From the Midwest redneck author of "The Rooster Crows at 4am!," "Lizard Poop!," and "The Philippines Expat Advisor"
Filipina Actress Bela Padilla and the Racist FHM Cover
FHM Philippines recently yanked their racist March 2012 cover that featured a gorgeous Filipina actress, Bela Padilla. The light-skinned TV star, Filipina mother, British father, was surrounded by dark-skinned beauties with the caption: "Bela Padilla. Stepping Out of the Shadows." 
On February 26, she released the following statement on Twitter: "I meant no harm with this cover. I'm so sorry to everyone who got offended. I hope all of you see the beauty of the cover and appreciate it" "The concept of my @FHMPhil cover was stepping out of MY inhibitions MY fears and MY shadows. Not belittling any race. 
"The title provided by @FHMPhil is in connection with the article and has NOTHING to do with skin colors."
"The girls on my cover Of @FHMPhil symbolize the different sides of ME that I have outgrown and am ready to step out of. Let's be open minded."
Ms. Padilla, I believe your tweet is just one huge load of caribou crap. And believe me, I know a thing or two about caribou poop. My asawa used to collect it along our muddy, poop-laden subdivision road when we lived in Guimaras. She used it for fertilizer. I think you used your tweet to CYA.
Check out a recent post of mine, "The Acceptance of Racism Against Asians in America." There's also a post I did in February 2011 that deals with some Filipinos and their obsession with white skin. Racism exists everywhere.
FHM has pulled the offensive magazine cover and apologized. Am I just blowing smoke? Maybe I'm overreacting. What do you think?
Update: Just saw an interview that Bela Padilla has done with BBC television in which she admitted that some of the models used in the photo shoot are Filipinos painted black. Ms. Padilla stated she saw nothing wrong with the cover and thought it was beautiful. Thanks to another "Dave" for the tip on this. Here's a LINK to that interview. Ms. Padilla's agent better have her put a stop to any further interviews. This is an embarrasment.
Here's the new cover for the FHM Philippines March 2012 featuring Bela Padilla. You have to admit, despite all the controversy, she is one gorgeous Filipina.
This is so similar to last week’s ESPN debacle about Jeremy Lin in which a headline writer posted the following, after a down performance by Lin. “Chink in the armor.”
The writer was quickly fired but claimed it wasn’t racism, just an honest mistake.
Right!
Yep, I just covered that remark, Dave W. in a recent post about racism against Asians. Thanks for your comment. Appreciate it.
Her tweets just make it sound worse. Sometimes it’s better to just apologize and then shut your mouth.
She is a hottie though. The “Lubricants Handy” headline was a classy touch.
This is getting international coverage and I just saw an interview with her on the BBC. One fact that she revealed is that the other models are Filipinas who were “painted black” which makes it sound even worse.
OTOH, she was bright and sympathetic and I suspect is just a hot, self-involved girl doing a major photo shoot who had no idea of how the cover would be received. So in that way I feel bad for her.
Hi Dave,
I read your story last week about the Jeremy Lin incident just as I read this story, wondering: “why are we talking about this?” If we are going to talk about racism, please include information like, we have come along way and we continue to improve. I live near Portland Oregon and last week on KATU news they had a story that said 1 in 6 marriages are now inter-racial. You see, good news!
I have been married to a girl from Zamboanga City for the last six months, as I waited during the visa process, I wondered how will my new wife be received in rural Oregon??? So far not even a single discriminating look, amazing! I know, there will be an incident some day, but I just like to look at how far we have come, not just in the US and PH, but the world. So lets get past the bad and bring to light the good. By the way, I sure enjoy this site, thank you..
I’m with you, Larry. The tweets sure didn’t help the matter at all. But that “Lubricants Handy” headline? Man, I guess I didn’t see that before. Guess I was distracted by something else.
(Oh, by the way, my asawa checked out on the cover. She agreed with me that it was racist. I doubt she saw the headline you mentioned, however, Larry.)
