Page Title
Editor's corner/ Over a cup of tea
Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the
Year for the State of
Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the
Year for the State of
Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
Whitening Lotions
A false sense of beauty but an inspiration to many Filipino women
I’ve been back home in my original country for almost four months, and one thing that really irks
me most are advertisements of whitening lotions that supposedly offer smooth, silky and white skin
to Filipinas of all ages. These whitening lotions promise a beautiful skin that would make heads turn
and lure men into admiring the women who wear them.
What a shame! But actually, there’s much more to it than the eye can see.
Models of these ads are, of course, young mestizas whose skin has always been fair in the first
place. A mestiza or a mestizo is usually an offspring of a native Filipino/a and a foreigner. They
occupy a very special place in the beauty hierarchy down here. They project a new definition of what
is beautiful on the outside, regardless of the character within. And since most of them become stars
in the entertainment arena, the fair-complexioned beauties have become idols to young men and
women seeking fame and fortune through the movies or the boob tube.
Don’t’ get me wrong. I don’t dislike mestizos or mestizas being lead actors in movies or emcees
in top TV shows. Their faces deserve to be seen especially if they got talent. But to create the
impression that theirs is the standard of beauty for the Filipino … that’s something that hits me right
here in my gut. Their lifestyle for one, is one that contradicts every fiber of the Filipino woman’s
being. This may not be true in all cases, but it is true in MANY cases. They have created a societal
level that has its own rules and the game is played only by and among its members.
The Philippines is the only Catholic nation in Southeast Asia, but the sanctity of marriage has
become a joke to this
A false sense of beauty but an inspiration to many Filipino women
I’ve been back home in my original country for almost four months, and one thing that really irks
me most are advertisements of whitening lotions that supposedly offer smooth, silky and white skin
to Filipinas of all ages. These whitening lotions promise a beautiful skin that would make heads turn
and lure men into admiring the women who wear them.
What a shame! But actually, there’s much more to it than the eye can see.
Models of these ads are, of course, young mestizas whose skin has always been fair in the first
place. A mestiza or a mestizo is usually an offspring of a native Filipino/a and a foreigner. They
occupy a very special place in the beauty hierarchy down here. They project a new definition of what
is beautiful on the outside, regardless of the character within. And since most of them become stars
in the entertainment arena, the fair-complexioned beauties have become idols to young men and
women seeking fame and fortune through the movies or the boob tube.
Don’t’ get me wrong. I don’t dislike mestizos or mestizas being lead actors in movies or emcees
in top TV shows. Their faces deserve to be seen especially if they got talent. But to create the
impression that theirs is the standard of beauty for the Filipino … that’s something that hits me right
here in my gut. Their lifestyle for one, is one that contradicts every fiber of the Filipino woman’s
being. This may not be true in all cases, but it is true in MANY cases. They have created a societal
level that has its own rules and the game is played only by and among its members.
The Philippines is the only Catholic nation in Southeast Asia, but the sanctity of marriage has
become a joke to this
“beautiful” group of people. They swap partners, live-in and
separate, beget kids as many as they can produce, annul their
marriages left and right, and still keep the love and
admiration of their adoring fans. In a way, however, the kind
of freedom their women enjoy is an unreachable dream for an
ordinary, non-moneyed native Filipina. Truth to tell, there’s
some inequality going on here, besides the skin-color factor,
and that’s the real story.
Ours is a society that puts women as second only to men.
Despite the feminist movement’s successes of the last
century that supposedly gave women equal rights, we are
still under the testosterone spell. The Filipino woman does
everything to keep her man and save the marriage for the
sake of the children. A long time ago, I was one of them, until
I wised up and decided life was so unfair and that I did not
deserve to be second fiddle. Life was tough being on your
own, but the peace of mind and freedom that went with that
decision have been priceless.
The emergence of this new breed of young, liberated and
beautiful women in our midst filled a vacuum in a society that
is hungry for a source of strength and inspiration, no matter
how dysfunctional to the system it could be. The Catholic
church must be up in arms nowadays, for the influence this
group has on the masses of the Filipino people has grown.
They not only rule the entertainment industry; many of them
are already in politics and in government. They probably
would eventually change this society’s views on women and
marriage. Something I look forward to.
Thus, there is a growing trend of interracial marriages
down here. I guess many Filipinas have decided that their
children have to be mestizas and mestizos. That they have to
have fair skin in order to be more equal than others. They
need not even use whitening lotions. But most importantly,
they have to have the kind of freedom their native parents did
not have. What a disgusting way to freedom and equality!
separate, beget kids as many as they can produce, annul their
marriages left and right, and still keep the love and
admiration of their adoring fans. In a way, however, the kind
of freedom their women enjoy is an unreachable dream for an
ordinary, non-moneyed native Filipina. Truth to tell, there’s
some inequality going on here, besides the skin-color factor,
and that’s the real story.
Ours is a society that puts women as second only to men.
Despite the feminist movement’s successes of the last
century that supposedly gave women equal rights, we are
still under the testosterone spell. The Filipino woman does
everything to keep her man and save the marriage for the
sake of the children. A long time ago, I was one of them, until
I wised up and decided life was so unfair and that I did not
deserve to be second fiddle. Life was tough being on your
own, but the peace of mind and freedom that went with that
decision have been priceless.
The emergence of this new breed of young, liberated and
beautiful women in our midst filled a vacuum in a society that
is hungry for a source of strength and inspiration, no matter
how dysfunctional to the system it could be. The Catholic
church must be up in arms nowadays, for the influence this
group has on the masses of the Filipino people has grown.
They not only rule the entertainment industry; many of them
are already in politics and in government. They probably
would eventually change this society’s views on women and
marriage. Something I look forward to.
Thus, there is a growing trend of interracial marriages
down here. I guess many Filipinas have decided that their
children have to be mestizas and mestizos. That they have to
have fair skin in order to be more equal than others. They
need not even use whitening lotions. But most importantly,
they have to have the kind of freedom their native parents did
not have. What a disgusting way to freedom and equality!
