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the greenhills tiangge area was swamped with customers.  you could find the latest styles in fashion, korean sandals sold around 350-400 and then there were the lacoste shirts and the crocs sold from 250-350.  i didn’t bother to check how much the crocs and the lacoste shirts were sold to be honest.  i find it interesting.  it reminded me of one my discussions with my thesis adviser.  nope, i am not against those who buy the imitation stuff i’m just against the whole colonial mentality stuff.  [look who's talking. as if i don't have it.hehe]

the whole notion of faking luxury and faking white for me is rooted in the colonial experience of the filipino.  most of the filipino women (including myself, for a time) thought that to be “in” one had to be fair (or white), reed-thin with long, straight hair.  so in this whitening quest, filipinas run to derm clinics, glutathione & metathione and the now ubiquitous dr. belo thinking that maybe they could pull it off.  check out any grocery store here in the philippines and one of the bestselling products today are the papaya soaps and other whitening products.  it has become one of the beauty industry’s top products.  whitening has quite a large following here in the philippines and for a month i was one of them until i woke up.

no i am not violently against those who slather whitening creams and use papaya soap.  i use sunblock daily and papaya soap every now and then.  i’m just hoping that one day the filipina will wake up and realize that her color is lovely and there is absolutely nothing wrong with not being white and not wearing a lacoste shirt. wink2x!!! hmm…i hope this wasn’t too much of a rambling. my train of thought is rather jumbled and i must sleep.

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