“Maganda ka sana, kung maputi ka’- many Filipinos grew up hearing this and other criticism about their dark skin from their households to their schools or workplaces. Due to our colonization histories, Filipinos have grown to associate beauty and even social status with fairness which lead the Philippines to become an active manufacturer of whitening products. For most of the Filipino immigrants in the U.S, they too are constantly facing discrimination for their physical attributes. But now, more than ever, the topic of colorism within the community needs to be addressed in order to prevent the next generations from experiencing this toxic mindset.

Are criticizations about our physical attributes a form of concern or body shaming? If you’re Filipino, you’ve probably heard phrases like “tumaba ka” (you’ve gotten fat) one too many times. While it’s nice to know our relatives pay close attention to us, most of the time it gets too hurtful to even know how to respond. And how exactly do we respond when our culture has normalized these attacks on our looks as just “casual greetings”? Sadly, this is nothing new for us as Filipinos have long internalized discrimination against brown skin, flat noses and of course, plump tummies. Can something normalized be deemed toxic? And if it is, how do we get rid of it for the next generations?

One of the many things Filipinos are great at and arguably known for is dancing! At any Filipino party, you see titas line dancing or your cousins busting out moves to the Otso-Otso as if their lives depended on it. Through the years, dancing has merged into a billion-dollar industry and a legitimate profession even. However, Filipinos and other POCs in the industry do not get the full credit for their work. America’s various reality dance competitions continue to profit off of Filipino talents yet because of our participation in these, Hip-Hop has become more acceptable to the masses in comparison to the 1990s when this genre of dance originating from Black people, was criminalized. But are Filipinos actually helping or are we contributing to the erasure of Hip-Hop to its origins in Black culture?

Have you ever asked your parents how you got your name? If you did, then their responses may have been along the lines of merging your mom and dad’s names together or putting into one sentence all the baby names they could think of. What about our country’s name or our name as a race? Before we were called “Filipinos”, the early inhabitants of the Philippine islands referred to each other as the languages they spoke and eventually it also became the name for the regions they belonged to. Then in the year 1565, the Spanish dubbed the islands “The Philippines” in honor of King Philip of Spain.

Filipinos have an immense love for music. Go to any family gathering and you’ll find either a videoke machine or a tito strumming passionately on his guitar. But music itself has and always will be part of our cultural identity. And while most of us have continuously attempted to make a career out of it, plus the fact that a whole Asian-lead genre known as K-POP is currently succeeding, the music industry in America still doesn't seem to want to back us up. Why are we worth a viral 4-chair turning audition video but not worth promoting a debut album? Does this mean Filipinos can’t sell music or are we just not given the opportunity to?

Ah yes, Filipino Food- tastes so good but hurts so bad! Our culture’s dishes are high in flavor but they’re also high in blood pressure and cholesterol. A majority of our cuisine is composed of fried dishes, fatty sauces and innovative uses for every part of an animal. And while high blood pressure and diabetes are the leading illnesses found in Filipinos, most often these are tied to our eating habits. Because not every food we have is a hospital bill on a plate, y’know? Because if there’s dishes like Lechon Kawali, there’s also Pinakbet. But what makes Filipino food, “Filipino”? And are they healthy or unhealthy?

Every Filipino becomes a nurse or an animator and no, these two options aren’t as far off from each other as they sound. Because just like healthcare education, there are a number of western animation studios and schools in the Philippines that train talented Filipino artists and designers and bring them into the film and TV industry. From Inside Out to Finding Nemo, The Incredibles to other Disney and Pixar classics, Filipinos helped write, direct and animate these iconic films. But while our people and our culture are active contributors to the production of cartoons, we don’t really get to see animated characters that explicitly represent our community. Why do Filipinos get to create stories for other communities but have little to no opportunity for their own?