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Afro-Filipina Challenges Beauty Stereotypes With Hashtag #MagandaMorenx

Heather Johnson Yu

Heather Johnson Yu

October 30, 2017

    Asian America Daily - in under 5 minutes

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    Meet Asia Jackson.

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    Jackson, who has a Filipina mother and an African-American father, is a model/actress who is proud of her unique heritage.

    Recently, the Los Angeles native made headlines for her uplifting hashtag, #MagandangMorenx (Beautiful Brown Person in Tagalog).

    “The reason why I wanted to start this hashtag is so that I could inspire other people who look like me, other Filipinos who look like me, to also love their skin because it’s really, really difficult to do that when you have your mom telling you, ‘Oh, don’t go outside, you’ll get too dark,'” Jackson told AJ+. “And you have all these billboards and things telling you to whiten your skin.”

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    “There’s a lot of indigenous Filipinos that look exactly like I do,” she continued, explaining that dark skin should be embraced as beautiful. “They have curly hair, they have dark skin like I do.”

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    And although other Filipinos have come forward to try to break the stereotypes that wrongfully suggest dark skin isn’t beautiful, colorism is still a prevalent issue in the Philippines. One study found that 50% of women in the Philippines use skin whitening products, while more qualitative reports show that many Filipinas believe their lives will be better if their skin is whiter.

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    “I knew that colorism was such a huge issue in the Filipino community and I felt like no one was really talking about it.”

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    “It’s time for it to go.”

    And with that, Jackson decided to start the hashtag, inviting others to share their stories, photos, and celebrate the radiant skin they’re in.

    Thousands eagerly answered her call, tweeting photos and accounts of how they came to realize that their skin was just as beautiful as anyone else’s.

    Even Filipino men joined in, showcasing their beautiful skin as well.

    Jackson is happy with the results of the hashtag and hopes that she has generated a larger conversation about embracing dark-skinned beauty.

    Asia Jackson Twitter

    “I just want everyone to feel super confident in their skin and really embrace what it means to be Filipino.”

    Feature Image via Instagram / aasian

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