For centuries, Filipino skin color has been shaped by eurocentric standards. Lighter skin was framed as desirable, while browner skin were seen as something to "fix." This mindset still lingers today, from whitening products in pharmacies and sari-sari stores to casual comments about being "too dark" around the dinner table. But who can we blame? These beauty standards are echoes of a long-standing colonial hierarchy.

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Nowhere is this more evident than in the enduring image of Maria Clara from the 1887 novel Noli Me Tángere by José Rizal, which is still taught in schools across the Philippines. She is portrayed as innocent and delicate, with fair skin, becoming the blueprint for the "ideal Filipina." Yet many fail to realize that her character is partly Spanish, explaining her lighter complexion.

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Over time, Maria Clara evolved into a figure that shaped what Filipinas were expected to look like in order to be considered beautiful. Her image has outlived its origins and continues to shape modern beauty standards through advertising, film, beauty campaigns, and everyday language. It is time these standards are questioned, as a new generation begins to redefine Filipino identity through the embrace of morena and moreno skin tones we are born with. They have always been more than enough- beautiful and central to who we are.

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A shift like this is essential for our sense of self. Being a teenager can be brutal, and growing up in an environment where lighter skin is unconsciously rewarded does not make it any easier.

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For many, growing up meant learning that brown skin was something to be ashamed of.

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Filipino media, as well as media anywhere else in the world, is shaped by systems of visibility. Who is taken seriously and who is given access often depends on who is seen in media, from everyday news to Facebook or Instagram. Yet, Filipino media culture still has a long way to go when it comes to reflecting the diversity of skin tones in this country.

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On the other side of Maria Clara, we need to remind ourselves that we also have historical figures such as Tandang Sora and Kumander Liwayway, who remind us that courage and resistance have never belonged to one skin tone. Or pre-colonial narratives like Princess Urduja, who continues to remain a feminist icon.

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Today, the question of representation continues in real time. Across creative industries, such as content creation, fashion, and photography, the younger generations is beginning to challenge the idea that Filipino beauty is filtered through Eurocentric ideals. Not by adapting to existing expectations, but by expanding what those spaces can look like. One example is 35-year-old photographer Hannah Morales in her photo series 'Shelter from the Storm', where she captures everyday Filipino people.

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Even though a growing generation are challenging what beauty in Filipino skin tone means, we must remind ourself that this work must continue.

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Perhaps what feels most radical now is also the simplest, to exist in morena skin and own it- so maybe it is finally time to let go of that old whitening cream that has been sitting on your bathroom shelf forever?

Brown skin was never the question. The question is why it still needs defending.