Inka Magnaye’s revolutionary brown beauty
In a spectrum of color, brown brings out a natural appeal. A beauty so overlooked, yet so warm and so true. And, despite who differs, a goddess claims to prove such allure. A revolutionary warrior of bravery and beauty – she is a modern-time Mayari. Her name is Inka Magnaye, a brown, bold, and empowered woman. She stands up strong and glows like a goddess, with a voice so clear and sweet, yet feisty in times of need. She is the voice of the morenas, proving to the world that brown is beautiful.
Inka Magnaye’s revolutionary brown beauty
No one is too old for TikTok, not even the 33-year-old voice artist, Inka Magnaye. Amidst the lockdown, she found herself joining Mafia acting skits, doing voice challenges, and sharing various talents online. From creating voiceovers to singing and belly dancing, Inka also utilizes her platform to promote self-love and self-acceptance. While she faces the usual colorism, ageism, and sexism online, this Capricorn goddess continues to prove that she is not a force to be reckoned with.
The comfortable brown
Like a warm cup of coffee on a cold night, the color brown tucks you in. The kind of comfort you need after hours of working. On some days it greets you with a new adventure, like a tree branch that waves hello as you step down to an airport.
“The voice that launched a thousand flights.”
I cannot help but admire this quote from Inka’s TikTok bio. It is indeed quite mesmerizing to think how her voice reached so many people. As a voice artist, you may have probably heard her already from a lot of commercials or perhaps dubbed teleseryes. But, among her popular projects was being the in-flight voice of the Philippine Airlines, which her mother also voiced in the 90s.
Such as the ground we walk on, brown signifies strength and dependability. A solid path, created to start and bridge journeys. A reliable daughter and a hardworking woman, Inka will do anything for her loving family. Born within a tree of voice artists, Inka grew to love her talent.
At the early age of five, she stepped up to take the mic. While it opened a lot of opportunities, the brown girl eventually had to stop studying. After her parents’ studio burned down, she had to make a heavy decision. So, to let her siblings continue schooling, Inka chose to start working.
@inkamagnaye Replying to @Vianne Yup! This is a little long but here’s why
♬ original sound – Inka Magnaye
Aside from voiceovers, Inka also did radio for eight years. However, things took a turn as she made a name on social media throughout the pandemic. Then, it paved the way to more prominent projects such as hosting Eat Bulaga, content creating, and recording healing podcasts for Sleeping Pill with Inka.
The beautifully sophisticated brown
For years she loathed her bronze skin, hiding from the sun and burying in layers of creams. As many picked on her honey-dipped shade, Inka initially struggled to accept God’s grace. But once she learned that brown is sophisticated, Inka ultimately shined with elegance and confidence.
Known for her body-positive attitude, Inka Magnaye became an inspiration to other little brown girls. However, things were never easy for her to begin with. In an Instagram post, she expressed how far she has come from the insecure little girl she used to be.
When I was younger, I was bullied for many things—my teeth, gums, and eyes are cartoonishly large, I wasn’t a petite girl, and my skin was always too dark to be considered attractive.
@inkamagnaye It finally worked ☺️ #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #morena #filipino
♬ Where’d All the Time Go? – Dr. Dog
The Pinoy beauty standard of being fair-skinned and thin always takes a toll on every girl’s self-esteem growing up. Hence, many of us rub our skin with different products just to feel accepted. However, isn’t it hypocrisy to be ashamed of the color of our ancestors?
@inkamagnaye Mayari, Philippine Goddess of the Moon and Night, of Beauty and Revolution, of Combat and War. #philippines #fyp #filipino
♬ little dark age by MGMT – 🎵anti.audios🎵
For Inka, colorism was a seed within her that bloomed in high school. During then, people and beauty brands praised whitening products. Additionally, the mainstream media did not help in making things easier as they continue to depict brown as dirty while white as divine. This further added to her lack of self-worth.
I remember crying for days as I scrubbed my elbows and knees raw, thinking about when a classmate said to me: ‘What? You could have been beautiful if you were white!’
Inka eventually conquered the hate once she chose to stop listening to society’s western-based perception of beauty. She later realized that our skin responds to how we treat it. And when she started to love every single thing about it, that was when it transformed from dull to glowing.
There’s a power in acceptance, and an even stronger power in revelry, in celebration, of the skin you were born in.
The inspiring brown
Little girls look up to older and empowered women for self-discovery and inspiration. For me, it was the Princess Diaries star, Anne Hathaway. Although she is truly the epitome of beautiful royalty, I also see her as a standard that I would never be able to level with.
We are so used to seeing westernized beauty as a VIP pass to everything that it only degrades the identity we were born with. For years, advertisements and mainstream media deprived dark-skinned girls of representation. In return, the idea that morenas have no place in beauty pageants, modeling, or acting stayed with us through adulthood. Thus, it limited the dreams and ambitions of young morenas out there.
Brown is inviting, yes, but it is also encouraging. The color has become a balance of kindness and activism. Brown is a warm hug from a loved one who supports you in any way they can. A color of comfort and love of a trustworthy friend. Brown is a stable protector to those they deem worthy of their protection. They are earthly warriors prepared for battle in the name of justice.
Fortunately, inclusivity is now being given priority in the last few years. Different races with skin colors and body types are now able to make a mark in the world. People are starting to acknowledge and accept differences, leaving the stereotypical norms and expectations behind. In fact, seeing a dark-skinned actress playing A Little Mermaid’s Ariel has been making a huge impact on little brown girls, proving that they can also be who they want to be.
Outside a fairytale, we have Inka showing how beautiful it is to be brown. An intelligent Filipina proudly flaunting her armor with a gilded crown. And, little brown girls today are lucky to have a grown brown woman to look up to. A brown woman that not only embodies self-confidence but also bravely stands up for herself. Inka Magnaye is indeed the voice that launched a thousand flights and empowered millions of morena.
I now bask in the sun and the golden sheen it gifts me, and I smile wide and laugh proudly, giving little heed to the insecurities that still whisper in my ear (I am only human, after all, and not impervious to off days). These things make up parts of what makes me me, and so I love them in the same way I love what makes my dear ones who they are.
Among the spectrum of colors, brown is a beauty overlooked. It may have been tainted by the world, but its beauty remains as solid as the earth. Take pride in your color, because it led you here, today. Therefore, brown is beautiful, adventurous, and brave; and so are you. What do you think about the brown beauty Inka Magnaye? We would love to hear your thoughts! Interested in celebrity content? Click here to see more.
