Mabuhay from the Philippines! Ladonna pointed out in a post that “To see what every Country define as "beauty" is really a very nice idea and challenge†and this led me to confront a bias that is all too prevalent in my country. The basic Filipino ethnicity is Malayo-Polynesian but because of free intermixing (miscegenation has never been an issue) many locals have Hispanic Caucasian and Chinese ancestry as well. It would be easy, but wrong, to say that the higher one’s social class the less Malayo-Polynesian blood one has, although there is some element of truth in that. The fact is, regardless of social status, light skin is coveted and desired, while dark skin is considered unattractive. When looking for a reference amongst Filipina beauty queens and constestants this bias became all too apparent. So I went the other way and looked for a beauty who could embody the intermixing yet had beautiful brown skin. It took some doing and I was pleased with the result. Community of Renderosity, Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines)! Lexlex Marikit embodies the resilience and cheerfulness of a people that have survived Typhoons Ketsana, Haiyan and Rammasun. She loves water sports, which is no surprise considering the Philippines consists of 7, 107 islands and is currently working towards a degree in Environmental Planning at a Women’s College. She’s thrilled and honored to be representing The Philippines. ------------------------------------------------ Technical details: Custom face and body by me. Daz Studio 4.6 exported via Reality 2.5 to LuxRender 1.2