According to hierarchystructure.com many prominent countries have distinct hierarchies between races. In places such as the Philippines, South Africa, the United States and Latin America, the lighter the skin, the more socially acceptable you become.
Filipinos’ preference for lighter skin originated from Spanish influence during their occupation of the island country. Before the Philippines’ liberation from Spanish rule their casting system favored Spaniards before their own native Filipinos.
Here’s the order in which each ethnicity was placed:
• Spanish/Spanish-American
• Filipino
• Mixed Filipino Heritage
• Other Asian nationalities
• Indian
• African
Where did this concept originate?
Darker skin is often times immediately connected with the negative stereotypes against the black community on a global scale, mostly due to Western European empire’s influences during their advancements made across the globe.
All in all, the light-skinned trend has dominated global ideology for centuries based on a notion that being different somehow made someone inferior. From Columbus and the Native Americans, to the Atlantic slave trade, and Apartheid; our world has witnessed the depths of human hatred and ignorance and we as a society are still battling to eradicate that mentality completely.