Everyone knows that Asian men, for the most part, have very little body hair, while it’s similarly known that many western men are gorillas in comparison. Most of us, thankfully, fall somewhere in between. But I noticed this banner ad at the Siam BTS station a few weeks ago, and commented to my girlfriend that I was surprised that the guy in the picture had hairy knuckles, as not a lot of Asian women like hairy dudes (she then reiterated that she’d like me to shave my chest, but that’s a different story). At any rate, yesterday I noticed the same ad at the same station, but with a slight difference.
The full ad, for a brand of instant coffee that apparently makes you really happy.
The guy’s knuckles as they appear in the original ad, in all their cro-magnon glory (like I’m one to speak).
His knuckles in the new ad, which have been altered, possibly after pressure from the loosely affiliated group known as BHIMBIA (Body Hair In My Beverage Is Awful)
Also, notice that his skin color has been lightened in the latest ad, as many Asians think dark skin is ugly. The commercial below is indicative of the reams of bleaching skin creams available here, which apparently tell people that in order to be appreciated, you must have white skin. Also, hairless knuckles.
And as a side note, I was going to include a reference to a particularly hisrtute Japanese clan, who live on a small island in that country’s north, and are renowned for their long beards. However, after Googling ‘hairy japanese’, I decided it was best left unmentioned. You’ve been warned.
I’ve always had a thing for men with hairless knuckles. Not.