While Germans use every ray of sun to get some tan Filipinos are avoiding the sun if possible. In Germany brown skin resembles "holidays" or having the time and the money for a nice vacation. Also the idea of being healthy goes hand in hand with a nice tan, maybe because you have to spend time outside with "fresh air" (if you want to get tan the natural way). You can find many lotions that help you to get darker skin. This advertisement from bebe for example includes a nice beach with tropical flowers, coconut trees and sunglasses in the background. And the product is called "holiday skin" :) And in a holiday place where you can find nice beaches, coconut trees and tropical flowers locals don't want to be tanned.
This filipino ad says "Actually I'm not white... BUT thanks to SILKA I BECAME WHITE".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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