BROWN IS BEAUTIFUL

She was going to a high school dance. Her dress was gorgeous. Her hair was a masterpiece. She is dating a handsome youngman who cares deeply about her. Yet with all this, she was almost in tears. I asked her what was wrong. She told me, through the pain, that she wished that for one day she could be WHITE.

It is normal of young people to be very critical of themselves. They often want this a little bigger or that a little smaller. This is a normal part of growing up and finding your own identity. What bothers me this obsession with white skin is not limited to young people. The store shelves here in the Philippines are filled with soaps and lotions that “whiten” skin. There are TV commercials for white skin treatments. All your major movies stars have “light” colored skin.

I am not intelligent enough to know why there seems to be this national obsession with white skin. Is it a remnant of colonialism when the ruling class was light skinned? Is it a desire to meet some standard of beauty created by nonFilipinos? Is it merely the desire to be different or exotic? I do not know. I do know I will never get use to children rubbing my skin as if it had magical properties.

Let me give you a little perspective. First the majority of the world is NOT white. Second, dark skin protects the person from skin cancer. Naturally dark skin is healthy. Finally some of the world’s most beautiful women are NOT white. Halle Berry is said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. She is only the most current non-white beauty to capture that title. Every year American women spend BILLIONS of dollars and many long hours in the sun trying to get that beautiful dark skin that is natural to most Filipinas. My Philippine sisters you should glory in your beautiful skin color. God has blessed you. Walk proud and if that jerk wants a white skinned woman, he is not worthy of you anyway. There is someone out there that thinks YOU are the most beautiful woman in the world, brown skin included.