Brown Skin, White Minds: Filipino - American Postcolonial Psychology

Filipino Americans have a long and rich history with and within the United States, and they are currently the second largest Asian group in the country.However, very little is known about how their historical and contemporary relationship with America may shape their psychological experiences.The most insidious psychological consequence of their historical and contemporary experiences is colonial mentality or internalized oppression.Some common manifestations of this phenomenon are described below: Skin-whitening products are used often by Filipinos in the Philippines to make their skins lighter.Skin whitening clinics and businesses are popular in the Philippines as well.The "beautiful" people such as actors and other celebrities endorse these skin-whitening procedures.Children are told to stay away from the sun so they do not get "too dark." Many Filipinos also regard anything "imported" to be more special than anything "local" or made in the Philippines.In the United States, many Fil