as he's adorned with a necklace of fake rings and headdress.
The women of the village sit and play traditional music on small guitars as everyone eats a freshly slaughtered and barbequed pig, with traditional sides like frogs.
They leave the feast and say goodbye to the villagers with an immense sense of respect for Thailand's culture and sense of tradition.

The video can be watched here:
http://www.vh1.com/video/jessica-simpsons-the-price-of-beauty/full-episodes/thailand/1633795/playlist.jhtml