Comments on: Reasons why Filipinos believe “The whiter you are, the prettier you are…”

By: StudentQuery

StudentQuery — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:48:31 +0000

I am a Filipino student and I was just searching for some articles to support my research project about this topic and i was able to read some of the comments here. I once questioned myself why do most of Filipino women (not all) are buying some whitening supplements and even expensive soaps, creams,etc. just to get fairer skin to look beautiful as they say. They have set a thought that the standard pretty woman should be like Snow White, skin as white as snow. At first I’ve been only thinking that it was just because of insecurity or some sort of just wanting to be a standout in the crowd, but it went even worst, the issue involved is also on racism! I found out that some (not all) reasons why these present practices are existing. They also have roots from the past.But I think what’s more important is despite of these negatives, we also have to look more on our positive cultures and try to realize our attitudes towards our own culture then change for the better.

By: erica

erica — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:20:00 +0000

i dont think only 2 percent has spanish blood lines…i think it is about 6o percent…cmon..300 years spanish are here..and bec most of the people i know or in our neighboorhood look like somewhat euro asian with light brown skin..even my relatives have lighter skin complexion and some are so white..i mean it’s natural…when i go on direct sunlight especially during summer i become brown but after few days it will be light again..i i get really dark brown..it takes month to be white again..with no whitening treatment…im pure filipino but my grandfather told us we had spanish blood that’s why he had light brown eyes and his father was bluish light brown..and his great great great great blah blah blah..i think it was about 10 generations…was a 2nd wife of a wealthy spanish..and now look at us..we are all scattered everywhere..my sister is dark brown skin with big round eyes..maybe because of our father..and now her daughter has japanese eyes because of my bro in law’s eyes but he is not japanese..or chinese..and he dont have any idea why their family has chinese or japanese eyes..although my bro in law has dark brown skin..my niece has white skin ang brown reddish hair like me..isn’t genetics amazing? and i dont even look like my mother…i look like my aunt (my mother’s sister)OMg im getting lost with the thread’s subject . . .okay..i admit i prefer to have light skin because it is kinda look clean..and it is easier to pick clothes that match light color skin.and the manikins are usually white aha..so it’s easier to visualize the outfit on my mind.and i get acne when i have too much sun…and the sun in phil is so hot ..,,i always use umbrella.rain or shine..ahaha,i dont want the burning feeling..btw i have a friend who have dark brown skin..she look like half rochelle, the lead sex bomb dancer and half beyonce..she has a pretty face and sexy fit body and black silky hair and she’s not into that whitening craze..i really like to hang out with her..we are complimentary..and i have another friend..she has dark brown skin too..but i think her facial features are ugly and has big belly fat..she spends all her income on whitening and glutathione injections..then she became lighter..and in my opinion she look better than when she’s dark skinned.. i think it depends on the person..

By: Nate Davis

Nate Davis — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:11:58 +0000

Hi BisayanQueen, as an American and having worked in advertising, I feel doubly guilty about this issue. When we came here ten months ago, I quickly noticed all these strange whitening products, which of course are the exact opposite of what we want in the states. (Which is to look tan like Pinoys! There’s a tanning bed in every American town but in 34 years I’ve never seen a skin lightener.) My wife and I take public transportation everywhere, and some of the most beautiful people we see are the really poor ones who are outside more. Many times I’ve stopped by cosmetics counters and (in my halting Tagalog) tried to explain to the girls that they’re beautiful the way they are, but they can’t believe it since you can’t fight a lifetime of conditioning in one conversation.

I had an idea for a Pinoy pride campaign using the slogan “Maganda ang Kayumanggi,” with proceeds to be donated to a few NGO’s here, but I only have two months left. If you’d like to see this happen, stop by our blog (freeisaverb.org) and let me know! It’ll take mga kasama to make it happen. Thanks.

