Chelsea Manalo, the first Miss Universe Philippines with African-American heritage, has faced struggles and prejudices as a dark-skinned woman in the country
Her win was met with mixed reactions, highlighting the country’s deep-seated preferences for Western features and light skin, observers say

When Chelsea Manalo, 24, was crowned Miss Universe Philippines on May 22, the Filipino American made history as the first Philippine winner of African-American descent.

Manalo’s win was widely celebrated online as helping to usher shifting views on deeply held beauty standards in the Philippines, which has long focused on Western features such as fair skin.

“The Miss Universe Philippines platform is reshaping our country’s perception of beauty … Chelsea’s win challenges our ingrained preference for Eurocentric beauty and lighter complexions in our nation,” said one comment on the Miss Universe Instagram page.

“Diversity finally wins! In a country predominantly brown-skinned, it’s high time that a beautiful woman of colour represented the Philippines. This is extremely important for young girls who look like her or have similar complexions,” another user wrote.

But observers also point to some negative online comments about the beauty queen’s appearance, which seem to signal an undercurrent still present in society and perpetuated by Philippine pop culture in which desirable characters in shows are mostly portrayed by mixed actors with lighter skin and Caucasian features.

During the competition, Manalo referenced the struggles and prejudices she faced as a dark-skinned woman in the Philippines.