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a lot of american youtubers have a video explaining how the gain money from youtube! you can watch them

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Being Muslim and Working for Peace explores various ways in which religious beliefs, ritual practices and dynamics of belonging impact the politics of Muslim peace activists in Gujarat, and traces how their activism in turn transforms their sense of being. It challenges popular notions about Muslims in India and questions ill-conceived research designs in the sociology of religion.

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I think it started after 9/11, but here's a link for a more in-depth understanding of Islamophobia http://news.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslim-sentiment-west.aspx

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They have movie ratings to prevent kids and underage audience from entering movies that are rated R,NC 16, M18, and R21.

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They

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this is an interview that asks a similar question but more to asia in general :)http://business.inquirer.net/215898/yes-asia-is-obsessed-with-white-skin

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you guys can read this article

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The Miss Universe 2015 pageant sure ended the year on a memorable note. And while everyone is still talking about the gaffe, being a body positive feminist, I can't help but wonder why there is little to no diversity in terms of how the women usually look, and obviously, with the likes of a swimsuit contest, it serves nothing more than to satisfy the male gaze, when in fact, it's supposed to be a celebration of women and women's interests.

Coming under fire with issues surrounding beauty pageants, our very own Miss Universe Malaysia 2015, Vanessa Tevi, has also spoken out about this issue.

"I respect that some people may not approve (on beauty pageants), but then, it's different for everyone and what you make of it.

"It's your choice not to participate if you're not comfortable with it," said the 23-year-old as she referred to criticisms on beauty pageants in a local news source.

On one hand, I see no problems with women wanting to participate in beauty pageants and respect wholeheartedly the decisions they have made for themselves, but on the other hand, I do not fully agree with the industry that is based on traditional and stereotypical standards of beauty.

Funny enough, if you take a look around, in billboards and even in commercials, most of the faces you see are Pan-Asians (the term for miscegenation of East- Southeast- or South- Asian, often with Caucasian ancestry thrown in) with creamy white skin, not truly representative of an average Malaysian.

Former Information Minister Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin once highlighted this fact, calling on advertising companies to use Malaysian faces, and giving models with local looks the priority.

"I realise that many advertisements on TV now, especially on private TV, feature more faces which are not Malaysians. This, to me, is downgrading local faces," he said.

As a matter of fact, I couldn't agree more, because Malaysians seem to have a "thing" for white skin, and as Asians, to be fair, has always tied in with prestige and status.

Last year, two local celebrities, Erin Malek and Lisa Surihani were being called "fat" and body shamed on social media during their pregnancy.

"There are some who like to leave negative comments about Malaysian artists, especially on Instagram. I've been through these things. Although I am now pregnant, some have left comments saying I'm fat. I can only block them as I'm sick and tired of negativity like that," Erin lambasted her critics.

Clearly, our ideals have been standardised, socially constructed and influenced by what we are regularly exposed to on TV and in the magazines, such criteria that include having fair skin, double eyelids, and being slender.

But why are we limiting to specific types of looks that we claim to be as the ideal beauty standards? We interviewed fellow Malaysian women who shared with us stories of how some of them were forced to meet and keep up with such standards, an internalised belief that beauty determines their value.
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...
I was always told how blessed I was to be fairly fair as a Malay child, and if I ever got a few shades darker while playing sports at school, few people would react as if I just had been diagnosed with a skin disease.

"See, this is what will happen if you play sports. I am dark enough already so, no sports for me," a classmate told me once upon a time in high school.

A friend of mine, Wei, recalled how her mother and grandmother would reprimand her after she returned home from a summer vacation one day, few shades tanner.

"Now, no boys will bother to look at you because you are dark and unattractive!," said Wei's grandmother as she remembers it.

"Well, I guess I just have to aim for non-Asian boys then because they probably would not care if I am not "white" enough," Wei joked.

Another friend recalls how many assumed her family is from the North India just because they have a tad few shades lighter tone skin.

"People say that I look more like a North Indian than a South Indian and they'll always never forget to mention that 'I am very pretty and fair for a South Indian girl,' as if being a South Indian is much less of what I deserve to be," expressed another friend who is also struggling with these standards.

Azu, a 23-year-old that has been modelling since 15 for many well-known beauty brands, revealed that while it is obvious companies would prefer to choose light-skinned models over dark-skinned ones, there is a relevant reason behind it.

"Most of the beauty products, particularly skin products, are meant to show how effective it is to make your skin lighter so it makes sense to have a lighter skinned model," she said.

Clearly, being fair is the preference here and we are marketing more whitening products than tanning ones, which is only natural to meet the consumers' demands.
Big Eyes Means Beautiful?
"You have big eyes for an Asian," that's what one would tell me, even though I never thought of it as a big deal waking up daily to see my double eyelids.

A former beauty editor at a high fashion magazine shares, "Makeup artists love working with people who have big eyes. They say it's much easier to put makeup on, and sometimes would complain if a model's feature is not to their liking.

"However, in the fashion world, you will see models with slit eyes working the runways and featured in beauty spreads, as they are deemed exotic."

Ironically, a girl from my local salon tells me she plans to get her eyelids "fixed" sometime in April, and plans to undergo the surgery outside the country as it would be much cheaper.

"I've been saving for this surgery for a while. I can't wait to see the results of the "fix"," she said while casually talking about going for surgery, like going for a regular visit to the dentist.

If previously it may seem like a taboo for young girls to share about their double eyelid surgery, these days, beauty bloggers are raving about it online.

"I did my non-cutting double eyelid procedure on last Thursday (5.6.2014). This post contains and includes the whole process of it, reasons why I choose the double suture and twist technique, day by day recovery process with photo & where I did it.

