CNN’s showing more reports on whether or not there has been any progress in Burma since Nargis. Many of the people interviewed in the reports have white powder on, it seems, any exposed skin.
During a visit to Thailand about a month ago, I saw the same thing from time to time. Is this a sort of sunscreen or does it cool the skin by reflecting the sun?
What is the powder?
“Most women and girls in Myanmar, and some men and boys, wear tanakha on thier [sic] faces. Tanakha is a mix between sunscreen and make-up, and is sometimes used in a very decorative way.”
(found here.)
Maybe this is the explanation behind the weird looking Marine in “Full Metal Jacket.”
In Thailand, it’s mostly talcum powder. Keeps you feeling cool in the heat. They go a little overboard with it in Burma; in Thailand, you won’t see it applied as heavily, but out in the rural areas there’s a discernible coating. Not considered suave and urbane among most city folk, but you’ll still see it on the ones fresh from the sticks.
For Burma, I think as mentioned above it’s other than talcum.
In India it’s talcum. It’s used as a kind of primitive anti-deodorant/antiperspirant.