Dark Skin? White Skin? It’s Your Choice!

I was actually born a morena. I was bullied in school because I was “negra”. Breezed thru grade school and high school constantly being teased. In college, the color of my skin didn’t matter because there were other foreigners who had darker skin than me. I learned how to wear light make-up as well as how to dress up to flaunt my figure. I had good grades and participated in several student body activities. I became one of the popular girls in college despite being morena. In fact, some girls envied my skin color and no matter how much tanning lotion they used, or how long they stayed under the sun, the outcome wasn’t as what they’ve wanted it to be. Of course, I was proud of my native skin color!

When I was in my late 30s, several skin bleaching products came out in the market. Let’s just say I wanted to explore and so I tried a few and then found this particular papaya soap which was very effective in lightening the skin. True to its words – “See visible results in as early as 2 weeks!”, and after using it for several months, my skin color changed from “dark to white”! I was, of course, amazed!

Until now whilst trying out new “whitening products”, I still feel more beautiful and confident with my “lightened skin color”. Under the sun, I “glow” like a mestiza. I am of Spanish-Chinese-Filipino descent, by the way. It’s like it has given me a new image, one that I like and happy about.

Yes, I embraced being a morena when I was young even though some people taunted me. But when the “discover yourself” time came about, I explored the other side of the coin. I’ve never been so happy!

You see, it was my choice. No one pushed me to do it. And I’m so glad that I made the “switch”!

Your story might be different from me. But, if you’re bothered about your skin color, it is only you who can decide if you want to stay that way or to make the first step to change. It all boils down to what will make you happy inside and out.

When I attended the launch of SkinWhite’s newest TV Commercial, their aim didn’t sink in immediately. Only after the hype on social media did I understand different opinions and came to the conclusion that it is one’s choice that will matter in the end.

Watch the new SkinWhite ad below:

One would wonder why a skin whitening brand such as SkinWhite would dare to say that dark skin is beautiful. “It’s all about choice”, says Rachelle Layda, Marketing Manager for Whitening of Splash Corporation. “SkinWhite is a brand that empowers women to choose. A choice to define their own standard of beauty. If you choose to have dark skin, you are beautiful. If you choose to have white skin, you are just as beautiful. The choice is yours, and SkinWhite respects that choice”.

This inclusivity is refreshing and speaks volume, especially at a time when shaming and bullying are prevalent across social media. Bashers and haters abound online with no agenda but to shame in all forms and ways – body-shaming, hair-shaming, race-shaming, gender-shaming, and yes, also skin-shaming. “This is precisely the stigma that we wish to change. Skin color should not be about one being better than the other”, adds Pam Sulit, Splash Corporation’s VP for Marketing.

“White and dark are both beautiful,” confirms Rachel Villanueva, Creative Director of Petch & Partners, the creative agency that created this campaign for SkinWhite. She continues, “It’s about time that dark skin and white skin get the same adoration and acknowledgment.”

There has never been an outright claim that DARK IS BEAUTIFUL. And for the statement to come from a skin whitening brand, it should be easy for others to follow suit. And for those who choose that WHITE IS BEAUTIFUL, there’s a due acknowledgment that they’re simply taking control of their beauty too. And why not? Wear your skin, whichever way you choose. Because DARK OR WHITE, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

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