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Empowering Modernity: Showing the Different Wings of Beauty

by Dhessiel Heart R. Macapagal

A beauty pageant does not only give a stage for a woman to show off her beautiful face or appealing curves, but it also projects the intelligence, potentials, and empowerment that these young ladies hold. It is the real essence of displaying a woman’s intellectual and rational capabilities.

Through this competition, the candidates have had the chance to encourage other women, regardless of their age, to embrace the identity, traits, and character of being a woman. Yet in the history, this event follows specific requirements to fit in the so-called bubble of beauty standard.

Even so, have you ever wondered the real essence of a beauty pageant? Have these contests became a measurement of beauty in society’s standard or did they help in promoting women’s self-love and self-support?

Gatekept Wings: The beauty inside a bottle

In the early times of the pageant, it is common in this competition that there will be dazzling gowns and sparkling crowns, where the room is full of beautiful women gathered on the stage while introducing themselves with their name, age, and place they represent. They would then walk away normally with a banner and flowers.

Judges will score all the contestants based on their physique and cosmetic beautifying technique. And over the years, the competition inherited talent and interviews as portions of the competition but was still perceived as ‘beauty pageants’ up until the last couple of decades.

The competition bases its criteria on the outside beauty; thus, judges look to decide on winners based on their standout qualities.

Yet even with the almost perfect set of rules and standards, beauty pageants closed their doors by limiting women in terms of their age, sex, height, and civil status. They do not accept candidates who are not fit. They continued to gatekeep the wings of every potential beauty queen, and let their beauty be confined inside the bottle.

Embracing Kaleidoscope: Reshaping the modern beauty

Undeniably, the point of pageants shifted over time from exterior credentials to talent and intellect. They were able to adapt to the changes in modern society, such as being lenient to specific rules and guidelines.

Pageants evolved over time from their original purpose of showcasing the physical beauty of a woman. They started to look out for the different values from the candidates’ substantial answers and their beneficial advocacies.

The community has welcomed these long-overdue changes compatible with society’s evolution as everyone looks forward to continually evolving and improving ideals of inner instead of outer beauty. One’s character and personal success not only in pageants but in the world as a whole.

The competition also empowers the bigger picture by allowing transwomen to join the competition. One notable beauty queen is Ms. Angela Ponce, who won Miss Universe Spain 2018, gaining the entitlement of being the first transgender woman to compete in Miss Universe with full support and acceptance.

This circumstance truly shows that society is ready to embrace all butterflies flying with their colors, whether it is rainbow, black, or plain pink.

Besides, at the end of the day, women must remember that the new idea of beauty, the one that comes from within, is one that allows them to empower themselves and others.

What has really changed the most in the field was the emphasis on inner self-confidence and fostering empowerment to yourself. It becomes the key to winning, not only on stage but also in life.

With the change in beauty definitions, pageants constantly change what they value, and the media displays that these improvements convey a message to the outside world.

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Women are Women

by Hannah Faith Parungao

Woman, also known as female, is defined as someone who is an adult female who has been born with female genitals. Notable women such as Melchora Aquino, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Risa Hontiveros, Leni Robredo, and many more have been an image of a strong and independent woman.

However, besides genitals, what makes a woman a woman? Regardless of sex, they are powerful, fierce, brave, compassionate, and strong-willed. A woman is someone who stands for themselves and fights for their rights. But what happens when a transgender woman experiences discrimination because she was not born with the female genitals or two X chromosomes. Women are women but why are transwomen experiencing discrimination?

Transwomen in our society

Transwomen can be defined as someone who was born with one X and Y chromosome and is biologically born and identified as male.

However, transwomen can also be defined as a woman because womanhood simply describes a female’s journey to become a full-grown woman at heart.

The discrimination against transwomen means discrimination to their rights as human beings.  They also have feelings, and they experienced many things to become who they are right now. The hardships they had to go through to experience true happiness when they did not deserve to be discriminated against in such ways possible.  

