Friday, July 08, 2011

"Olive skin"?

I'm editing the next newsletter for Domai, and it talks about the girl's "olive skin", like one has heard many times before. It confuses me a little, olives are green, since when has green skin been attractive?

22 comments:

TC [Girl] said...

There are black olives, as well. :-)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Now you mention it. But it seems to not refer to black people, more often Latinas.

The Dissonance said...

Check Wikipedia Eolake (sez the guy with an olive-skinned wife):

Named for its green and gold undertones (the color of an olive), it refers to a warm natural skin tone.[3] People with olive skin usually have dark hair and dark eyes. Due to the naturally moderate amounts of melanin they possess they can normally tan easily, although there are exceptions. This is supported by the fact that dark chestnut hair and chestnut or dark chestnut eye colors are prevalent in areas

Alex Greene said...

A few examples (just type in the URLs, because your HTML does not like image tagging):-

http://www.chayadancer.com/images/05-06-06%20-%20046%20-%20SM%20GREEN.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hzqOn2JFBto/TfoypYH8MUI/AAAAAAAAKv8/VKPaSfsaXig/s1600/Orion_Slave_Girls.jpg

http://i732.photobucket.com/albums/ww326/BrotherofShran/OrionSlaveGirlEnt.jpg?t=1281330289

Thank you, Star Trek, for giving me all those youthful fantasies ...

Reinking said...

It might be fun to photograph a 'White-skinned' and an 'Olive-skinned' person and use Photoshop or some other app to look at the color spectrum of each. Of course one would need to crop to a patch of skin. I.e, not include clothing, background, etc.

Reinking

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Thanks.
"Green and gold", huh? Those two colors are wide apart in the color spectrum, odd comboy.

For green chicks, I guess my fave is She-Hulk.

Mary said...

Olive skinned people usually have dark brown hair and brown eyes. The word olive used in reference to the complexion is linked to the colour of the oil extracted from the green olive.

Alex said...

Just add red to green and you get yellow. I can't see green and gold being that far apart.

As far as I'm concerned just go with the naming convention, and be assured that it generally means pleasing to the eye.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Mary, that does make sense, yes.

Mary said...

The colour of the oil extracted from green olives is a pale yellow and is sold worldwide for cosmetic and medication purposes.

Kent McManigal said...

Those green "slave girls" from Star Trek are kinda hot.

Monotonous said...

Years ago, I told a young lady that her frequent visits to a tanning salon might be unhealthy.

She said, "Well, I have olive skin, and you know what that means."

I said, "No, what?"

She said, "If I stop tanning, my skin turns green."

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Wow, if the tanning salons can keep that idea alive, good for business! :-)

TC [Girl] said...

Eolake said...
"But it seems to not refer to black people, more often Latinas."

I should have waited to make my comment, when I had more time:

as stated: that there are olives that are not green and also, it's "funny:" as African Americans used to be referred to as "Black" people, which is not, technically, anymore true than if a person were to take a look at the pigment of a "black" olive (at least the ones that are palatable): neither are a "true" black pigment but, rather, all different variations of brown; some, of course, deeper "shades" of brown as well as lighter (or less of) pigments of brown, giving all the wonderful tones that encompasses the entire planet of..."skin." :-)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

I hear that "black" is back as a politically correct term, and I am happy for it, because I think "African American" is a bit insulting of all the millions of black people in the world who are either: not of African heritage, or: not Americans. Or neither for that matter.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Debbie who works in a nearby café and is English and of Native Australian descent, was a bit puzzled one day to be called "African American".

TC [Girl] said...

Eolake said...
"I hear that "black" is back as a politically correct term,"

I wouldn't know. I don't ever have the need to categorize human beings. Not sure if same is PC in the States, again.

"...and I am happy for it, because I think "African American" is a bit insulting of all the millions of black people in the world who are either: not of African heritage, or: not Americans. Or neither for that matter."

Good point and I would agree. Just the "label" that I know people have been using for quite some time, in the States. I hadn't thought of that, as I mentioned, as I never have the need to categorize "citizens of the world." Hadn't intended to look like I was trying to "pigeon-hole" anyone, should "anyone" be trying to try to accuse me of same.

TC [Girl] said...

Eolake said...
"Debbie who works in a nearby café and is English and of Native Australian descent, was a bit puzzled one day to be called "African American"."

Yup! I "get" it: it's like a European being labeled an American. I think people are just trying to be polite and not step on any toes and don't know any other labels, if they feel they have to use one to define a person; or...what is "PC" in one country might not be same in another.

It's also a very personal and individual thing for every person.

And, BTW, I will go back to the fact that I was NOT, originally, referring to "black people" or "blacks" as you call them, when I mentioned the black olives; I was referring to ANY person on the planet with a darker pigmented skin.

Philocalist said...

Thing is ... I have friends of Pakistani origin who openly refer to themselves (and others) as 'Paki's', and friends who happen to be black (they're mostly Barbadian or Jamaican) who will throw 'nigga' about without a qualm ... and a smile on their face.
They also point out with great glee that 'we' are not exactly 'white' ... blonde / black, brown or red hair, eyes of many colours and skin that can vary between milky white at one extreme, and looking as though we've been microwaved at the other! :-)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Yes, so is most "races". (Pascal will point out there is no such thing, only differences in skin coloring.) Did you know that Jennifer Beals is "black"? I sure didn't!

Anonymous said...

I don't ever have the need to categorize human beings.

Why did you just do that, then?

TC [Girl] said...

I happened to run into this clip, listening to some vids, tonight. Had to laugh at what Oprah sez. Made me think of this conversation. Granted, this is from '98 so...would be interesting to know if she would have tagged anything else onto the end of that, were if brand new. :-)