It has been observed that the child of a Filipino parent and a foreigner of a different race, often looks “more attractive” compared to the children of traditional-looking Filipinos with Austronesian body and facial types. I don’t know how often this is true and what percentage in the Philippine population this occurs.
Here is my answer (with pictures) to a question that came up recently: Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan's answer to What does an ordinary Filipino look like?
However, the real answer when it comes to selecting actors and actresses for promotion to celebrity status is that it is all up to the powers that be in the entertainment industry. The producers and talent scouts often pre-select potential actors based on their beauty or handsomeness and often, the best-looking teens or young actors are mixed-blood or mestizo Filipinos.
These candidates are then tested to see how talented they are in modeling, acting, speaking, singing, and/or hosting on local programs. Some of them are winners of special reality TV shows designed to bring out acting talents. Many of them who had wealthy parents may have gone through acting workshops or worked in the theater. Some who have very good singing voices can have a dual-career in acting and singing, for example, Regine Velasquez and Leah Salonga.
There are all sorts of skin tones and facial types among Filipino actors and actresses but the ones who become popular are those who have the following: (1) a very charming personality who can project an attractive character; (2) a good speaking voice and an ability to deliver memorized or impromptu lines, whether in English or Filipino or both, in an appealing and memorable manner; (3) has good kinetic and kinesthetic body coordination or has killer dance moves; (4) is versatile and easy to train to handle different kinds of acting, hosting, or stage roles; (5) has a distinctive facial look that will make them stand out, and this could be based on a foreign highlight or resemblance, especially lighter skin tones.
Not all of the popular actors and actresses resemble European demigods and goddesses (Chiquito, Dolphy, Nora Aunor, Aiza Seguerra, Vic Sotto, etc.). There are some who are so talented that they become famous even if they look very ordinary. If the prospective actor can’t act, sing, dance, or speak with sense in front of a camera, it doesn’t matter what he looks like, he won’t get enough projects or stay long in the competitive industry.
The term Filipino does not refer to a race, as those of other cultures might think, it refers to Filipino citizenship, nationality, and overall culture. The Filipino standard of beauty is varied among the different provinces and also changing fast in the modern era. There are now so many marriages and cross-breeding between Filipinos and foreigners that most Filipinos have a mixed appearance. Many modern Filipinos can look ambiguous as to nationality.
Remember those skin-whitening lotions that almost every other author here has highlighted and pointed to? Well, even if the actor who had all the above-listed characteristics was darker-skinned, it could be medically alleviated or modified over time and with enough expense.
Aside from the typically Asian cultural preference for lighter skin, there is also the deep-seated Filipino aversion to being dark-skinned because of its connotation to being a lowly field worker who has to always work in the hot sun. You see, traditionally, only the aristocratic datus or nobility and their house servants were sheltered from the harsh tropical sunlight. If you were an “alipin” (slave) or “alila” (indentured servant), you would prefer to be an “aliping-bahay” (house servant) instead of an “aliping-bukid” (field hand) because the latter had to work under the sun as a farmer, fisherman, forester, construction worker, common laborer, etc.
What do you think would happen to your lightly colored baby skin if you were out in the sunlight all day? What do you think other Filipinos will think is your economic and social status is if your skin is very dark? If you had your choice of menial jobs, would you rather be out in the hot sun or cleaning up and cooking for house guests inside a house or building?
If you had the ability to lighten the color of your skin, especially your neck, face, forearms, and legs, would you keep them dark compared to your torso and upper thighs which are rarely exposed to the sun? Or would you try to even out the different skin tones of your body so that the contrast between your permanently covered skin versus your deeply tanned skin isn’t so great?
Here is my answer to the above questions: Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan's answer to Why are Filipinos brown?
Below is a statement I wrote in an answer to another question: Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan's answer to As a Filipino, which ethnicities or nationality do you identify yourself the closest related to?
“Racial origin or racial mix is not important for Filipinos, but they do tend to favor or would like to have lighter-toned skin so they won’t look like they can’t get out of the sun.” Notice how Filipinos don’t like to sunbathe: they cover up with long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats if they need to be out in the sun too long whereas foreigners tend to go in the skimpiest outfit they can get away with.
Below is the final paragraph of the answer I wrote to the question: Selwyn Clyde M. Alojipan's answer to How has white supremacy impacted the Filipino culture?
“There is no psychological hangup among Filipinos over white foreigners who long ago invaded or conquered them because most of the white foreigners they encounter now are tourists or businessmen and traveling professionals. There is, however, a psychological hangup for Filipinos to lighten their skin color or even out their tanned or sunburned skin areas because they don’t want to appear so unfortunate as to have a menial job that keeps them out in the hot sun and gives them dark (tanned) and light-colored (untanned) areas of skin.”
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