For one thing, we have a cover shot that actually shows a lot of water (last year's summer issue had adorable Kiian gracing the cover, but he didn't like the water one bit; hence, all that got wet -- and by "wet" here I mean the wisik-wisik kind as this was all that the baby would permit -- were some of his curly locks). SM Star Baby contest winner Samantha Sayson, as photographed by Kristin Rodriguez at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, loved the water and almost didn't want to get out of the pool when the photo shoot was over.
Also, there's much to be said about the current obsession that many Pinoys seem to have with skin color -- specifically, with whitening. Is brown complexion something to be ashamed of? Judging from billboards and other print ads, some marketers are working to brainwash Filipinos into making white skin the standard of beauty. (Our cover baby for this month was blindingly white when I first met her at the SM awarding ceremony; she's still fair-skinned on the cover, and pictorial and cover lineups notwithstanding, it would have been much better to put a brown cutie on this month's cover to make that "Ang itim-itim mo!" line really powerful , but anyway....)
I love the positive and concise manner in which writer Meg Murrf Trinidad tackled the issue in "Going beyond skin deep with your kids." Go and grab a copy of the April issue, if only for this wonderful and enlightening read.
I put down my 2 cents worth on this matter, and I'm posting it here (click on image to enlarge).
4 comments:
Hey! I'm just glad that being dark(er)'s more accepted today, at least in the city. We have yet to remind our friends from the provinces that brown totally rocks :)
At its root, I think, the phenomenon of skin color obsession — which is, of course, hardly new — is a manifestation of original sin.
Recall that the Tenth Commandment prohibits coveting thy neighbor's goods; it's not too much of a stretch to broaden this to include skin color.
As a white American guy married to a first-generation Filipino-American, this post prompted me to recall that when my wife and I were getting ready for our wedding in August 2001, her mom warned her not to spend too much time in the sun that summer, lest she look too dark at her wedding.
Jocelyn's response to her mom was to politely say, "Thanks, but no thanks, for the advice."
i really liked meg's article on skin color. it's true that parents really tell their kids not to play outdoors too much because "you'll get dark." playing under the sun for hours can be bad for the health (sunburn and skin cancer), but most people simply focus on becoming too dark as the reason to not play outdoors.
i have a cousin who is obsessed about becoming white. i find it sad that in family pictures, she's first to point out that she's so dark, as if it's a bad thing. :(
Well, for what it's worth, in photos being dark is actually a good thing if you want to be the first to get noticed in a sea of whiteness ;-)
In terms of dressing naman, being dark is a good thing as well since it emphasizes the person wearing the clothes. When one is fair-skinned, it's somewhat the other way around -- the clothes happen to have a body underneath them... or something like that. It's easier to notice the clothes more (or first) than the person for some reason, unless the person carries himself/herself really well.
John, your MIL's comment is so typical here *I roll my eyes* but I am delighted to know of your wife's attitude about the matter, judging from her nonchalance about it :-)
Ivanish, so true! Brown skin rocks indeed :-)
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