The Philippines is obsessed with obtaining fairer skin. Many hold the mentality of associating beauty with having a light/white complexion. ‘Likas Papaya’ is a major skin whitening soap in the Philippines and has even made appearances on shelves of Filipino corner stores in North America. Products like these are sadly evident throughout countries in Asia, and countries in Africa.
Billboards all across the country are almost always occupied by models with mixed race faces. Whitening products in the Philippines are always endorsed by mestiza’s or mestizo’s. A Filipino mestiza/mestizo is someone who is either half Spanish, or any other race not native to the Philippines. All these mixed race models obtain a natural lighter skin complexion due to genetics, and become the notable figures for whitening products such as ‘Likas Papaya’. Knowing this, it is definitely false advertising to the naturally brown light-skinned hopefuls.
The unsurprising fact about the model in the image above, is that he is not of full Filipino descent. Sam Milby, the man on the soap bar package, is a famous actor, model and singer in the Philippines. He was born in the United States to a filipina mother and a caucasion American father. As a light-skinned figure for a Dermablend skin whitening soap, Sam Milby plays a role in misleading its buyers. Having him as model for this product is misleading to its buyers, because he is half white, it is simply unobtainable to achieve such foreign white skin without it being a result of genetics.
Why are Filipino’s wanting lighter skin? Many believe lighter skin is beautiful. Why do many Filipinos think this? It all has to do with history. This same history plays out in countries that have been colonized by ‘white-face westerner’s’.
For the Philippines, empires who had the ability to redefine Filipino beauty happens to be the Spanish and the Americans. During the Spanish colonial years, the skin colour hierarchy in society was put into place. The labeling of individuals based on their complexion, has caused native Filipinos to become second class citizens in their own country. To have white skin meant you had grown up in a high class Spanish family. Being high class, meant you had the riches to buy the most fashionable clothing, and accessories that would enhance ones beauty. Due to the native Filipinos having to go through skin colour hierarchy for three whole centuries, the mentality of ‘white beauty’ has never left the country since. This societal assimilation is prevalent in countries with similar colonial upbringings.