Modernity means accepting them all

In the past, transgendered women and the LGBTQIA+ were not accepted in our society as it is seen as immoral and unethical. A lot of people think that the only genders out there are the female and male, and any more than that is considered wrong.

However, in today’s time, things have changed. Transgenders and the LGTBQIA+ are now accepted in some parts of our country while some still experience discrimination, but a lot are now open to the topic of being trans.

Transwomen are not born with two X chromosomes, but they are now considered as women as they are a woman at heart, and they experience genuine happiness. They continuously fought to where they are right now and that proves that they are who they want themselves to be.

At the end of the day, there is no one at fault when transwomen show their real color. They deserve the admiration as they travel the bumpy roads to find and reach their true identity and happiness. They deserve a life filled with prosperity, love, and kindness.  

Even with individuals not accepting this concept, no one is given the right to discriminate against transwomen. This is where they learn and experience how to love themselves and others.

It is a constant reminder for society to never forget that women are women regardless of their biological identity, women are women at heart. Women are women.

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Real-life Superhero: Mother being a Breadwinner

by Althea Denisse F. Lingat

Although having a father serve as the family's primary provider is the norm, have you ever considered having your mother, who is typically at home taking care of the household's needs and the children, serve in that capacity?

No doubt, a lot of families have personally acquainted with a person that perfectly fulfills the aforementioned description. And in my case, it was my mother who best raised me and my sister in the right manner and provided a way that was typical and enjoyable for families everywhere else.

Her life then and now

My mother is a nurse who later began instructing at this particular university in San Fernando, Pampanga, for students who would like to become nurses. She enjoys helping doctors and patients while working as a nurse, and that's what I mean by dedication.

On the other hand, she is committed to her family as well as her job. She had no choice but to temporarily suspend her profession as a nurse and a teacher in the Philippines in order to try her luck as a foreign teacher abroad, likewise for those aspiring student nurses, since she is the only provider for the family.

It was challenging at first since she is the parent to whom we have become bonded, and because my sibling and I still have a lot of time left given our young ages. It was not only hard for us but for her also, doubling the feeling we felt. But in the end, she persevered in working abroad despite the challenging circumstances for 6 years before deciding to return permanently.

Even though she is at home, she still earns money for the family by doing self - employment opportunities. She resumed her profession as an ER nurse at a hospital after the pandemic subsided, managing to make ends meet for our family of four.

Breadwinner’s sacrifices

The route she chose and the experiences she had were substantially different from what other "Ilaw ng Tahanan" went through. To maintain the strength and happiness of her family, she became a mother, a father, and many more roles.

She endured all the trials and sacrifices from the time I was born until this present moment and also possible for the moments that may come in the future, and words cannot express how grateful my family is to her for doing so.

I will always be grateful for everything she did for us, and with her efforts, no child will stop at nothing to repay her and give her the life she gave.

Being the family's breadwinner isn't just a job for dads; it can also be done by moms. They deserve our appreciation for their outstanding and amazing efforts, especially during this month-long celebration of women's rights.

Salute for all mom’s out there who worked day and night for their own families. 

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Eldest Daughters, Rise Up!

by Melissa Angela D. Lawingco

There is just something about the eldest daughter that makes us fear her, respect her, and hate her as we grow up. We may all have our own perspectives of how an eldest daughter looks—she is responsible, independent, and dependable.

She was forced to grow up quicker and even if we have older sisters or not, we have an idea how women who are the eldest daughters of their families differ from those who are not part of this oddly specific classification of women.

A reflective mirror

As mentioned by an article written by Dara Winley, PHD., eldest daughters are more subjected to family pressure. This is because of the trials and errors that happened during their parents’ first steps into parenting.

Eldest daughters are presumed to mirror their mothers, to nurture their younger siblings and serve as a role model to them. They are more likely to be overachievers in academics as well as shouldering more responsibilities than most.

From maintaining high grades, helping around the house, and keeping the entire family in check, they just need to be in line more than the rest of their siblings. These responsibilities grow the bigger the family is, with that, they grow independent and often do not seek other people’s help because of the way they have been raised.  

