SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING

Solomon P. Lozada National High School

Senior High School Department

Colorism: Skin Color Discrimination in the Philippines

Submitted to :

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

Research Subject

Grade 11 STEM

______________________
Research Teacher

(IKAW NA BAHALA)
 CHAPTER 1

The Problem and Its Background

Introduction

Philippine development was boosted by colonialism identity in terms of culture. The

oppressive conditions of Spanish colonialism (1548-1898) and American colonialism (1898-

1945) developed Filipino national consciousness (Dolan, 1993; and Steinberg, 1972). Filipino

natives of all ethnic backgrounds and social classes banded together to fight for their right to own

and lead their homeland (Steinberg, 1972). In addition, Filipinos recovered their cultural identity

by referring to themselves as "Filipinos" rather than "Indios," a derogatory word used by Spanish

colonizers to refer to the Philippines' indigenous people (Dolan, 1993).

However, colonialism hindered Filipinos' progress toward the ultimate stage of cultural

identity development. In this stage, called cultural identity achievement, Fong (2004) explains that

individuals have already resolved identity crisis. Identity crisis, according to Fong, occurs when

individuals' perception of themselves in relation to their ethnicity, culture, or race comes in conflict

with others' perceptions. As Filipinos developed national consciousness and resisted White

Western domination during the colonial period, Filipinos also acquired a mentality that idealized

whiteness (Illo, 1998; Rafael, 1995; Rimonte, 1997; and Root, 1997). Filipino minds shaped to

embrace whiteness by colonists who taught them to revere white icons such as the Christian God

and light-skinned Hollywood celebrities, which represented beauty, intelligence, prosperity, and

power. (David, 2002; Illo, 1998; Pedero, 2003; Root, 1997) Since Filipinos are a non-white race

as a whole, their idealization of whiteness ran counter to their sense of themselves. In this regard,

Filipinos experienced identity crisis that has persisted throughout the postcolonial ' period.
 Filipinos, at present, continue to adhere to white symbolical meanings. The Philippine media

has taken over the former Western colonial masters in spreading ideas that value white skin. The

Philippine mass media particularly reproduce and reinforce the association of a white skin tone

with beauty, as well as nurture Filipinos' desire to be white through skin whitening cosmetic

advertisements (Illo, 1998; and Pedero, 2003).

Skin-whitening cosmetic advertisements, thus, suggest that skin color determines individuals'

character and social status. They also obfuscate the realities of inequality that maintain nonwhite

people's subordination. The unequal connection between Whites and non-whites is attributed to

skin color rather than white dominance, according to skin-whitening cosmetic advertising.

Studies of skin-whitening cosmetic commercials in the United States also show that these ads

target individuals of color, notably Black women, who have historically developed self-hatred as

a result of unfavorable images in the mainstream American media. Prior to the mass production

and marketing of skin-whitening cosmetics, African American women used lye, acidic materials,

and "homemade mixtures of lemon juice, bleach, or urine" to lighten their skin. (Russell, Wilson,

& Hall, 1992, p. 50) and swallowing arsenic wafers. Black women's struggle to change their

physical appearance manifests Black women's rejection of themselves due to their dark skin tone.

At the same time, because skin tone distinguishes race, such behavior reveals Black women's

rejection of their racial identity. In this regard, studies in the United States reveal that the

idealization of whiteness in skin-whitening cosmetic commercials affects non-white women's self-

concept as well as their cultural identity formation.

To summarize, skin-whitening cosmetic commercials reinforce the link of a white skin tone

with ideal human traits and a dark skin tone with undesirable human attributes, perpetuating the

white domination over non-whites. Skin-whitening cosmetic advertisements' reproduction of

images that show the bipolar oppositions between whites and non-whites adversely affect the

latter, whose self-esteem diminishes. Because they are the major target of skin-whitening cosmetic

commercials, Black women suffer from low self-esteem more than Black men.

The sense of whiteness is shared by Filipino women with dark skin tones and African American

women. In Filipino society, the association of white skin tone with attractiveness makes non-white

Filipino women feel inferior, especially when dealing with men. (David, 2002). Non-white

Filipino women, like Black women in the United States, lack pride in themselves and their cultural

identity. They purchase skin-whitening cosmetics to transform themselves according to the white

ideal image of femininity (Pedero, 2003; and Philippine Dermatological Society, 2004).

The identity issue that Filipinos face in the postcolonial period is compounded by the

idealization of whiteness. Idealizing whiteness prevents Filipinos from appreciating the diversity

that defines their cultural identity, from releasing their culture from Western dominance, and from

building pride in their culture and identity. While idealizing whiteness affects both men and

women in the Philippines, it has a stronger impact on the latter. Because the belief that a white

skin tone is the ideal image of femininity is perpetuated in Filipino cultural practices and the

Philippine mass media, Filipino women fight to seem white. Since the ruling class has

institutionalized whiteness, whiteness has also become equated with wealth and power. In this

regard, whiteness intersects with the dominant ideologies of race, gender, and class.
Purpose of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Limitations of the Study

Definition of Terms

Colonialism – is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to

another.

Derogatory – is an expressive of a low opinion

Femininity – qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women.

Hindered – create difficulties for (someone or something), resulting in delay or obstruction.

Obfuscate – to make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally

Postcolonial Period – the historical period or state of affairs representing the aftermath of Western

colonialism

Prosperity – is success or the state of success, especially financial or material success.

(DUNGAGI DAKAN)