Goodness, that's an unusual-looking Vietnamese woman; she rather looks as if she's been bleached. What's she selling?:
Ah.I can't say I wasn't warned. Most of the women here wear hats, gloves, and masks when they go outside - partly because of the pollution but also to avoid a suntan. My own pallor has gotten a number of admiring comments from women (men don't seem to care whether they tan or not).
At heart, this is a class issue and not a racial one. Yes, Vietnamese people want to look 'white' - but white as in the literal color and not as in Caucasian. This stems from the agricultural nature of society, where only the rich and leisurely can afford to stay out of the sun.
In one sense I suppose it's unfortunate that people feel the need to alter their appearance so drastically to feel beautiful, on the other hand people in the West do the exact same thing in the other direction, going to tanning salons and giving themselves skin cancer on the beach.
I am curious, though: as a practical matter, wouldn't a whitening deodorant (assuming it comes in powder form) make a person look uneven and streaky?
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I'd wager that her skintone owes as much (if not more) to the lighting and a computer than it does to the product advertised. As you note, deodorant is used in a part of the body that doesn't get much, if any, sun anyway.
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