Shades of the TV show, “Nita Negrita”, Dave, in which the lead actress wore blackface makeup. Unbelievable. The fact that the models were painted black is outrageous. Yeah, I think the actress was completely clueless not racist. And she is hot.
First of all, Lee, congratulations on marrying a Filipina. That, plus the fact you are reading this website, indicates an highly intelligent person in my books.
I sincerely hope your bride does not encounter any “looks.” Yes, the United States has come a long way. In my small, Central Illinois redneck town, there was a law that all black people had to leave our village by sunset. If not they were locked up. I know. My Dad was the cop there in the late 50′s and early 60′s.
While the United States might have come a long way as far as the law is concerned, racism exists. Racism against Asians is tolerated much more than racism against other minority groups including religious groups such as Muslims. That was my main reason for posting this article.
Racism exists in the Philippines. Look at all the white-skinned celebrities. Look at all the skin whitening products advertised. Look at all the white-skinned sales associates that work in the SM Department store sections. Did you know that they do NOT hire darker-skinned Filipinos. This from the employees and managers. My Filipina wife has experienced many, many looks from other Filipinas since she came back her in July 2009 with me. She’s with a foreigner. They think she’s a prostitute. I’m glad you enjoy my site. There’s good and bad in the Philippines. I’m not always going to write about the positive which I have done PLENTY the past couple of years. I try to balance things out. But I do appreiciate your input. Thanks.
Hi Dave!
I kind of latched onto a comment that you had. “They think she is a prostitute” I am not sure if that is what you should be taking away from the looks that you guys recieve as a couple. Unless SPW is wearing some thigh high stripper boots with go-go shorts then surely it is not the case. When Marie and I are out we get some looks from the ladies. They will look at me and then look at Marie up and down. If they can avoid Marie seeing them they will also look at me again. We laugh at this because our take on this behavior is a indignation thing. It is the reaction of why is this white guy with this mature woman when he could be with a younger, prettier one?
Hi Tom. I actually got that hooker quote from my asawa. Nah, The Sainted Patient Wife dresses pretty conservatively. She won’t even wear shorts out in public because of her “bow legs” (HER description, not mine.) You’ve got a good point with the indignation angle. Tom, I guess the both of us must have been on Mac Davis’ mind when he wrote the song, “Oh Lord its Hard to be Humble (when you’re perfect in every way”.) It’s our cross to bear
.
Hi Dave,
Your right, I did notice the sales staff in the SM’s to in general be more likely to have white skin. Also we watch shows on TFC and it seems the big stars for the most part are lighter skin. My own wife uses an umbrella in an effort to stay out of direct sun so she will not darken (she has pretty dark skin), she is a stunning beauty tan or no. I just tell her she is lucky that the lady’s here (in Oregon) are paying big money for time in a tanning salon so they can have darker skin, it’s silly, here and in the Philippines! hahahaha “the grass is always greener?”
Yep, the staff inside the actual SM Department store are required to be light-skinned, Lee. I know it’s crazy. My own asawa has darker skin now though while working overseas in Taiwan, where she stayed indoors the majority of the time, her skin was very white. I think she’s beautiful tanned or light-skinned. (And yes, my spouse always carries her umbrella, too.)
Tom, I agree. It could just be envy. In my case, even here in Mississippi, I get looks from everybody like I robbed the cradle. Hell, my wife is only 5 years my junior but at over 50, she still gets carded when she buys beer. I just look like an old fart I guess. Walang problema!
Ok, I didn’t make the connection until this conversation, my wife has a photo on her resume. It all makes sense now..
Hey Randy. The only time I got any looks back in the States was when I would forget to zip up.
Sadly, although many Filipinos will be quick to comment on US racial slurs and discrimination, in the Philippines, “White” is “right”. Just look at the stores in the shopping malls .. white this,..whiten that … even shops to whiten the singet.
