In the Philippines, white love is the admiration, or rather obsession, of Filipinos towards white skin; be it wanting to see people around them having a lighter complexion or yearning to have a pale skin color themselves. This is deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche and is said to have developed because of the country’s colonization of predominantly white skin-colored nations such as Spain, USA, and Japan for almost four centuries. White love is rampant until this day, and despite being free from colonization as a country, the perception of Filipinos towards those of whiter skin as “superior” and seeing themselves as “inferior” to them is a long-lasting trauma that has been passed on after several generations of the post-colonial period. The media is one of those to blame for amplifying white love in the Philippines, and because of the constant exposure of this to Filipinos, they have developed this too. It is only until recently that more people are becoming vocal about their concerns with white love. An example of this is in the essay “Under My Invisible Umbrella” by Laurel Fantauzzo, wherein instances that white love was overtly expressed were enumerated. The way the writer frames her experiences as an Italian-Filipino who grew up in the United States provides fresh lenses for its readers to see her point-of-view as a white mixed-raced Filpino in the Philippines. She notices the physical manifestations of white love in the country and the dangers that this poses to not only those practicing it but also those at the receiving end of this subconscious yet toxic Filipino mindset.

 

Firstly, white love is a danger because it glorifies the colonized standards of beauty in the Philippines. In “Under My Invisible Umbrella,” the writer points out briefly that she sees skin-whitening beauty advertisements everywhere. As a tropical country, living very close to the equator where it's either hot or rainy, but still humid all year long, you would expect the average Filipino to have tanned skin because of the climate. This is what is natural to the Philippines as the melanin in their skin is supposed to protect them from the sun. Yet, beauty brands continuously bombard them with skin-whitening products along with very white models to promote these in their commercials to heighten their insecurities. If they are insecure and feel the need to be whiter, they’ll buy more from these beauty brands, thus increasing the company’s sales, which is their main goal. For some moreno/morena (tanned-skin) Filipinos, who can’t afford to spend hundreds of thousands of pesos to get their skin to be whiter, are left with low self-esteem and confidence because wherever they turn to, they see posters and billboards telling them that they are not enough. This could lead to a majority of them developing mental health issues such as depression and body dysmorphia which is overall detrimental to their well-being. There are also cases wherein those who have the money to spend, risk getting their skin whitened with questionable procedures that aren’t natural to their body. The media representation is so lacking in terms of moreno/morena celebrities. Even those who started off as a little more on the tanned-skin side like Kathryn Bernardo slowly got paper-white after a few years of being the model for skin-whitening products. Anyone could easily shatter mentally when they get tired of not being able to conform to the Filipino colonized standard of beauty. Secondly, white love is a danger because it is colorism. Colorism is when we discriminate against people because of their skin color. In “Under My Invisible Umbrella,” Filipinos discriminate against their own people with tanned skin like how the waiter in the cafe immediately assumed that the tanned-skin Filipinos who sat on the chairs didn’t have enough money to afford something in the cafe. While the waiter assumed that the writer was more deserving of that seat in their cafe and even let her stay there for hours whilst only paying forty pesos. This could be rooted in classism as well because we immediately assume that those with white skin are rich or have a higher status than those with tanned or dark skin which we see as lower-class people. This is such an outdated way of thinking that we need to get rid of. Also, in the first place, we are all equal. Treating people differently based on how we perceive their social status, and wealth to be is unfair and discriminatory. Even if the writer could easily take advantage of the situation and silently enjoy her benefits as a white person, she voiced out that she feels alienated because of white love. Many could feel this way too, which is why colorism should not be tolerated, and people who practice this must be educated before they subconsciously or intentionally harm others. Lastly, too much focus on physical appearance and skin color undermine what truly matters which is one's personality and attitude. In “Under My Invisible Umbrella,” people always assumed that the writer was not Filipina because of how she looked. It was always the first thing that people noticed. It might be an unintentional habit to some, but as she said so herself, she identifies more as a Filipina than her Caucasian counterpart, so she wishes that people treat her like one. Being sensitive to others’ feelings is something we should be warier about. Focusing only on how they look and bluntly commenting about it is something that we should lessen more of. The thought of someone feeling conscious that they aren’t white or pretty enough is very disheartening, same goes for someone uncomfortable in the skin color that is providing her with special treatment that she doesn’t want. 

 

At the end of the day, we can’t always blame the media and beauty brands for white love as we are the ones who are practicing it. We need to be more self-aware as well and learn to correct our mindsets once we are called out for its toxicity. Admitting to our prejudices and mistakes is not something to be ashamed of. What’s worth ridiculing though, is someone who was already educated on the matter of white love and colorism, but still tolerates this despite knowing its dangers. Be someone who speaks out and educates, not someone who stays silent and tolerates.