Confessions of a Whiteholic

I went to the bathroom and put some things that I got from the grocery to the cabinet beneath the sink. Since birth, I like to have my things in order. Let me clear it up though, I don't have OCD. Maybe a little. Hehe. So I fixed everything that was there to fit them all in. For some reason I saw this tiny box hiding from a pile of bottles of shampoos, conditioners, and lotions that I snuck out from hotels whenever I travel. Hahaha.

I am not endorsing Dra. Vicky Belo's product here. I just wanted to show you this picture because there is an interesting story behind it. I didn't realize that I still have one left of this whitening soap. As far as I remember, I asked my Ate from the Philippines around a couple of years ago to buy me some of this, and also whitening lotions.

Only in Asia will you see thousands of varieties of skin whitening products. There are even whitening pills, and to an extreme level, whitening surgical procedures. You would also see people outside on a hot sunny day with an umbrella to shield their silky white skin from the sun.

There's only one reason why. If you have fair skin, you are beautiful. That's really so odd when originally, Filipinos were born with brown skin. It must be from the influence of the Western countries that ruled our country before we won independence. It might also be from the influence of Hollywood like girls would want to be as pretty as Kristen Stewart or their local idol celebrity, Anne Curtis. There might be also the hierarchical idea that when you look mestiza or mestizo, you can fit in to the class A society. There are a lot of reasons why but it all boils down to this saying: "you always want what you don't have."


Growing up as a dark-skinned Filipina, when I reached the awkward stage of my life (high school), I would always go with my mom when she would do her grocery shopping just to buy my whitening essentials. The things on my checklist were, whitening facial wash, whitening facial moisturizer, whitening soap, whitening lotion, and even whitening deodorant. Sadly, I was insecure of my skin complexion. Thank God I was never bullied by my classmates because I was quite active in class and I made good friends. It's just sad that the "crush ng bayan, muse, cheerleaders" were all fair skinned. How unfair?

However, there came a turning point in my life that I got to stop that crazy obsession. I realized that I was blessed to be born with this kind of skin color, that God made me like this for a reason, and I finally understood all that when I met my husband. Fortunately, my husband prefers a morena! (: He is a Filipino who grew up in Japan but he never was attracted to Japanese girls. For him they're pretty and cute, however, they're just not his type. He would always remind me how beautiful my skin is and that I don't need to waste money to change the way I look. (parang nanalo ako sa lotto diba?pak!)

Moreover, when I moved to the states, I was not self-conscious anymore. People here appreciate black beauties more. It's funny because in here, you won't see any whitening products. They would rather fancy about having sun-kissed skin so you would only see a lot of tanning products available at stores. Nobody also covers themselves with umbrellas whenever they go under the sun. To them, that's just weird.

Most importantly, I have great confidence now because I believe that we are all beautiful! Whatever we may be, white, black, thin, heavy, tall, short, straight hair, curly hair, big eyes, chinky eyes, we are all equally and highly favored because we are all God's children. We are made in His image and likeness (Genesis 5:1-2). We should be content and appreciate what God has given us. Knowing this completely saved me from the bondage of all my insecurities.

My only piece of advice is always stay happy because there's nothing that can make you feel beautiful and radiant than when you're feeling good  from within. Keep a heart that is pure and white as the clouds. 

Thank you so much Lord for making me the way I am. Thank you to my husband too for always making me feel beautiful, validating the person that I am and my existence.

May you find this post inspirational and empowering.

xoxo,

Joselle