The family is in demand of their support, particularly in a dysfunctional setting. The eldest daughter's role is to undertake emotional, financial, or logistical support. They must provide, else, the household will fall apart, and it cannot be an option when there are children involved.

Why not sons?

Though on a similar boat, sons are not held and treated the same way as daughters. The reasoning for this is their gender and the roles attached to them.

Society’s assigned gender roles typically state that men are providers and women are caretakers. Even as time has passed and practices have evolved, some parts of the world still prefer their women to be traditional.

Daughters are appointed rather than sons because they are presumed going to become mothers once they marry and have children of their own.

Misogyny is still rampant, men and even women can be misogynistic. A lot of people are still quite conservative, wanting their women to stay at home and watch over their families as the men work to bring home money and fulfill financial obligations.

Eldest Daughter Syndrome

The eldest daughter syndrome is quite a new term coined from social media—from Twitter and TikTok which relates to the effect of being the eldest daughter in a family setting.

This so-called “syndrome” suggests that eldest daughters are most likely perfectionists, hyper independent, have an excessive need to be in control, and have a higher self-esteem than most women.

These women are also found to set their own priorities and desires aside for the sake of other people. They have bad and good sides, but it is best to keep them regulated as it can get out of hand, mental issues can arise and harm their health as it goes along.

However, as much as it can provide some benefits, it is best to not subject future daughters to such pressures and burdens. Many young girls must sacrifice part of their childhoods to fulfill such a role.

Parents must also pay attention to how the eldest daughter is constantly doing her best for their family. It is not easy to give up a portion of your childhood to be a guide to your family, it is a sacrifice that is worth recognizing. Being the eldest daughter is tiring, responsibilities and burdens never seem to end, that’s why parents should never forget about their first-born daughters.

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Gender Stereotyping: Breaking the Female Chains

by Amanda Beatrice C. Deang

Women are supposed to stay at home, to cook and do housework, and to be responsible for raising children, but is the role that society has imposed on them the only purpose of their lives?

Gender stereotypes have long been the basis for how members of a certain gender should be: how they dress and present themselves, what their occupation should be, how they behave, and the like. Female gender stereotypes have established how and what a woman should be, even before she explores what she wants for her life. Stereotypes limit their opportunities and, in the worst cases, kill a woman’s self-confidence.

More than what they are

In the Philippines, it is a perceived societal standard that a woman’s ‘level of decency’ depends on how much fabric she wears, and her degree of capability depends on how great and diligent she is at housework.

Many advocates against female gender stereotyping have raised their voices regarding this societal error, but despite having proven that women can go beyond the boundaries of the norms and roles associated with them, a survey from Guerrero (2022) has proven that women's gender stereotypes, especially in cases of breadwinning and home-tending, are still upheld by many Filipinos.

Being a woman in the Philippines is equivalent to being subject to a pervasive system, and it is already expected that a woman seeking to apply for traditionally male roles such as jobs that require technical skills will be held to very high standards. And at times, when they do land the job, workplace discrimination on the basis of gender identity does tend to take place right after.

The gender stereotype also hinders a woman from developing her personal abilities and making decisions for herself, which leads to negative consequences as it ultimately affects their mental, physical, and emotional health and leaves them with zero self-confidence in regards to their personalities.

Exceeding the expectations

Are the roles that society has imposed on women the only purpose of their lives? Will women be able to break free from the chains of female gender stereotypes, or will such stereotypes continue to drag them down unwillingly? And as these harmful gender norms continue to persist and influence relationships, when will we really be able to say that society has already outdated and eliminated such stereotypes?

With all the stereotypes surrounding women, one notable fact that should be imprinted on society’s mind is that gender judgments are inaccurate, as these only stem from forms of bias that society has established for women over time.

Despite what society expects from a woman, there is no law or rule on how a woman should particularly be when it comes to her decisions or on how she wishes to project herself.

Men and women are equally capable of controlling what role they want to associate themselves with. Many may ask and doubt the possibility of such things, yet the latter is fully capable of much more than the roles that society forcibly associates to her.