“You have a girl, but she’s on the dark side…” these were the first words I heard in this beautiful planet called earth. Legend has it that these were the words uttered by my mother’s gynecologist upon seeing me emerge from my mother’s C-section.
You see, my mother is very fair and is often mistaken for a non-Filipina. She’s not gorgeous but she’s so fair Filipino’s find her attractive (you know how it is in the
Philippines). Now my lola is of the same color, and even my lolo whom my lola calls ‘native’ and ‘bisoy’ is fair as well. Needless to say I am the darkest in the family (i’m also the shortest but that’s a different story altogether) and it’s quite hard to forget it.
Why do people place so much premium on fairness? Why do I place such a high premium on it? Sure I wouldn’t go as far as buying Likas Papaya or Splash Whitening something but I did buy an SPF 90 sunblock which I apply religiously (every 30 minutes) every time I do any outdoor activity. I rationalize and say that I have really dark features (deep set eyes, dark hair, etc) and look better and cleaner with fairer features…but in reality it’s all bullshit and it doesn’t matter consequently. I’d still be in the same job whether I was darker or fairer. I’d have the same friends, I’d marry the same guy, I’d be carrying the same kids (but maybe a few shades lighter…) hehehe.
That’s why I found Ruy so attractive when we were just dating. He was the only guy I’ve ever dated who didn’t care too much about appearances. (Yeah yeah so I’ve been dating stupid men, I know that now). Initially it was a bit frustrating cause I was so used to guys caring so much about appearances, and here was a guy who barely looked at my newly blowdried hair and only noticed that I had green eyes (contacts people) 4 weeks after I started wearing them. Then it became liberating…then it became wonderful. Imagine having someone who tells you you’re beautiful and you know it has nothing to do with the way you applied your eyeshadow…haaaaaaaaay
I Love it When You Talk Back