Black is Beautiful?

Black is Beautiful?

As Miss Angola was crowned Miss Universe it caused collective disappointment which placed its big hope on the Philippines representative, Ms. Shamsey Supsup.  Being one of four black persons adjudged the most beautiful in the universe in the past 60 years, the ratio of black winners greatly favors those of races of lighter skin tones.  All physical and intellectual assets being equal, non-white is handicapped when pitted against women from the West at least in this one   beauty contest.

This is not really a surprise considering that those in beauty product business have lined up their pockets with billions from women who desire a fairer complexion.  Don’t you ever wonder why Caucasians have to fly halfway around the world to get the sought after tan in Boracay or Palawan?  While Filipinos with their almost bronzed complexion have to shell out hard earned money to spend on melathion, gluthation and other chemically induced formula to whiten their complexion.

Pioneered by local manufacturers early in the sixties, the whitening formulation easily caught fire among  users that now practically all multinational brands have created their own versions.  Understandably, these variants of well-known French and American brands are formulated solely for the Philippine market. Heavily advertised, they are endorsed by fair complexioned movie stars who have no need for the product in the first place.

As a people we have always put values on fair complexion that parents expectantly hope that their first-born will not turn out to be “baluga o sunog-araw”.   This is simply a reinforcement of cultural values that place handsome price tags on those with fair complexion.

Now that considerable educational efforts are initiated to foster equality regardless of color or racial origin, this specific bias on skin complexion still affects many of us.  Blame the combined forces of dermatologists and cosmetic companies that pour billions in advertising and promotions to flaunt that white are unquestionably beautiful.

Liberal do-gooders in classrooms and politics have a daunting  task to sell the idea that beauty have nothing to do with the skin color.  And position against the unending barrage of propaganda and promotions that hold dear that light complexion open the door to romance and fame, that will be a tough selling job indeed.