"I really hope that this could help you too because everyone of you know that I'm a person who wish to have a noticeable double eyelid and previously I always use double side double eyelid tape to get a bigger eye. FYI, I'm a flat single eyelid girl," wrote local beauty blogger Chanwon, who also shared a video of the procedure.

While blogger Grace Oon tells the story of her imbalanced eyelids which led her to feeling insecure, relaying her experience throughout the surgery and even gave readers tips to calm their nerves.

"About 10 years ago, everything was super hush-hush that not many will admit to going under the knife but fast forward today, everyone that has gone through it are willing to share their story (especially bloggers!)," she wrote.

"Personally, I think I have a high pain tolerance (I had a total of 14 piercings at one point of my life) and for this procedure, I rate the pain level at 8/10," she summed up her experience.

However, Carrie Ching, an award-winning, independent multimedia journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, puts it best in Hyphen Magazine: "I actually believe that plastic surgery for eyelids is an unfortunate thing, since Asian eyes are so inherently beautiful.

"A little surgery here and there is fine, but such huge racial trends are disturbing and a sign of low esteem. I hope Asians can find it in themselves to love their eyes."
Thin Is A Trendy Body Type?
How often have you heard slim girls saying "Oh no, I'm so fat!", and they are not even close to being called chubby, which is an insult to people who are actually bigger in physique.

In school, I remember girls complaining how they were "too fat" while weighing 45kg. I understand that some people are naturally thin but find it rather ridiculous when those who hardly have any body fat have an obsession with becoming stick thin.

A former gymnast shared her story being body shamed in high school: "I was not as thin compared with other gymnasts. There was this particular senior gymnast who made fun of me and told the other girls that I can't even move gracefully because of my size.

"That made me feel conscious about my body that I skipped meals and would not eat during recess. At 15, I also took diet pills due to the pressure. But now that I'm older, I've realised loving my body is more important. I do yoga and pilates weekly, and this helps me feel confident in my own skin," she said.

Meanwhile, model Vina, stresses the pressure of being thin in the industry rather than flaunting her curves. She is currently preparing to compete in a pageant, and tells us, though the pressure of being size 0 is not as bad, there are still other standards to fulfil.

"You have to look the part. People say that I should be proud of my curves. I am half of the time, but when you are in room filled with pageant girls in bikinis, you can't help but compare yourself with them.

"No matter how much I've tried to embrace my curves, there are always things that remind me of 'how it is supposed to be' instead of being happy with how I am," said the 21-year-old.

Lately however, there seems to be shifting trends regarding body image in particular with the rising popularity of cross-fit gyms and weight lifting that showcases a more fit and strong instead of the old lean and delicate looking body image.

40-year-old Sherin, a gym-freak, if you would like to call it, says, "My aim is not to be thin, but to keep fit and have a nice and tone body, like the body builders. I make going to the gym my priority and workout every morning and after work.

"To achieve my ideal body, doing cardio workouts alone won't help, so I hired a personal trainer and keep to a strict diet and eat clean, to ensure I remain fit even at 40. It makes me feel confident about myself."

Despite the fact that this shift is refreshing to see, this is not meant in any sense to criticise any current ideal beauty standards and instead just a mere observation on the society.
Beauty Over Brains?
Physical attractiveness is associated with advantages, and in some industries, like in the media publications, there exists a stigma regarding ideal beauty standards when hiring employees.

Nancy, 23, a junior writer for a lifestyle magazine agrees that her company is picky when they are hiring.

"This is because they are not just looking at someone with enough professional credibility but also someone who can represent the publications well.

"That is why it is important to have someone with both job qualification and expected outward appearance," said the young journalist.

The former beauty editor then proceeds to affirm Nancy's comment: "It is true. To represent a magazine, you would have to embody it.

"For example, if you are working in 'Seventeen', you would have to look young, vibrant, basically dress the part, and if you're in 'The Peak', then you should have a more "professional" appeal.

"The industry is glamorous but at the same time challenging. So, apart from your talent, your overall appearance does play a role if you're going to be a part of it," she quipped.

But here's the thing, while looks and style may have an influence in job hires, intelligence and talent is what matters more.

While looks are a plus point, on the flipside, attractive women are mostly faced with discrimination when landing jobs as people are more likely to assume that their success is down to their beauty, not their intelligence or talent.
Must You Fulfil The Ideal Beauty Standards?
Though the cliché saying states the obvious, how "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", judging from the interviews above, it simply goes to show that one cannot have it all.

Everyone has their flaws, and there is no such thing as "ideal" beauty. So, to begin with, there should not be any standards to be met in our society.

It's safe to say that our beauty obsessions have made us ignorant as we theoretically believe in what we see, and tell ourselves, "that's beautiful", when in fact, beauty is something deeper than what we set ourselves to be.

Changing the beauty culture won't happen overnight, but the next time you look at magazines or watch the TV, try questioning your outrageous desires to not fall victim to what you perceive is "ideally beautiful", and perhaps then you will be able to break free from the "beauty madness" surrounding you.

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what are the ideal beauty standards in malaysia? women share their opinions

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What Are The Ideal Beauty Standards In Malaysia? Women Share Their Opinions

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The Miss Universe 2015 pageant sure ended the year on a memorable note. And while everyone is still talking about the gaffe, being a body positive feminist, I can't help but wonder why there is little to no diversity in terms of how the women usually look, and obviously, with the likes of a swimsuit contest, it serves nothing more than to satisfy the male gaze, when in fact, it's supposed to be a celebration of women and women's interests.

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What's your hypothesis for this statement?