“Women often face stringent beauty standards, and this has commonly been heightened amongst women of colour. Asian women are frequently sexualized as ‘exotic’, but yet have to maintain the fantasy of being demure and pure. One of the main intricate links between beauty standards, identity, and colonialism is colourism…colourism not only is harmful in the construction of self-worth, confidence, and economic opportunities to women of colour, but also poses public health risks, as we shall discuss in this article.”

Colourism is alive and well in the Filipino beauty pageant culture as witnessed in the recent Miss Universe 2020 controversies. Journalist Nicole Marie Valdez discusses personal experiences, the colonial history of the Philippines, and the need for human compassion in times like these.