What is the English translation of Miss Phathupats?

Answer 1

Y'Miss Phathupats by Juan Crisostomo Soto

As Reviewed by Stephanie A. Claros

The story is satirical in nature, comic yet very graphic in its sharp parody of the colonialmentality of Filipinos.Yeyeng turned Miss Phathupats actually symbolizes what the Filipinos have become after ourhistory of colonization: a people, culture, and language waging a losing war against Westernacculturation.The tragic loss of native values and cultural heritage has been woefully lamented by manyhistorians and patriots to no great avail.

Literature like Y'Miss Phathupats calls

for a sweepingcultural revival but like many others, it has been relegated to the back shelves of libraries andbookshops swamped by foreign titles and novels. It takes time to impact and alter anotherculture like in the case of our country under a long history of imperialist influence and so itwould also take time to revive a fledgling Filipino culture.The story features a caricature of Filipino assimilation to Western culture, Miss Phathupats withher thick

kolorete

is a spoof character, a Pinay assuming the airs of American superiority bydisguising her brown skin under layers of whitening cream.The first cultural subtext is that of racial discrimination, that the white race is the mostdesirable and the colored races are lesser and inferior. Philippine ethnicity is made into anobject of shame and ridicule; that the flat nose, black kinky hair, brown skin and otherindigenous features are seen as a source of embarrassment.Another cultural subtext is the Westernization of Filipino values, habits, and lifestyle. TheFilipino people has been badly miseducated and colonial mentality has been so skillfullyingrained that it is second nature to regard everything that is of Western origin, be it food,clothing or any product as better and elite.Regional schism was also a subtext in the story with the obvious derision of the

Kapampangan

slang and its hard utterances. Even among the Filipino dialects, there is still the imposition of Manila-centrism and its dialect, the

Tagalog.

It is typical to make fun of the inflexible tongues of the

Kapampangan,

the

Bisaya

, etc. The flourishing of the "balbal" slang, "

Taglish

"

,

"

Bislish

"

, etc.

is a catastrophic omen to the death of an independent language. The "tsampurado" mix of

language is a dearth to Philippine literature and a major obstacle to the aspiration of a strongnational identity.

The tag Miss Phathupats that was named after the character's wide hips that was

forcibly fittedinto tight pants implied the social subtext of the stereotyped physical attributes of women. TheBarbie doll epitome of beauty forces women to be discontented with their bodies and todrastically alter their appearance in whatever way possible, be it the thick

kolorete

or the tightoutfits.The most powerful subtext of the story is the burgeoning hate for Imperialism by Filipinos aswas shown in the mob-like ganging up on Miss Phathupats by the townsmen. The Philippinehistory of militancy against colonizers is captured by a line in

the story: "Paalam, Miss Alice roosevelts.