That's so true! We, Filipinos, have been "brainwashed" to have this perception that "white" is equivalent to "beautiful". That compared to darker skin, the whiter skin will surely stand out. We have been made not to love our own skin, because TV ads and even TV shows and movies flaunt the beauty of models and celebrities with whiter skin, and some of those who have darker skin are made fun of.
Whitening products, such as lotions and soaps, even this glutathione medicines that will help whiten one's skin are all over the shops in the Philippines. I don't see any whitening product here in Australia (of course, they're already "white").
What is common here is "tanning" lotion and body spray. This is really funny. We, Filipinos, like to have whiter skin, and the Caucasians want to be tanned. It's our own mindset. We tend not to like our own skin, or we tend not to be happy or content with what we already have.
Like me, I used to buy these whitening products when I was over there. And I also used to be jealous of women who have thick curly or wavy hair, that I wish I had curly hair. I don't think that way anymore. For me, I am secure of myself, because I know, just like everybody else, I am wonderfully made and designed by God.
that's why I don't want my children to be influenced by that kind of mindset.I want them to laugh at it like it's an old wives tales.