The Perception of Beauty

Left with an entire day to do nothing but chill on the beach, Resa and I had a few good conversations. One that I thought would be interesting to share was about the perception of beauty. I realize how cliche that sounds, but our talk wasn't so much philosophical as it was comparative...so don't get turned off just yet.

Beauty is a funny thing. There are some things that most people would agree are beautiful. Take Shakira, for example. However, we all know the truth behind the age old adage, "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder." So when I tell my mom that I love Andy Samberg and can't wait to marry him, she wrinkles her nose. Ahh, beauty.

Here in the Philippines, I've noticed a few different things that surprised me when it comes to physical beauty.

First of all, straight hair is a must. All of the commercials, the girls on TV, the ones on billboards...hair straight as a pin and smooth as silk. Salons broadcast signs outside their doors advertising their latest and greatest solution for hair straighter than ever before. I've been told that messy hair invites people to assume that you're edgy. A rebel. And apparently another way to be perceived as so is to wear lipstick and eyeliner (oh my, so rebellious!) because "good" girls only wear lip gloss.

Second, white skin. Ohhh do people go crazy over this. So while back home people use tanning lotion and go to tanning beds, Filipinos (this includes men) use whitening soap (Dove makes a  popular one), whitening lotion, and some even go to special skin therapy treatments to make their skin "milky white." I was reading through a nail salon's spa offerings and came across "Underarm Whitening." (Err...) When I learned of this I found it quite amusing...but was met with equal amusement from my cousins when they heard Americans go to tanning booths. "Tanning booths?" they asked. "What do you do there?" They told me that if someone is newly famous, it doesn't take long before they have much lighter skin than when they first emerged as a star. I've heard from several people that the reason for this is as a developing nation, people in the Philippines look up to the Western World. They're looking to emulate what they see from "successful" countries.

Lastly, body image. (This one appeals to me because I too am a foodie.) Unlike the stars back home, here the celebrities come in a range of body types. While there are some stick-skinny superstars here, many (if not most) have regular body types. Some even bigger than average. The Philippines is a country of food and life here revolves around it. (Rice, specifically. And lots of meat.) There is breakfast, lunch, merienda (3:00 snack...which always ends up being the size of a regular meal), dinner, and snacks inbetween. You walk into someone's home and are immediately greeted with the question: "What do you want to eat?" No one is shy about taking extra helpings. When I leave the Philippines, I won't ever forget the countless scenes of my laughing aunts pulling out the kitchen chairs as they look at me and say, "Let's eat."

So I guess as always when one travels, I've stumbled across something new to be aware of about the world. The contrast between cultures has just reinforced what I already knew: everyone has the power to decide what is beautiful.