To say a Filipino is “mestizo” is a compliment among many. And I see the looks are hear the comment s made about by beautiful little nephews who have a Filipina mom and a Sudanese father. In fact the boys are know behind their back, and sometimes to their face as ‘the ones with the negro father”, and my sister-in-law will be mentioned, even by those who don’t know her as “the one that married the Negro”.
And even though a great many Filipinos are proud of their Chinese heritage, you will even hear snide comments n the floor of the Philippine Senate disparaging “Tinsoys” and even more offensive Chinese slurs.
Anyway, just to show you that your blog does get read
I am very interested in coming to see that caribou crap on Gimaris island. Those animals must have quite a time adapting to the heat … Discovery Channel should come film them ..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carabao
Unfortunately what you say is true, Dave. I’ll never forget the day at SM City when a very dark-skinned gentleman was walking around the mall with his Filipina wife. Security guards and shopkeepers pointed at them as they passed by. Unbelievablly ignorant people.
Appreciate the fact that you do read my blog, Dave. You’re one of the superstars in the niche of expats with websites regarding the Philippines. And when you come over to Guimaras, the asawa and I will give you the grand tour. I’ll even buy you some Pale Pilsen at The Shirven or Red Horse at Cousin Emma’s Jade Market.
I mentioned this story while chatting with my Filipina gf. She express little interest since “racism is not a problem in the Philippines.” She rejected any attempt to debate that point. However when I mentioned that the cover girl was quite hot…she was ready to discuss the issue more – lol!
BTW, there are far too many Daves on this thread
That’s all it took, huh, Dave W. to draw your gf in the conversation, mention that the cover is quite hot? Indeed she is. I certainly don’t debate that. Too many Daves? Well, Dave W., keep in mind that the majority of Daves are quite intelligent and good-looking guys to boot. Guess that “hot girl” is just grabbing our attention.
I agree on all counts. I have told my gf that all Daves are wise and guapo. Unfortunately she typically laughs and replies “no comment.” She is the only Filipina I’ve met that fails to remark on my obvious guaponess. So far this is her only flaw in judgment.
No offense intended, Dave W., but maybe all your GF needs is an eye exam. I cannot comprehend why she would not argree with your remark. It’s common knowledge. Just Google “Dave” and you get 692 million hits. I didn’t have time to research all of them, but no doubt the terms “intelligent” and “guapo” show up in the VAST majority of them. Interestingly enough, in which must be an obvious browser malfunction, when I Google “dave bs” I get an astounding 65 million hits. Go figure.
I read the thread of the conversations here. I wear my smile all the way until I decided to do this comment. Yes and No, yes because it’s true, that we the Philippine seeds do love to be different from others that’s why we pursue to be fair when it comes to our skin, some color their crowning glories with a blonde touch, most marry foreigners to have a cutie white babies and their clan will carry this tone (but not all of course) and so the other nationalities if they are white they keep buying tuning lotion or go to our beaches just to keep their skin tanned under the sun, but I disagree that Filipinos are racist, because we are not only once, not only twice being the subject of racism. In fact, a foreign dictionary produced in 2007 says that the meaning of Filipina is a domestic helper. In UAE, when they noticed that you are a Filipina, they think that you are a prostitute or you are an easy-to-get woman, compensation wise 500USD a month for a secretarial job, thinking that you have nothing in life. The answer to this issue was…we are not happy with what we have.
Good answer, Mrs. J, I appreciate your input. Of course, not all Filipinos are racist, just as not all Americans, of which I am one, are all racist either. But your comment brings up some excellent points. I have a sister-in-law working as a domestic helper in Kuwait for 200 USD a month. My own asawa worked in Taiwan and Singapore before we were married. Those ignorant views that some people have of the OFWs that you mentioned that are held the UAE, are unfortunately quite common. My own wife has been stared at when we walk along the streets of downtown Iloilo City from Filipinas that think she is a prostitute, or they are jealous because she is with a foreigner. My wife surely doesn’t dress inappropriately and is 13 years younger than me, not 40 years older like some expats here.
