If you go to such a "bebe"- beach here in the Philippines it's the other way around - the people are admiring white skin. White in Cebuano and Tagalog means "puti". In the Philippines many products (not only lotion, also soap and even pills) are sold to "whiten" your skin. Puti is considered better. Marrying a white man is like stepping up the social and economical ladder, mixed children are seen more valuable, precious and better prepared for society. The ambition is to be like an American, like in the movies and TV: rich, handsome and superior. Sometimes Americans are presented like the saviors of the country that brought democracy. Furthermore, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary looked like Americans with their white skin and their long noses.
One of the cultural traits of the Philippines, possibly fostered by some centuries of colonial rule, is that of valuing things from abroad higher than their home produced counterparts. This is called the "colonial mentality" or the "stateside mentality". It doesn't refer only to skin color but to so many imported products (and apparently German products have a very good reputation).
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