1.

Spanish Colonialism: The ‘White’ Advantage

The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines started in 1521, when explorer Ferdinand

Magellan arrived and claimed the islands as a colony for the Spanish Empire. The period

continued until the 1898 Philippine Revolution. According to Rafael (2018), the 333 years that

Spain ruled the Philippines brought with them a residual colonial idea of beauty. Pointed by

Quimpo (n.d.), the concept highlights the "mestizo standard of beauty," which includes light

complexion, huge eyes, and tall noses. It was also caricatured by Rizal in his renowned novel

'Noli Me Tangere'—Dona Victorina—a Filipina resorting to skin whiteners and abrasive make-

up products to replicate Eurocentric features that the Spaniards deemed to be the 'standard' of

beauty. The beauty ideology has survived and transpired to the point that modern-day Filipinas

are still as heavily made-up as Dona Victorina, have one over her: they utilize skin whitening

treatments or resort to face-lifts via cosmetic procedures and surgeries. According to (Shroff et

al., 2018), the usage of skin fairness treatments and depigmenting chemicals is still popular and

prevalent in the Philippines, ranging from 22 to 77 percent across community samples. Across

the evolving contemporary society and due to advancement, capitalism and the cosmetic industry

tolerated the toxic ideology by exploiting profits out of it. People were enticed to try more

complexion-altering products. As claimed by Singson (2017), one in two Filipino women utilizes

skin whitening products at some time in their life. As a result, skin whitening practices have

spread and thrived among native populations.

 2. The American Colonialism: Culture and Superiority

After winning the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States took ownership of the

Philippine islands as a territory (The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War, 2022). As a

result, American superiority pierced the 'tarnished' culture that our country constructed after the

Spaniards. The ongoing struggle of the Filipinos against their invaders had eroded our original

identity layer - by - layer. Instead of the country that is strongly steeped in their patriotic pride,

sense of identity, and traditions, we began to compare ourselves and noticed our imperfections

since, our country was ingrained that we are inferior to theirs. We eventually got ashamed of it,

and we became instantly paralyzed; unable to cope. This is the birth in which Filipinos appear

desperate to break free from their ties to their traditions and culture because others regard it as a

'flawed' culture and identity. Aside from Hispanic, American culture places a strong influence.

Filipinos frequently see American culture as superior thus, filipinos' fascination and

obsession with American, grows. As stated in the article Colonial Mentality in the Philippines

(2017), Filipinos worship and romanticize Western culture, such as idolizing American

celebrities, listening to American music, eating American foods, and enjoying American made

products. Alongside this, the ‘superior American culture’ influence our perspective regarding the

English language. In the contemporary society, speaking English is now a measure of one’s

intelligence. As justified by Barrameda (2018), Philippines— a country with a high English

proficiency rate, the moniker implies that mastery of only English; deemed someone as educated

and intelligent — and, in turn, ignorance of the national Filipino language — is shameful. Of

course, there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying another culture, but some Filipinos may

bring it to the extreme and lose themselves in ‘being American’ –and in the process, losing their
original cultural identity whereas, this is reflected in our country’s pop culture, media, and even

our lifestyle.

3. Technological and media influence

Technology shapes the global era's well-being; nevertheless, as it excavates the culture

of individual well-being, it has begun to enter people's cultural preferences and habits. According

to (Orbe, 2013), mass media and technology are culture changing agents. That being said, mass-

mediated visuals on television and devices such as news, soap operas, situation comedies,

dramas, talk programs, athletic events, and so on, may have a significant impact on how people

perceive themselves and others. Some may argue that technology and media are the primary

sources of entertainment for individuals. However, we can't dispute that it has an impact; to some

extent, it is a cultural changer. An article entitled The Role and Influence of Mass Media (2015)

argued that media, particularly the screens that people gaze at, is a key power in modern culture.