But I really enjoyed reading your comment. Very thoughtful and so insightful. Thanks, again.
A Freudian slip no doubt Dave, since it is you who are 13 years older, not your wife. Or perhaps you’ve gotten younger surrounding yourself with all those cute Filipinas.
As to the 40 year age gaps – you say it like it’s a bad thing
My gf and I are not quite that far apart but as we discussed earlier in this thread, since Daves are so intelligent and guapo it does not matter.
Thank you so much sir, honestly I started cultivating myself since I was a kid that I will never leave my country no matter what happened because nationalism is a big part of my culture as Bataeño (by the way I live in Mariveles, Bataan, and the history unfolds the hardship of our people just to get the freedom from Japanese imperialism that’s why I hope you will understand how hard it was to accept that those things are wasted because of these chaos). But now I am here in UAE just to get the best opportunity as an Engineer and the least thing that I can do is to tell the world that Filipinos are exhausted with this kind of agony. I hope in time they will let us enjoy the freedom that we have now, we’re like a small kid who battled for his liberty for how many years and now that he have it, let him enjoy it ^_~. God Bless to all of us.
I salute you, Mrs. J, for your hard work and for your nationalism. You have a lot to be proud of as a Filipino. I love your country. I have a Permanent Resident Visa and plan to live out my retirement years here. I certainly know the history of Bataan and the atrocities that the Japanese inflicted upon the Philippines during WWII. My own mother-in-law had to hide out in the caves of Western Visayas along with her family to avoid being raped and murdered by the occupying Japanese forces. May God continue to watch over you in the UAE. Take care. And God Bless the Philippines.
Oops, thanks for the correction, Dave W. Well, there are plenty of cute Filipinas around that do make you feel younger although I have never gotten any wolf whistles from them like Tom Ramberg has.
The reason I mention the 40 year gap, is that I personally know of some expats that have come here and taken advantage of Filipinas living in hardship conditions. Some of these girls that live in extreme poverty have agreed to marry these guys 40 years or older just to help their family out. Now if someone gets to know someone and truly loves them, age shouldn’t matter. But again, when some of these young ladies are pressured into these marriages just to escape poverty, I’m firmly against that.
Ok, I am going to open up a can of worms, maybe this topic should be directed to another forum but we have been talking about racism, so here goes. My question is : Why isn’t the USA better to the Philippines? Seriously. I am not an expert on the history of the US and PH but I know the Spaniards ticked us off, so we kicked their butts and pretty much inherited the PH as a colony for 50 years. Then the Japaneses invasion happened, the US teamed with PH kicked butt in the end. After WWII we helped the PH get on their feet and as we always do turned the country over to it’s people. Sounds good to me so far. We helped structure the education system, it’s modeled after our own here in the USA. By The Vietnam erra we were importing a lot of talented nurses from the PH whom were highly skilled and educated, a wonderful return on our investment. However, by the end of the Vietnam war, we had made it almost impossible for a Filipino to come to the US. If I drive down to Oregon State University today, I will find students from all over the world, but the only Filipino’s will be ones who are from here. The PH is one of our most trusted friends on this planet but we treat them like a step child. We send billions of dollars to our enemies in the middle east but we can only muster a used up, obsolete junk Destroyer for our true friends (The Philippines). I don’t understand. The recent and tragic Flooding in the Cagayan De Oro area didn’t even make the news here in the US despite the loss of so many lives. Can someone help me understand better? I just don’t get it..
You’ve raised some good points, Lee. Here’s my take, and it’s just my own personal opinion. There is a considerable huge resistance among many Filipinos to expand the United States military presence in the Philippines. In 1992, the Philippine Senate voted to end US military presence in the country. The 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) allows military forces from the United States to engage in non-combat operations despite the protests of such Senators as Miriam Defensor-Santiago who has said the VFA should be terminated. The Philippine Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 11, 2009, that the Visiting Forces Agreement had been duly concurred in by the Senate and recognized as a treaty by Washington.
