TORNATRA IS ANIME: The Pinoy Pop Phenotype in Northeast Asia

Leah Dizon: Filipino Malay-Chinese & French

Racial hierarchical terms during the Spanish times have evolved in their meaning in the contemporary Philippines. Today Tornatra means a Pinoy phenotype which resulted from the mixing of Malay, Chinese & Spanish, the main races in the country.


 Somehow, a Caucasian-Chinese direct mix doesn't quite produce it, the Mongoloid epicanthic folds aren't quite neutralized and the bulk of the former is acquired to derange the dainty silhouette of the latter. The Malay-Chinese mix complimented each other's weakness:  the frail Chinese bone structure is made more robust by the heavier Malay. the olive skin of the latter tempering the paleness of the former but preserving its daintiness (same as Malaysia's peranakan). But a mixture of the improved Oriental mix with the Spanish (in the Philippines,  mostly  Basque, fairer than the rest of the Iberians) somehow produced real-action Anime characters among a big section of the Filipino population. The Japanese artists retain the dainty Asian silhouette in their anime works, but the features are Westernized, and in real life they  simulate the latter through Plastic Surgery & make-up, but in the Philippines, the Tornatras already have their multi-racial genes so no need to be artificial. In this East-centric times, this is the iconic beauty type in East Asia without everybody not realizing the real thing is found in the Philippines.

 The usual development of a Tornatra is through a solo male Fujianese or Cantonese migrant who married a native Malay lass, and as they advanced economically, their son will marry for prestige and beauty a Spanish Mestiza as they ascend the social ladder.

 I'm beginning a series where I'll feature a not so well-known phenotype  which came about because of the prodigious racial mixing in the Philippines. It is actually the ideal phenotype of pop culture among Northeast Asians. This will be a series, but before we feature those found in the Philippines (they are found in every block), we'll feature two which gained fame outside. They are already American citizens, one became the Anime poster girl in Japan & the rest of Northeast Asia, while the other one became big in American showbiz.

Vanessa Hudgens: Filipino Malay-Chinese (Guanco of Iloilo)  & American Irish

Leah Dizon who took Japan by storm

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