A Curious Case Study on Skin Whitening and Filipinos: A Fad or a Sign of a Confused, Insecure Identity?

Jinky Oda (Actress) - A successful endorser of one of the Philippines' largest 
skin whitening manufacturers

My mom's innovative attempts to make my skin look whiter has been an epic failure. Still, I couldn't hide my true brown color. I only get whiter than usual during the rainy season since that's the time that I don't have a choice but to stay home.

When I was at the age of ten, my mom always reminds me not to play under the afternoon sun. She often put some fresh squeezed calamansi juice into a pail of water which I was using everytime I take a shower in the morning. The worst case, at the very early age, she even brought me some papaya soap which according to her, it will even out and whiten my brown complexion.

As a kid, I often ask mom why she wanted me to look whiter than some other children at my age. Like, what's up with all this fad of getting a lighter skin?


Until such situation from grade school changed the way I think. I remember how some of my classmates were bullied before for owning that dark mocha complexion. Some girls usually go home crying after being called 'negra' which means dark skinned. Some boys in the school too were teased and were called 'negro' 'nognog' or 'baluga' which imply the same meaning. 'Kirara' on the other hand was also the name coined for dark girls with kinky to curly hair. These names were specially made to mock one's unusual personality.

By then, I realized how important my mom's efforts for me just not to be part of this small community of cocoa-skinned bullied kids.

Today, I thought I had already escaped this classroom battle of browns and whites but I guess the scenario got even worse than it may seem. As a full grown adult, I can say that the grade school way of discriminating one's skin complexion still exists. The difference? Though it's indirect, it's cleverer and now I deal with it more than any other societal issue.

Understanding the Issue of the 'Ebony to Ivory' Transformation

For further reading: I guess this book is just strong
enough to say what it needs to say

I was once asked by a foreign friend why here in the Philippines groceries are filled with whitening products that occupied most of the spaces and stalls than any other commodity. I could have not disagreed because this is really a mere fact that whitening lotions and soaps sell like ice creams with different flavors—some are cheaper, but there are some expensive brands that promise an effective whitening process that is faster than other products.

To solve the mysterious trend of skin whitening among Asian people, there are quite a few studies conducted. Some of these were found to be the baseline data for whitening product manufacturers and this usually keep themselves more dedicated in doubling the digits of their profits.

Back in 2004, Synovate, a global market research firm, conducted a study on the impact of skin-whitening products in Asian countries. In the study, the Philippines ranked first when it comes to the percentage of usage of whitening products compared to Hong Kong with 45 percent, Malaysia with 41 percent and Taiwan with 37 percent.

That same research concluded that “two out of five women in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan feel they are more attractive with fair complexions."

The Smoking Gun: Media, Cultural Standards or Colonial Mentality?

There are some I guess valid reasons why one wants to change his or her skin color. In this article, I listed down some factors that can make you either nod your heads and agree or somehow can raise one of your eyebrows and be more skeptical.

Here are some internal and external factors that we may want to consider:

1. Media always talks about who's beautiful

Media in any form influences our mind, setting up some standards for us

I could not really blame others if they live with the same mindset that the only beautiful people in this planet are those with a fair to white complexion. Switch on the television, scan over the newspapers and magazines, and take a look at some big billboards along the main roads of Manila—have you noticed all of these models, actors and actresses have in common? Most of them are mestizos and mestizas. Not all of them have this pure Lapu-Lapu blood running through their veins. They are products of mix races and results of an awesome mutation of human genes. They are the new breed of Filipinos with lovely prominent nose bridges and lighter skin… and that stands out in the Philippine media today.

2. People have the tendencies to want the things that they don't have and that is a normal human nature

White people spend most of their time under the sun to achieve that
gorgeous-looking tanned skin

For example, the western cultures have a different standard when it comes to beauty. For some Caucasians who are born naturally white, they wanted to have a darker skin too. For them, this looks more sexy and stunning. They often go to the beaches during the summer season to get a tan. While Filipinos shell out their money for glutathione, some westerners blew off hundreds of dollars for tanning lotions and tanning beds.

