True colors
A deeper standard of beauty emerges from the shade of past perceptions
A deeper standard of beauty emerges from the shade of past perceptions
WHEN THE ROMANTIC comedy movie Kita Kita by director Sigrid Bernardo was shown in cinemas last year, critics and film enthusiasts were surprised at the easy acceptance of moviegoers to its unlikely leading man, Empoy Marquez.
Marquez is not your typical male lead – the actor is short, moreno, and plain-looking in showbiz standards, a far cry from the fair, tall and handsome leading men we usually find in most Pinoy films. Aside from this, Marquez is, or was, associated mostly as a comic relief in other movies.
And yet in the July 2017 blockbuster, Marquez emerged as the welcome antileading man of this era, earning a spot among the likes of leading men like John Lloyd Cruz or Dingdong Dantes. This acknowledgement signals a change on how Filipinos actually perceive the way people look at others, displaying a kind of openmindedness that resonates to other issues such as one’s skin color.
“Before, it was a big no to call someone like Empoy a leading man, because unless you’re someone who looks mestiza or mestizo (fair skinned) with the likes of Gloria Romero, then you won’t be accepted by Filipinos. But now we are more open-minded. Our mindset has diversified, and we now have a change in perspectives. Empoy had the right timing and he benefited from it,” said Samuel Cabbuag, professor in Media Studies, Popular Culture and Sociology Culture at UP Diliman’s Sociology Department.
Which actually goes to show that unlike before when Filipinos associate one’s darkness or lightness of the skin to social status, we have broadened our standards of individuals to look up to.
Cabbuag also cited young actress Maymay Entratra as another good example of how the Filipino mindset is slowly changing. “She is not your typical actress who is mestiza looking, and yet she has a strong fan base.”
Skin history
The UP professor shared that despite this progress, the issue of skin color among Filipinos continue to exist. The differences between Filipinos who were born with fair skin and those born with a darker shade of complexion remain an issue in some parts of the country.
“It is already embedded in our culture. We have been colonized for so many years by Spain, then the Americans, and then Japan. Being influenced by the Americans in particular, has affected the way we look at skin color. A fairer skin or white skin is often associated with the good life. So if you’re fair, people will see you as affluent as they may think that you are more welloff,” Cabbuag said.
History shows that during the Spanish era, the mestizos and mestizas signify that you are part of the upper class of society, while having darker skin often means being engaged in manual labor or working under the heat of the sun.
This perception was carried over in later generations, and most would associate beauty with individuals who have a lighter skin tone.
“It’s quite common that Filipinos would think before that if you have dark skin, you’re not beautiful, but if you marry someone with a lighter skin, specially if that someone is Caucasian, then most likely your children will be born beautiful,” observed Cabbuag.
This impression has brought about the rise of the skin whitening industry (both products and services), booming sometime in 2004 when multinationals started coming out with whitening products that Filipinos can afford and buy in small batches. The products prove to be popular especially among domestic overseas Filipino workers, who reported to have suffered discrimination in other countries because of their dark skin, but experienced better treatment when their skin color started to lighten.
Aesthetic center Svelt’i in Quezon City shared that a significant number of their clients are OFWs, most of whom visit their clinic to avail of whitening services.
“We get repeat customers who are OFWs. They would always return after a year or two and avail of the same services,” said Dr. Lalaine Salazar, the center’s medical director.
Role of media
Lynda Catindig-Garcia, chairperson of the Department of Communication of Miriam College shared that media has played a big role on how people perceive skin color.
“The role of media in the Filipino’s desire of getting fairer skin is to inform and persuade the consumers/ audience to buy products which will provide fairer skin. This culture in media goes way back to our history. This is colonial mentality. During the American time, the Filipinos have been exposed to the standard that beauty means having white skin and this came out in media advertisements, generally, media content. The fair skin is well represented because of the existence of colonial mentality that white is a superior race.”
She also shared how the entertainment industry, through the years, have also influenced our standard of beauty. “The mestizo/ mestiza actors and actresses influence their audiences on the standard of beauty. This is because their style, hair, face or their whole look want to be imitated by their fans.”
This kind of thinking, she said, has negative connotations because it imposes that the standard of beauty is having fair skin which she said is not true because beauty is relative. “As cliché as it may sound, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
The effect of entertainment and media is supported by Cabbuag who cited the young generation’s current fascination with Korean pop culture.
“It’s now so easy to find content on Korean pop culture. Before, you had to wait a day before you can watch your favorite K-drama. Now all you need is to go online and watch your favorite Korean actors and actresses. This fascination has set another standard of what Filipinos think is beautiful. Not to mention, there are so many stores selling beauty products. You can also already buy them online and people really tend to purchase a lot of them,” he said.
Changes in the horizon
The level of perception however, has started to change. Whereas one’s complexion once signified social status, now it has compartmentalized in a way to beauty standards alone.
“It’s not just color of our skin that people look to anymore, it’s the overall package like how well you dress when present to people. Being fair skinned just helps you stand out but it’s no longer the only consideration,” Cabbuag said.
The professor also shared that people view fair skin to good hygiene and overall well-being. “There’s a movement now where people, and that includes men, who are becoming more health conscious, who have really started loving themselves. So with feeling good, you also want your skin to look good. So you tend to avail of whitening services because it makes skin look better.”
But how do we remove the negative perception of different skin colors?
Garcia said that we should start giving feedback especially to media. “It starts with education. The people in media must be inclusive in producing the communication collaterals to strike a balance in representing the different people in society, and the viewers should give feedback on these materials.”
Cabbuag, on the other hand, said that it should start within the family.
“Up to now, some kids think that it is okay to tease others who are darker. It’s a product of old media. So if you want this perception to change, the simplest way to alter this is to bring your kids to the park and show them that Filipinos are different, some are white and some are dark. We have such a rich culture, we have different religions, we have different languages. Skin tone is just one of those that makes us really special.”
“Up to now, some kids think that it is okay to tease others who are darker. It’s a product of old media. So if you want this perception to change, the simplest way to alter this is to bring your kids to the park and show them that Filipinos are different, some are white and some are dark. We have such a rich culture, we have different religions, we have different languages. Skin tone is just one of those that makes us really special.”