Are the English people (those descended from Angles and Saxons) really the palest skinned people on earth?

Question

It's obvious that we live in a rich, multi-cultural society in Britain today. That being said I do have an anthropological question. I read recently that the English people who's heritage is largely derived from the original nordic invaders (Angles, Saxons and Jutes) in the 5th Century AD, the Norse Vikings and the Danes in the 700's AD, as well as the Norman Conquest in 1066 are reputed by physical anthropoligists to be the fairest skinned people on earth--even lighter in complexion than the Celtic peoples of the British Isles. Do you find this to be true? I know the French and the Germans laugh at us for our sunburns whenever we go on holiday. The American's have a stereotype of English people as being toothless and pastey white. And, myself being of 100% English blood I realise I am hopeless with the sun. I burn terribly and my natural colour is "extreme white." What are your observations about the English supposedly being so pale?

Answer 1

As an Irish girl, I've met lots of English people through the years and I can whole heartily agree that the English are indeed the palest people on earth. They do not seem to do well in the sun. It's easy to pick them out on a beach at a international holiday resort. That's OK though. I fancy blond men.

Answer 2

The English are among the palest-skinned people on earth, but they are not the palest. The Irish and Scottish are paler.

Answer 3

Certainly not.

Populations of humans that have evolved closer to the planet's poles are generally much paler than those who have evolved in climates located closer to the tropics. While the Anglo-Saxons are quite pale, Scandinavians, Japanese, American Indians from the southern tip of South America, Ainu, and Eurasians from the northern steppes of Russia/China are all extremely light-skinned. There are also very light-skinned people among Indians, east Asians, and the indigenous peoples of northern North America.

I'd like to know exactly which physical anthropologists said the claim you're talking about. It sounds exaggerated to me.

Answer 4

Sorry, yet i'd argue that it's not as cloudy in Russia, Poland or Germany or Denmark. i imagine that the British Isles are the cloudIEst temperate area on the earth. in spite of the indisputable fact that, they say it takes 20,000 years to go from black to white. subsequently, how a lot lighter might want to the English be on the instantaneous assuming they were a more effective "German" colour (ie tans more effective perfect) because the Jute invasions? It doesn't appear like a lengthy adequate time to diminish pigment inheritance through notwithstanding evolutionary questions there might want to be, like men reproduced more effective with lighter skinned women human beings, or notwithstanding. interesting question. possibly someone is conventional with of a clinical study or paper about it?

Answer 5

Well, I do have a degree in Anthro, and I have heard that rumour, however I have never seen any substantiating figures. However, while I was stationed in Florida, you could always pick out the Brits on the beach. Having been treated well while in the U.K., I always kept some aloe in my cooler for the poor lobsters.

Answer 6

I have noticed a lot of them do have what we call in the American South as "alabaster skin" could be descendants of English settlements of Georgia and Carolinas? My wifes family are prone to this as all the sisters have perfect complexions and hardly any marks or moles? almost transparent? they also have "sun" problems!One good thing is at least they do have good teeth and not pasty!!lol!! just lather on the old sunscreen and enjoy what you have!!!good luck!

Answer 7

I was recently called "Tuetonic looking" and I took that to mean northern eauropean. I am pretty pastey, but tan well and I am norwegian and german.

Answer 8

Nope. DEAD people are the palest people on earth...:)