Lauren Baker
Grand Canyon University
Across the Filipino/a/x diaspora, members of the community have struggled with the recurrence of colonial mentality and intergenerational trauma. Within the history of the archipelago, the Philippines has experienced generations of colonial presence, violence, and the loss of cultural identity. As a result, members of the Filipino community in the status quo may feel motivated to stifle their Filipino heritage out of shame and self-preservation, because the Philippines has historically been treated and perceived as inferior, or a means to an end. One of the ways that colonial mentality has manifested itself is in the skin whitening industry, in which products containing certain ingredients decrease the amount of melanin present in the skin. However, the skin whitening industry has become a public health crisis, disproportionately affecting women across the diaspora by establishing Eurocentric beauty standards. This interdisciplinary reflection will consider the disciplines of history, economics, and sociology to understand how colonial mentality within a Filipina experience has perpetuated itself, and help discover a path toward empowerment within personal ethnic identity.