But with China now rattling their sabers, top administration officials in the Philippine government, like President Aquino, are welcoming the United States latest overtures to increase our military presence in the region. But can sending used second-rate equipment from our Coast Guard help? And why are we treating the Philippines as second-rate partners and not providing them with more help? It’s all politics, I think. The current administration doesn’t really want to piss off China that much since the Philippines is China’s third largest trading partner. If the United States starts sending more military might in the form of new warships and combat jet fighters, that’s not going to sit well with the Chinese and, as mentioned before, many Filipinos.
Last November, US Ambassador to the Philippines, Harry Thomas, also stated that the US Congress still withholds a portion of US aid to this country until the Philippines meets certain conditions in solving extrajudicial killings. The Inquirer Global Nation reported that “the ambassador cited a 2010 US State Department report that such killings are still taking place under Aquino and that previous cases of abuse and murders were not being vigorously investigated”.
But you’ve got a thought-provoking question. Does it seem to any others out there that the US is not doing enough to help the Philippines? What do you think?
Lee,
I cannot agree with you more. I cannot believe that we (US Government) ignore the Philippines who have supported us year by year. Have any congressman ever walked the streets in any city in the Philippines? Were we there in the last disaster? We pour money into countries that you cannot pronounce. Philippines have always been a friend to the USA, but we continue to abuse them. It is true, we have forgot the history. Maybe Congress should take at history test prior to taking their position.
Dennis
Dave, thank you that was insightful and does help my understanding. I have a lot to learn but I am enjoying the heck out of it!!
Agree with you, Dennis. I hope that the US government does not forget the Philippines is one of their staunchest allies. China is escalating their own naval presence in the area, especially in the Spratly Island region, along with increasing their inflammatory rhetoric. Make no mistake. The Philippines holds a strategic position in Southeast Asia. We indeed need to show the Philippines more respect and increase our aid. If it means taking away funds from those nations that openly harbor terrorists and spits on our flag, so be it.
You’re welcome, Lee. Since arriving in the Philippines in July 2009, you get a different viewpoint and better feel for the situation here. In my own personal experience, the majority of the Filipinos I have encountered love America and appreciate our help. There are those leftist factions that absolutely hate us, but I believe they are just a noisy minority. In my opinion, if America would leave the Philippines alone and provide no financial or military aid, China would take over the disputed Spratly Islands and then fix their sights on overtaking the entire Philippines.
Hi there, thanks Mr. Dave ^_~ I’m confident that God will surely cover me with His big wings will here in UAE totally different culture but I learned to love this place because of my new found friends (Filipinos and Filipinas as well as other nationalities) and I’m sure that Ate (your asawa) you and your family will be protected too.
The flow of discussions really impressed me every time I had this trepidation over certain matter I trust that all the negative things will be a good gateway to a better understanding and that’s what happened to this “Racism” issue. Without this dilemma, for sure nobody will try to comprehend the hardship of our people. Thank you so much. The only thing that I can say is, we’re just different in language, color of the skin, hair and eyes but hearts are the same. At times when your home is about to destroy by surprising attacks we her people will be at the front line just to defend her.
Thank you so much…God Bless everyone.
We’re all God’s children, Mrs. J. Good thing He doesn’t care what color our skin is or what language we speak. Thanks for your input on this topic. I think your contribution has helped us to better understand the Filipino viewpoint.
My privilege sir. Thank you so much
You’re quite welcome, Mrs. J. Take care.
By the way sir, if you wish to go to the Philippines, I recommend you to visit Camaya Coast in my place, you can also buy lot there. This place is so good. ^_~
Thanks, Mrs. J, we live in Iloilo now, Panay Island in Western Visayas. We’ll have to check out Camaya Coast sometime.