Try to think this way: If we, Filipinos, are naturally born white, would we be doing the same thing too?

3. White skin among Asian is a big turn on

Filipinos look up to some Asian with perfect
white skin

If Americans and Europeans find a tan, sun-kissed skin so sexy and appealing, here in the Philippines, having a lighter skin seemed to be more attractive than those who have the original kayumanggi (brown) color. For some girls, a man with a whiter skin complexion always stands out and appears to be more clean-looking. In this case, sometimes people might also try to dovetail your hygiene to your skin complexion—if white is going to be the 'clean' type, dark skin would be the other way around.

4. White skin symbolizes wealth and luxury

Filipinos sometimes associate a flawless, glowing, white skin
with one's socioeconomic status 

Admit it or not but here in the Philippines, we always say, "Mukhang mayaman" (rich-looking) as a first impression especially to persons that have whiter skin than anybody else. This white-is-wealth perception sometimes leads some people to invest more on whitening products. We believe that a whiter complexion amplifies a status of luxury and an elite socioeconomic class. No wonder why many of us want to achieve the glowing skin Snow White has.

Meanwhile, in western countries, people appear to be 'richer' if he or she has tanned skin. Why? It sometimes means that he or she has the money to travel to the tropics.

5. Filipinos look up to white people as a superior race

The Mestizos (Spanish) and the Indios (Filipinos)

Genuine and unique as may it seems, but the Philippine history and cultural values have become more complicated than ever expected. As influenced by different dominant races like the Spanish and American, Filipino views on physical beauty has changed throughout the centuries.

When these colonizers came and dominated the country many years back, Filipinos were exposed to what I call a cultural metamorphosis. The sense of authority to our homeland appeared to be  more delusional during their regime.

The term, colonial mentality suddenly popped out when early Filipinos started to accept the fact that their cultural defenses were weaker than the colonizers—which made both the Spaniards and American felt more superior. Their superiority has been expressed so strong to the point that they were like putting on blind folds to every 'unconscious' citizen. Spaniards then called the natural born Filipinos Indio which means the lower class. Colonizers denied the fundamentals of formal education so they can train them (the Indios) to be more submissive to follow the rules. Not just being brainwashed, they were also given a small chance to decide for themselves.

Since these two major conquerors were able to re-shape the country's cultural value system successfully, Filipinos unconsciously viewed them as role models for setting up better societal standards. It's not just on the aspects of education or politics but even on the standard of what is physically beautiful. In fact, all were clearly based on what these foreign conquerors look like (eg. having aquiline noses, brown to blonde hair, white complexion). 

We Were Born This Way

Our skin color defines where we came from and who we really are

This article was primarily written not because I wanted you to stop doing anything to make your skin looks whiter or change your complexion. I am not either a pathetic, frustrated, patriotic Filipino who wants to ban all the whitening lotions and creams in every department store. I do not intend to judge anyone in his or her pursuit of having a skin he or she might think it's beautiful.

I wrote this article for a reason that I want to wake up and allow every Filipino citizen to see the truth about the nature of our culture when it comes to physical beauty. I believe that this shortcake research would somehow help us understand who we really are.

On the other hand, the controversial, Lady Gaga has actually nailed one significant cultural value regarding this. In one of her songs, she wrote:

"I'm beautiful in my way,
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way."

Other lines of the song must have conveyed the same message too:

"No matter black, white or beige
Chola or orient made,
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born to be brave."

In the cultural sense, she is right—we are created equal despite of our physical differences.

However, this debate on skin color has not died yet after all these years. The question on skin whitening as a fad or a cultural down slide still continues. More and more netizens participate in online forums to speak their minds. Since everyone (not just Filipinos) has their own answers to this, everyone deserves a respect and no one has the right to question that.

Now, your turn:  Have you thought of other reasons why you wanted to change your skin color?

Feel free to post your comments in the box below.