Having said that, Brienza and Revers (2016), both sociologists, refer to this as 'mediated culture,'

in which media both reflects and creates culture. As media has become an increasingly important

part of our life, the layer of cultural influences on Filipinos mounted substantially. The media

subtly implies a sense of inferiority to Filipinos, particularly when what we see on screens

reminds us of how our former invaders designed our identity and culture inferior to theirs. We

are reminded of our flaws—that supremacy is not on our side, but rather goes against our

original identity and culture. As a result, we prefer to look up to other ways and adapt to them

since they make us feel comfortable and at ease. That is why, even now, the chain of colonized

minds persists since we still lack appreciation for our own beauty and many Filipinos are obliged
to seek other identities. Even if our invaders are no longer on our soil, mass media has warped

minds, impeding the revival and recovery of the Filipino identity within us.

4. Korean Wave, the contemporary culture imperialism

The 'Korean wave,' or the fast spread of Korean popular culture in the form of Korean

drama, dance, music, and fan clubs for Korean stars, among other things, is prevalent in present

era, particularly in the Philippines (Rise of Korea's Cultural Economy & Pop Culture, 2021).

Some Filipinos argued that the Korean wave is nothing more than a fad—a craze, an intense and

widely shared excitement for something. However, from the standpoint of Korea as a powerful

nation attempting to spread its culture, and especially that Filipinos who known to be receptive to

these influences. Thus, Korean wave is gradually becoming a tool of Cultural Imperialism in the

Philippines as theorized by Igno and Cenidoza (2016). Furthermore, the wave of Korean culture

to the Filipino has been increasingly diversified in recent decades as reported by Interaksyon

(2019). As a result, it exhibits a wide spectrum of aesthetic and behavioral

adapted characteristics mirrored to the Filipinos. In terms of colonial mentality, it illustrates that

the world, and individual countries, are being colonized in terms of perspective and mentality;

not physically the same as when Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese conquered us.
References:

Barrameda, I. (2018, May 8). How The Philippines’ Colonial History Lives On In The English

Language. BuzzFeed; BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/inabarrameda/inglisera-

philippines-american-colonialism

Brienza, C., & Revers, M. (2016). The Field of American Media Sociology: Origins,

Resurrection, and Consolidation. Sociology Compass, 10(7), 539–552.

https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12384

Colonial Mentality in the Philippines. (2017, April 2). The Mind of the Garrett; the mind of the

garrett. https://themindofthegarrett.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/colonial-mentality-in-the-

philippines/

Igno, J.-A. M., & Cielo E. Cenidoza, M. (2016). Beyond the “Fad”: Understanding Hallyu in the

Philippines. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 6(9), 723–727.

https://doi.org/10.18178/ijssh.2016.6.9.740

Interaksyon. (2019, December 3). Reasons why Filipinos love Korean culture and products.

Interaksyon. https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-

spotlights/2019/12/03/158231/philippines-filipinos-korean-hallyu-no-brand/

Orbe, M. (2013). Media and Culture: The “Reality” of Media Effects. Undefined;

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Media-and-Culture%3A-The-

%E2%80%9CReality%E2%80%9D-of-Media-Effects-

Orbe/f369984a590ed78e95a8202a916dcc3a9cc4e8e7
Quimpo, N. (n.d.). Colonial Name, Colonial Mentality and Ethnocentrism.

https://cids.up.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/Colonial-Name-Colonial-Mentality-and-

Ethnocentrism-vol.4-no.1-Jan-June-2000-2.pdf

Rafael, V. L. (2018). Colonial Contractions: The Making of the Modern Philippines, 1565–

1946. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History.

https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.013.268

Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy & Pop Culture. (2021, October 20). Martin Roll.

https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-

cultural-economy-pop-culture/

Singson, F. (2017). Colonialsim’s Role in the Success of the Filipino Skin Whitening Industry.

Auctus: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship.

https://doi.org/10.25886/JBZG-3742

Shroff, H., Diedrichs, P. C., & Craddock, N. (2018). Skin Color, Cultural Capital, and Beauty

Products: An Investigation of the Use of Skin Fairness Products in Mumbai,

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