By: Marix

Marix — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:05:44 +0000

Hello, if you check our history, Filipinos are a mixture of different races, and not just Malays. You can distinguish this feature if you visit the different provinces. There are Filipinos who were born from pure Spanish or half Spanish called mestizos. It is ignorant to say that the only thing Spanish about Filipinos are the Spanish surnames and the religion. My great grandfather is a pure Spanish who got a child to a native Filipina. If you check the lineage of certain families in the South and in Visayas, there are lots of mestizos because as history says Magellan first went to Mactan Island in Cebu.
In my own dialect, more than 5,000 words were Spanish. We are not trying to be Spanish but it is a fact. It is in our history and in our culture, being colonized by the Spaniards for three hundred years.
Try reading Philippine history before making a comment.

By: J.

J. — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:01:37 +0000

Wow, thats pretty harsh to say. Your not racist by chance? Because that’s exactly what a racist would say. You should probably look at yourself and within yourself to find out why you are such a hate monger. To say such things about a type of people is very ugly. My wife, who is Filipina, does not have a flat nose and her eyes are not Asian looking eyes. In fact they resemble Spanish or Latin looking eyes. My wife love’s the outdoors as well. Her skin is golden brown like caramel and she is proud of it. But, its people like you that drive the citizens of the Philippines to think this way and to act this way. I feel sorry for you. Have a good life hateing all who are more beautiful than yourself.

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:59:17 +0000

Total bullshit. Stop trying to find a historical way of calling yourself white or mixed. The mass majority of you people are not even mixed. YOU ARE ASIAN. Don’t be ashamed. You all have asian eyes and FLAT NOSES. The flatest actually in Asia. YOU ARE NOT WHITE, get it in your head! A few of you guys are only “fairskinned” because the outdoors is treated like the plague or you people bleach your skin!

By: ibarra

ibarra — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:00:52 +0000

i like how this is a masked attempt at perpetuating the IMSCF syndrome. a filipino with a more fair complexion doesn’t necessarily come from european stock.

and for the commenter who urged another to go back and do research, PLEASE cite some of your sources that proves that “far more than 2% of the Filipino population do in fact have mixed blood.” everyone is making claims about being spanish or chinese or go back and do your research and yet no one is able to produce tangible proof of their ancestry or academic literature that asserts their argument.

you can claim you’re european or chinese as much as you want but to the rest of the world, you’re still filipino. stop it. you’re giving the rest of us a bad name.

By: sabadiha

sabadiha — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:33:20 +0000

hmmmn, the royal datu households (except the datu) were light skinned, so are every asian nobles, even before the arrival of the pesky european conquerors, their lighter complexion distinguishes them from the commoners so there you have it, i read that somewhere in Barangay by william henry scott… and o yeah its true with the other asians. get over your colonial hung-up, and get real pinoys! be proud of what you are (southeast asian), research precolonial philippine culture and not that cursed kastila “culture“ the spaniards enforced upon us, learn another filipino language or something, contribute something.

P.S.
we don`t look white, nor do we have to promote our white heritage( if we have any) so don`t say any of that it`s embarrassing, its like you enjoy being subdued by a foreign power…

By: leg

leg — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:56:08 +0000

Oh Dear yes I am sick of all the crap and bullshit of some Filipino like they say I have a spanish blood or whatever bullshit…
I am Filipino and I am proud when I am asked where I come from I always proudly says from the Phils. I think those who are trying to be white are just those who have low self esteem.
I dont believe the whiter you are the prettier you are. It doesnt matter what color you have if you feel good about yourself it will show.

By: Kalulua

Kalulua — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:52:36 +0000

“Yes, the Philippines are a set of islands in the Pacific but that does NOT mean we are descended from native Hawaiians, Guamanians or Samoans or have anything in common with them other than a warm, sunny climate.”

I may be out of topic but I have to comment about this. We do not descend from Pacific Islanders but look up “Austronesian peoples” and we have a lot in common. Most notably with our languages.

Btw @ bisayangueen, nice blog. This type of mentality is very damaging mentally, emotionally, and physically (skin whitening dangers)