Why is it that Filipinos really like white pale thing?

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i go loony

The media influence the people a lot as it is where we base our standards of what is "beautiful" as a society.
It has something to do with colonial mentality too that started in the Hispanic times of the Philippines. People with Spanish race with fair skin were labeled to be elitists and that that the people with brown skin received a lot of discrimination and are unable to get reputation which was as good as the people with fair skin. That started the idea and the coming of America to the Philippines added to the stereotype.

In this country, it is only these days that somehow, brown is accepted as beautiful as you can find some actors and actresses with such a color of skin unlike during the silent pictures era that people mixed with another race were the only remarkable actresses.

In the 1970's, Rey Valera, a top singer-composer in the Philippines wasn't allowed to be shown on TV and that whenever he had a promotion on a TV station, he was just singing at the backstage.

To add to your answer, there is a standard of what is beautiful in every country and most likely, this would be the things the people of the country don't have in general. In Western countries, brown is cool because it is not the natural color of the people. In the Philippines, people think white is cool because it is not our color as real Filipinos.

Since the media in the Philippines have a big influence to the youth, I think it should be the media changing its way of influencing the young. Therefore, there must be a rise of new actors and actresses with qualities that we call "our own"... This will definitely vary ideas of people in the future about beauty standars....

purple tactics

White people go to warm, sunny countries to become darker, Michael Jackson bleached himself into a crayola. More and more women get breast augmentation procedures on them. Japanese women undergo painful bone-lengthening programs so they'd get taller. Blondes dye their hair black, Black people straighten out thier hair...

You get where I'm going with this...?

I don't think being Filipino has anything to do with it. It's human nature. People tend to want more what you don't have.

I'm telling you, if we Filipinos were white, we'd be bathing in the sun to get darker too. And what then would be wrong with that?

Tammy

Your perception is so 90's. If you watch Filipino tv lately, and read magazines, the bronze look is what's more admired now. So we Filipinas with naturally golden skin are the lucky ones. As they say, the best accessory is a beautiful tan.

Keepingmycool

I know! People, specially women see the "ideal" beauty in the Media which is bad for our self esteem. People here in the US are dying to have tanned skin, because that is what is portrayed as "beautiful"... Too bad a many women always believe what they see on TV.

tifa strife

the kind of thinking that u gotta have fair skin to be pretty started on the spanish era... (phil history)
filipinos were named "indios" and the spanish, "mestizos/mestizas"... that started it all.. that's why most filipinos want snow white's skin or think that those who have that skin are better looking..

i agree with u.. im from the phil.. and i love my tan

Black Hat

Ooopps...

I am a Filipino, and on my own explanation I saw this as:
1. Part of our culture in a sense of proper hygiene.
2. Wanna be like American, European and Japanese.
3. Insecure that if you're black then nobody cares for you.
4. If you are a guy, and if you want to have more girlfriends you need to be white. Same thing with the ladies as I know.

I remember this way back when I was in college girls in our school don't like those black/tanned guys. Thats includes me!

Lastly, I do not agree with the media thing that you're saying.

DeathStar

Lets not forget Philippine History , people!

Its all started with the Spaniards colonizing the Filipino people.
The Spaniards as "Mestizos" and the natives as "Indios". The mestizos, being white and fairer skin, are being look up upon but the brown "indios" are being frowned. Though these discrimination on skin colour happened centuries ago, it was passed from generation to generation until to this very day.
Its the culture thing.

I find it somewhat funny how "fair skinned people" (not all)spend a lot of time suntanning to get browner.
On the other side of the spectrum "darker skinned people" (not all) are spending a small fortune (except M. Jackson) on creams and lotions to get lighter.

Peste, I loved your answer.

papars

Amigo, if you think Filipinos prefer skin whitening cremes, lotions etc.....you MUST visit India.

You'll be amazed at the variety of skin whitening cremes, lotions, soaps and even beauty treatments they have there for a population of over 1 billion. They dont wanna imitate the Brits, the former colonial rulers. Their women just wanna look fair for some strange cultural or social reasons.

Rainier

Your right!

kuanas

not me. damn happy with my tan color... and ye others love it too.

if not, well..gotta like it cuz this is me.

Azura O

Not A Filipina,but I think this is a sincere questions.When I switch on the tele every time I'm in Manila,I don't see faces like my family"s helper(she is this beautiful Filipina only her skin is tanned) all that i saw was all this mix looking people,same goes to the faces that's on MTV ,your VJ"s are good, no doubt about it ,but they are all had spent their childhood abroad has this caucasian look", as one of their parent are one
but no difference in Malaysia as well,if you are mix and has this pan Asian look ,automatically the perception is-you came from a rich home and you are better than the rest.Just look at our (Malaysia) TV dramas and Tv commercials!

we are not in the position to blame those who used all the whitening stuff.That's just the way it is...sigh ,unfortunately

Felicity???

Girl, the only people who loves to make their skin whiter or who believes that white is the skin of rich and beautiful people are those people who never went abroad, celebrities wannabe and those trying hard to look like Caucasians. They didn't know that Asian color especially Filipino complexion is considered exotic beauties in Western countries. LOL! When I went there last year and I got a tan or let's just say I almost look like a black girl and those college girls were like staring at me like I'm from outer space and giggling coz I was with my fiance a white man but he got a li'l tan already that time from our island hoppings and so on. It's like I want to shout at those college girls that they should be more envy coz I got my tan from travelling to different islands in the Philippines for vacations which I'm sure they can't afford yet!
Gosh! If they only knew that brown skin is considered a 'goddess' in Western countries. LOL! sorry, for exaggerating!
But I'm telling the truth based on my own experience. <*-*>

Sanmigsean

I agree, people should just be what they are, and I think a tan looks so much better!

L1l_ H3aRtz

i would say that they are always so pale bcuz probably they want to be like other peolple such as americans so that they dont look different.. but as my mom always says "Its in the style"

Jonet

Dear mam. Just like Sir Peste said. I'm dark and I can't seem to get rid of my dark skin. Your wish will come true, mam and i'll pray for it. Thank you mam.

yonip.orig

Its already in the Filipino psyche.The idea of a fair skin is beautiful is deeply ingrained in our psyche for hundreds of years.For too long we have been colonized by white men,and we natives look up at them, hence,want to be like them.Thats the reality.

Binibini

you might want to change your statement. not all filipino like to have white skin.

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