Shades and Shapes: Intersectional Perspectives on Filipino Women’s Skin Color and Body Build
Document Types
Paper Presentation
School Name
De La Salle University
Track or Strand
Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)
Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)
Astudillo, Liezl Rillera
Start Date
25-6-2025 10:30 AM
End Date
25-6-2025 12:00 PM
Zoom Link/ Room Assignment
https://zoom.us/j/98424473252?pwd=FwXRu0YCoemsGlIoz7ItYRGwViiW46.1 Meeting ID: 984 2447 3252 Passcode: 483035
Abstract/Executive Summary
This study examines how Filipino women evaluate physical attractiveness, likeability, and social competence based on variations in skin color and body build—traits shaped by colonial legacies and reinforced by contemporary media. A 2×2 factorial experimental design was used, involving 180 female college students (ages 18–25), who rated target images that varied by skin color (light vs. dark) and body build (slim vs. large). While neither skin color nor body build alone had a significant main effect on perceptions of attractiveness, a significant interaction emerged: slim, dark-skinned individuals were rated more attractive than their light-skinned counterparts, whereas light-skinned individuals were preferred within the large body type. The lowest attractiveness ratings were given to large, dark-skinned women, highlighting the compounded effects of colorism and sizeism. Perceptions of likeability and social competence showed similar interaction patterns. Qualitative findings revealed that media exposure and internalized beauty standards heavily influenced participants’ evaluations, often reinforcing narrow ideals. These results underscore the importance of intersectional, culturally grounded understandings of beauty and social judgment. The study contributes to addressing gaps in the literature on Filipino women’s evaluative processes and calls for broader representation of body and skin diversity to challenge discriminatory beauty norms.
Keywords
skin color; body build; colorism; sizeism; intersectionality
Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)
Living Culture and Contemporary Societies (LCS)
Initial Consent for Publication
yes
Statement of Originality
yes
Shades and Shapes: Intersectional Perspectives on Filipino Women’s Skin Color and Body Build
This study examines how Filipino women evaluate physical attractiveness, likeability, and social competence based on variations in skin color and body build—traits shaped by colonial legacies and reinforced by contemporary media. A 2×2 factorial experimental design was used, involving 180 female college students (ages 18–25), who rated target images that varied by skin color (light vs. dark) and body build (slim vs. large). While neither skin color nor body build alone had a significant main effect on perceptions of attractiveness, a significant interaction emerged: slim, dark-skinned individuals were rated more attractive than their light-skinned counterparts, whereas light-skinned individuals were preferred within the large body type. The lowest attractiveness ratings were given to large, dark-skinned women, highlighting the compounded effects of colorism and sizeism. Perceptions of likeability and social competence showed similar interaction patterns. Qualitative findings revealed that media exposure and internalized beauty standards heavily influenced participants’ evaluations, often reinforcing narrow ideals. These results underscore the importance of intersectional, culturally grounded understandings of beauty and social judgment. The study contributes to addressing gaps in the literature on Filipino women’s evaluative processes and calls for broader representation of body and skin diversity to challenge discriminatory beauty norms.
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2025/paper_lcs/10
