WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Filipinos are naturally dark-skinned, unfortunately most of us grew up hearing criticisms about this kind of pigment from our own households, schools or even workplaces. Due to colonization, Filipinos have learned to associate beauty and even social status with fairness which lead the Philippines to become both an active manufacturer and consumer of whitening products. Not only that, even a number of Filipino immigrants in the U.S constantly face double the discrimination from not just their fellow Filipinos but even those of different ethnicities. It is truly ironic to know that a community who possesses this kind of pigment also has the most toxic mindset towards it, but it’s about time we all put down the whitening soaps and get rid of the unnecessary shame.

Did you know that the Philippines’ own indigenous people have always seen dark skin as spiritual and even celebrated it through religious ceremonies? We are currently moving forward as a society but certain elements of the past such as this are worth bringing back. Colorism is not only harmful to us Filipinos but to our Black neighbors as well. We need to acknowledge that our struggles are also tied to Black struggles. And if you didn’t know yet, our very rights and freedoms as Filipino-Americans are a direct result of the Black liberation movements of the past and of the present. We have been given the privilege to never face the same kind of racism they had. The colors of their skin and ours, shouldn’t be a hindrance at all in bringing progress to the society and instead should be used to empower our groups.

So how do we get rid of it? We start with ourselves, of course! So how do we get rid of it? We start with ourselves, of course! In October 2016, actress and content creator Asia Jackson founded “#MagandangMorenx” which translates to “Beautiful Brown Person”. This movement aims to promote pride over black and brown beauty in all aspects such as media, entertainment, politics and more. Asia, who is of Black and Indigenous Filipino descent, shared her experiences of being bullied for her skin which then sparked online conversations. With her taking the first step regardless of the issues formed with skin-whitening industries in the Philippines, many others joined in support to share their stories too.

It’s important to note that calling out the toxic views on fairness does not mean we reject light-skinned Filipinos but rather leading the modern generation to more progress by terminating beauty standards. Cosmetics and hygiene products are supposed to help take care of one’s body, not to alter it. Just like the rest of the world, Filipinos are born in different bodies but it’s through embracing these bodies that we help our communities be more visible while also reaching out to multi-million dollar companies and demanding inclusiveness in their produce. As said by Filipino-American Bay Area consultant and advocate Meredith Curry, “it is 100% on you to put the noise of systemic racism behind you and walk into a more accepting and loving version of you.”

It’s not just our language, our food or our values that makes us Filipino, it’s also the complexions and the shapes we’re born with.