In a video published last night, Sutukil Sauce — a Cebu-based comedy troupe — pointed out the striking similarities between a new advertisement for Block and White skin-whitening lotion and their viral “Paks Brownening” video, a parody of skin-whitening lotions they posted online a full four months earlier.
The original parody video shows a group of brown-skinned friends talking about their skin as the beauty standard, and teasing a white friend as “ghostly looking,” before encouraging those who look like a “fleshy ghost” to buy “brownening soap.”
In the 11-minute version, part of the skit uses the lines “Paks ga-brown” to a beat and tune similar to Boom Panes, a song made popular by TV comedian Vice Ganda.
Actress Chai Fonacier, who is a member of the comedy group, said the video was made as a funny way of challenging beauty perceptions and standards in the Philippines, turning the idea of whitening lotions on its head.
As of today, the original video has more than half a million views.
While the video pokes fun of light-skinned people — and the nation’s obsession with light skin tones — Fonacier said the video was made to show what it feels like for dark-skinned Filipinas, who have historically been at the receiving end of cruel remarks about skin color.
Also part of the video are other Cebu-based artists including Kring Demetrio, Stacey Cardoso, Anna Helen Yap and Samantha Solidum.
Block and White
On Nov. 21, however, a video was uploaded to the Twitter account of actress Alex Gonzaga, who stars in the new ad, and the Facebook page of ad agency Front Media Entertainment.
In the Block & White skin whitening lotion commercial, Alex also sings to a beat familiar to fans of the Vice Ganda song, this time inserting the words “Boom Puti (white).”
Block and White, which is a division of Unilever, also uploaded the video to their Facebook page last night.
Alex’s character in the video says that the lotion is for “mga ayaw umitim” (for those who don’t want to get dark).
The irony (or lack thereof) was immediately abundant to many netizens.
Facebook user Ekaterina Dimaano said in a public post: “It’s a little shameless. You feel you’re witty for hijacking the satire video created against the very thing you’re espousing?”
Another netizen, with the Facebook name Ginoe said: “They ripped off an ad that satirized them and the colonial beauty standards they promote.”
Sutukil Sauce uploaded a video comparing the two ads last night after netizens tagged them pointing out the ad’s similarities.
Most netizens were simply commenting with the hashtag #SunkissedParinMgaUlol (We’re still sun-kissed, you idiots) referring to a line from the comedy video, in support of Sutukil.
Others explained exactly why they weren’t happy that this whitening video came out after Sutukil’s “brownening” spoof.
One comment pointed out that a “big budget TV ad” had apparently ripped off their favorite parody commercial.
Another commenter said these kinds of ads “steal the self-esteem of Pinays because of their ‘faux sense of empowerment’.” He added: “You also stole the creativity of Sutukil Sauce.”
Coconuts Manila spoke with a company representative who insisted that any similarities were strictly unintentional.
Do you think the ad ripped off Sutukil Sauce’s parody video? Was it just a coincidence? To hit us up with your opinion or to simply share your thoughts on the whitening fad in general, comment below or tweet us @coconutsmanila.
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