Culture Shock #1

So one of the first days here I'm browsing the isles of one of the large department stores and i see this stuff that is "whitening" formula so naturally I assume its for teeth, then upon further investigation i find out that its for the skin! Being white and pale is a sign of wealth here so people go to great lengths (as do people in the states to get tan) to become more white, including using whitening lotions.