Erin Sinogba '06 on color-oriented tropes that dominate Pinoy media and popular culture

The Nancy Binay hatefest on Twitter is just a painful reminder that the landscape of Pinoy popular (and political) culture is dotted with references to skin color and its relationship to beauty, status, and goodness.

Skin whitening products have been marketed for decades, under the premise of achieving "Tisay" beauty and earning the respect and desire of peers. Before Bayo, many local clothing brands had employed the services of models of mixed heritage, before looking outside the Philippines for non-Filipino celebrity endorsers.

Ang pagmamahal ng sariling atin only seems to apply to our consumer habits – not the faces and bodies that reflect and represent us in our daily lives.

There are many theories. One may argue that our obsession with skin color, particularly the positive values attached to whiteness, is a post-colonial residue, an inherited pre-occupation equating lighter skin tones with desirability and power.

Others may say that our attitudes toward skin color are shaped by messages from cosmetic companies and the fashion industry, which use mass media to create and perpetuate artificial demand for unrealistic beauty standards.