The Impact of Whitening Cosmetics on Filipino Culture: Westernized Beauty Standards Through Historical, Cultural & Abstract Forces

This paper focuses on the forces that enable the whitening cosmetic industry to succeed and influence Philippine women’s beauty standards and societal norms. It examines the historical and cultural factors that represent fair skin in the Philippines, theorised through Edward Said’s theory of “Orientalism” (1978) and Stuart Hall’s framework of “Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices” (1997). Furthermore, by incorporating Deleuze and Guattari’s abstract concept of smooth and striated spaces, the paper examines how cultural phenomena like Philippine gossip culture (“tsismosa”) intersect with controlled, regulated structures such as multinational corporations, which capitalise on the desire for fair skin. The research investigates how the whitening industry perpetuates Western beauty standards, fosters colorism, distorts beauty ideals, and erases the natural representation of the Filipino people. This paper aims to gain understanding of the complex nature of skin as more than just a biological entity.