Are Filipinos dark or light skinned?
Indigenous people of the Philippines have dark brown to black skin color.Filipinos really come in different colours because of hundreds of years under Spain, early Chinese settlers, Americans during and after the war till present and how Filipinos are spread out across the world.Depending on which kind of area you look in, majority of Filipinos have brown to light brown skin. If you look in depressed areas, you’re more likely to see dark skinned people, but the thing with our skin is, we darken quite easily. Even if you put us under the sun for only a few minutes. Those who are in depressed areas are always under the sun.Regular people in the middle class are a mix of people having dark brown, brown and light skin. Majority of which is still light brown to brown skin.Filipinos who have light skin are also common but they are not the majority. Usually, the ones with light skin come from a family with mixed heritage and their names are commonly Spanish. While the dark skinned Filipinos commonly have more Filipino sounding names, like mine. My mother has a Spanish name, she has light skin. While my father has a Filipino name and has light brown skin. I have brown to light brown skin. Sorry for talking about myself, but I guess I have no better example than myself because I am Filipino.Filipinos today are really a mix. However, the majority still has brown to light brown skin.
Is it considered culturally appropriative to get henna tattoos done if you are not Indian?
Contrary to what seems like most of the answers on this page, getting your henna done is cultural appropriation. Eating Biryani actually has no immediate significance to Pakistani and Hindi culture because you are not reinforcing racism that has systemically oppressed Pakistani and Indian people for years. Unfortunately that makes Siddharth Pathak’s argument invalid, as there is no comparison there. Though he stated many people’s foundation on this appropriation just fine: “The claim is that henna tattoos being used by white Americans is disrespectful to Indian culture as it appropriates a key part of "culture" without doing anything to increase awareness about the cultural significance of henna.” This is true. You see someone (who is not Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, etc.) wearing Henna on the street; they probably have no idea of the religious and cultural significance that occurs in wearing Henna. They have no idea of the symbols of love and beauty that have been prescribed into their hands. The same white people who had once mocked Indians and Pakistanis for wearing henna, who held prejudice against them, who showed disdain and a lack of understanding for the culture, now find it beautiful and are willing to wear the henna to further their own beauty is quite hypocritical. This shows that Western culture finds something beautiful only when it is worn by white people, not by Indian, Pakistani, or Middle Eastern people. When people of non-western descent wear something that is culturally significant to them, it is disgusting, but when a white person wears it, it is trendy and fashionably and gorgeous. This is why it is cultural appropriation. I understand that many people of Indian and Pakistani background might be okay with you or anyone else wearing it, but you need to do what is right. The right thing to do is not to wear it.