Bianca Gonzalez slams discriminatory ad vs morenas; Glutamax apologizes

MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya host Bianca Gonzales aired her comments on the controversial ads of a whitening product which claimed that fair-skinned women are treated better than morenas by the society.

In her Twitter account, the “Pinoy Big Brother” host said morena beauties are not pitiful but they instead have a good skin color.  

Just a note from a Filipina with brown skin since birth:

There is no problem AT ALL sa mga gustong magpaputi. The problem is when whitening brands make us look "kaawa awa" dahil lang maitim kami. Kasi, hindi po kami kawawa, maganda ang kulay namin.

— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) April 13, 2019

“Just a note from a Filipina with brown skin since birth: There is no problem AT ALL sa mga gustong magpaputi. The problem is when whitening brands make us look 'kaawa awa' dahil lang maitim kami. Kasi, hindi po kami kawawa, maganda ang kulay namin,” Bianca said. 

Bianca also said she grew up loving the skin color of celebrities Angel Aquino and Tweetie de Leon and that skin color should never be a battle. 

I grew up loving my brown skin because of beautiful women like Angel Aquino and Tweetie de Leon who proudly flaunted their brown skin. I looked up to them. I did not need to compare myself to fair skinned girls. It need not be a "battle" of maitim versus maputi.

— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) April 13, 2019

“I grew up loving my brown skin because of beautiful women like Angel Aquino and Tweetie de Leon who proudly flaunted their brown skin. I looked up to them. I did not need to compare myself to fair skinned girls. It need not be a 'battle' of maitim versus maputi,” she said. 

Now that she has two daughters with PBA player JC Intal, Bianca said it’s their daughters’ choice if they want to get fair-skinned color. 

I now have two daughters, and both of them are morena. When they grow up, choice nila kung magpapa-tan or magpapaputi sila. But what I will teach them is that being brown is not something "shameful", and being brown is not something that makes them less beautiful than others. ?

— Bianca Gonzalez (@iamsuperbianca) April 13, 2019

“I now have two daughters, and both of them are morena. When they grow up, choice nila kung magpapa-tan or magpapaputi sila. But what I will teach them is that being brown is not something 'shameful', and being brown is not something that makes them less beautiful than others,” she said. 

After the backlash from social media users, Glutamax apologized on Monday for the “discomfort” caused by their advertising. 

In their Facebook page, Glutamax wrote: "As we've learned, talking about skin is never a skin-deep issue. It's a minefield of sensitivities, of deeply held beliefs, and should never be taken lightly." 

"And yet, over the weekend, we've caused a disproportionate amount of discomfort and even pain. That said, we believe that the best intentions are never an excuse for causing harm, And for all those that we've offended over the past few days, we offer our sincerest apologies," it added.