This blog is in response to Zonah’s blog (read her entry)and her question: “am really wondering bakit sa kultura natin ang maputi, straight ang hair ay siyang tinatawag na maganda? Where do we get this concept?” My answer is way too lengthy to be posted as a reply or comment… so I thought I’d post it as a separate blog.

Here it is…

You are not alone in this sentiment… “That white is beautiful…” or “the whiter you are, the prettier you are…”

Even my husband asks me this same question… “Why do Filipinos and the Filipino women are too busy acting like they are white…? In fact, I think most of them even think they are white! Why is that, huh…?”

Quite frankly, I am offended by this question… But sadly, it is true… I have to admit… my husband is right in thinking that, we as Filipino people are guilty of acting like we are white. This attitude is very apparent, especially among Filipino elite… and even the not so elite ones.

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How many beauty ads do we have that show how important for us Filipina women to use astringents and whitening creams to whiten and make our face beautiful? How many shampoo commercials shown with models who have long, black and shining hairs ? Baka di muna mabilang.

Kahit san ka lumingon, TV ads, posters along the EDSA, media promotions all show that only those women with fair and white complexions have the chance to be successful in their career. And even one shampoo commercial before has this line, “Baka nakapangasawa ng mayaman”, dahil may  long, black and straight hair yong model and she is the envy of her circle of friends.

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By Candice Montenegro, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

ONE boredom buster I’ve shared with all my friends is Googling. It’s basically just typing in random words or names on Google and looking at the websites that the search returns. It’s actually a fun way to learn new things everyday. When you type the word “falafel,” for example, you can read the origin of the famous Middle Eastern food as well as yummy recipes that teach you how to make some.

Anyway, if you’re up for it, try typing in the word “Filipina.” Here are some of the results you’ll get — Filipina Penpals, Filipina Dating, Filipina Singles, Sexy Filipina, Pinay and Exotic Models. Yes, that’s apparently the stereotypical Filipina that is shown online.

Good thing the top-ranked site now is a blog called The Filipina Images.

read more at Changing the Filipina image, one blog entry at a time

The telephone conversation with my mother last night was rather painful. She’s an authority in rubbing guilt and I’m the beginner in the guilt trip examination who flunked over and over again regardless of valid reasons. It’s plain and simple, one thing filipina women all feared and never talked about was divorce. That’s why when the rude awakening happened and all vital signs that the marriage is dwindling and in the brink of breaking up right in our very eyes, traditional filipina women would still choose to close their eyes and try to work it out for fear of loosing that social status of devine and traditional filipina living the normal life.

I’m the very wrong person to preach about morality or question the depth of it. But my take on relationship and marriage has long been influenced by many faces of cultures and mentality ever since I moved out of my parent’s house. And I have learned that when the box we live in becomes suffocating, we have the choice to get out of it and live outside it.

When asked by my mom, where have all my values gone? It’s actually still there inside the box and I am outside of it for the moment trying to breathe some air.

I have read two blogs that seem to misinterpret the goals of FilipinaImages.com.

Let me make it clear. FilipinaImages.com is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) project to create a balance of the “Filipina” keyword in search engine results’ pages. That’s why our tagline is called Reshaping the Filipina Image Online.

We are not out to improve or change the perception of the Filipina Image.

We believe….that

The Filipina of the Future deserves a more empowered, diverse image online.
Multiple, complex, and whole.

We don’t seek perfection. We repeat: We seek balance in the Filipina images that are available online. We share our reflections about what the Filipina of the Future could be like, too. Dignity is every person’s human right. Whether the Filipina is a mother, a nanny, a decision maker in the corporate arena, a domestic service professional (formerly known as “domestic worker”), or a mail order bride, they have the right to empower themselves — through education, through equal rights in the household and the workplace, through connecting with people who want the same — and more.

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Meet Ma. Ana Samson Betita also known as Mayen, the Filipina girlfriend that Timothy Ellis Cumper mentioned in this entry. Tim alleges that Mayen orchestrated an attempted money scam amounting to almost Php 92,213.39 thousand pesos ($2,000.00 plus) through an alleged fake ectopic pregnancy with a group of her Filipino friends from Tierra Maria Estates, Medical Center Parañaque, doctors and a lawyer of the latter, Chin Chin Gutierrez and many others including bloggers. (read the list of alleged scam artists). Tim Cumper never sent the money requested to pay for the hospital bills.

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by Marikenya

The introduction of gender laws in the Philippines has showed substantial progress in terms of protecting women and children from abuses. In other countries in Asia and in some parts of our country however, gender discrimination remains pervasive.

Although the efforts of the government and NGOs and other concerned groups are laudable in promoting gender equality, it seemed off-track or probably lacking attention on particular segment of “women” like youth and the elderly.

While there are a lot of activities and programs on addressing gender parity, most of these efforts are directed towards the very young (children) and adults (those in their mid-20s to middle-age). Although there are, it seemed that promotions of gender empowerment targeted for the youth sector of our communities are insufficient. Take for example the increase of porn websites featuring young Pinays, not to mention those who provide live show for foreigners in their very own home in exchange of dollars. Many teen Filipinas also fall for the empty promises of online dating sites as well as mail-to-order bride programs in the hope of finding rich foreign husbands or lovers.

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An American questions “How does commercialization of Filipinas promote a healthy image of Filipinas?” Read Don’s entry on this topic.

My friends over in Filipina Images have been working hard for the past year to raise the image of Filipinas. By challenging the stereotypes and peeling them away one layer at a time. I applaud Filipina Images for what they are doing and I have a hunch this campaign will be successful.

It will not happen overnight but it will happen. A socially conscious blog such as Filipina Images will certainly draw it’s fair share attacks from people who wish to keep things status quo. And recently…

continue reading Filipina Dating Sites - Do They Create a Healthy Filipina Image?

I always see her standing in the middle of her garden with a long broomstick clasped in her feeble and bony hands, sometimes alone, most of the times gleefully surrounded by her apos. She was always clad with an ankle length skirt and a blouse that is less elaborate than the traditional baro. Her hair was pulled tightly in a bun and her face was wrinkled with the years that passed her by. In spite of her old age, her back was as straight as a board and her mere glance could silence the rowdy teenagers that pass by. Although, the one thing that really struck me about her was her warm and gentle smile and her presence that commands nothing less than respect and reverence. I knew her as Manang, the old lady who lives in front of my parents’ house.

Continue reading Filipina: A Woman of Character

Filipino women are stereotyped to be simple, obedient, caring, and God-fearing. That’s why it’s no big surprise when the keyword “Filipina” yields a bunch of dating websites catering specifically to men in search of Filipinas for love, friendship, and marriage. One could argue that there’s nothing wrong with using dating websites to find life partners with the qualities mentioned above. Most dating websites are legal, legitimate, and the participating Filipinas join the dating pool out of their own free will. That doesn’t discount the fact that these dating websites capitilize on the exoticized Filipina. Dating websites don’t spring out of the woodwork and match people around the world out of the goodness of their hearts. They’re a business selling products, and their products happen to be the Filipina. This essay shows how this system works by examining a dating website called Filipina Hearts.

Continue reading the entry on How Dating Websites Commodify the Filipina: A Pseudo-Case Study