Is it still a social belief that if you are light skinned, you are more attractive and prestigious?

[JC]

There are those I've met who believe light skin does all that and there are also those who think otherwise.
I found it surprising at first when I went to study in the Philippines. There, I would discover that every market had a line of whitening products. There's even some kind of tablet taken orally that supposedly lightens ones skin. In the house I stayed in, I found that my aunts and cousins were using a kind of beauty soap on their skin in an attempt to make it lighter. I asked my cousins why and they told me it'll make them better-looking. A girl I met during classes told me it's an "asset." Browsing the shops, I also noticed that the store clerks(mostly women) wear some kind of foundation to make their faces white which is mismatched in color with the rest of their body. Then there are those I've approached who say they found individuals with an exotic brown complexion more appealing.
I think it's the media's influence. I've seen models with fair skin endorsing different products in magazines, advertisements, and television. There's also the fact that a vast number of Filipino celebrities, idolized by many of the Philippine population, have light skin.