"What's Your Mix?" Ad Campaign Fiasco

LET'S MIX AND MATCH.

I am 50% enraged and 50% offended by Bayo's "What's your mix?" campaign ad.

I am 100% Filipino.

I am 100% human.

I am 100%, a free-thinking individual.

I feel;  I talk;  I dream;  I love;  just like everybody else.

I am 100% beautiful.  My mom tells me so.  LOL.

Seriously, do you have to be "part something else" to be considered beautiful or world class?  The answer is a resounding "NO"!

WHAT'S YOUR MIX?

BAYO, a local clothing company that sells off the peg female apparel, featured models of mixed descent in their "What's your mix?" ad campaign.  They are all beautiful, as any ad campaign for a clothing line would.  There were 50%Australian-50%Filipino; 40%British-60%Filipino;  30%Indian-70%Filipino;  and 80%Chinese-20%Filipino models.  How Bayo came up with these percentages is truly baffling to me.  Maybe Bayo enlisted a geneticist who determined the dominant and recessive genes of these models and came up with the percentages through an examination of their DNA and chromosomal composition.  Where's truth in advertising here???  LOL.

The ad said, "Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with a Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class.".  Can you believe it?

Hello?  It's awfully biased… and racist!  LOL.  The ad is not even sure of a 100% formula.  Theirs is an "almost sure formula".  How outrageous!  Bayo already apologized to the public yesterday, and said that they will take out the ads off the market.

A DIFFERENT TAKE ON CONSUMERS.

When you patronize a business that's peddling their merchandize through giant billboards of caucasian men and women from Hollywood, you empower them and apparently set a trend.  What's the trend you ask?  Let's examine.  Just recently, two competing clothing companies have enlisted the services of "IT" stars of Hollywood.  Let's list them: (1) Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, (2) Zac Efron of the High School Musical fame, (3) Ian Somerhalder of Vampire Diaries, (4) Ed Westwick of Gossip Girls, and (5) Leighton Meester of Gossip Girls.

Buyers going gaga over these gorgeous and hunky white men equates to more sales for the clothing company.  This must be the case otherwise, why would these relatively expensive actors and actresses come here in the Philippines one after another to endorse these clothing lines?

So, would you blame Bayo for coming up of an ad campaign that appeals to the rotten colonial mentality of some Filipinos, which is still apparently pervasive,  that anything related to foreigners must be good?…  that if you mix the Filipino blood with something else, would "almost" surely guarantee beauty and world class caliber?  Or would you also blame some of the consumers who have a deeply ingrained mentality of inferiority, and believe that by "enhancing" their lineage through interracial marriage would somehow guarantee a better life for their children?

It's 70% Bayo and 30% consumers to blame.

BE PROUD OF YOUR HERITAGE.

Have you forgotten where your ancestors have been?  Have you forgotten the sacrifices your 100% Filipino ancestors have given up just so you enjoy your liberties?  Have you forgotten the beautiful and world class 100% Filipinos who have contributed so much to the upliftment of the Filipinos in the world scene?  Here's a simple reminder for you young Filipinos.  Here's a list of 5 100% Filipinos who made it big in the international arena.  Could you tell their contributions to the world?

100% INDEPENDENT.

To all FIlipinos:  On June 12, we celebrate our 114th Independence Day.  Iam 100% sure that most of you are more excited about Manny Pacquiao's fight against Bradley on June 10.  Some of you may have even forgotten about the Independence Day celebration.  So, please don't forget to display your Philippine flags on the 12th and contemplate on the things you as an individual and as a Filipino can contribute to the betterment of our beloved country.  Let us all stand proud as 100% Filipinos.