This billboard caught my attention–it has intrigued me to bits, such that I did a little research about it. I am yet to find out where it is physically located, though I have seen the billboard of the winner (girl in center) somewhere in Guadalupe, EDSA. The change is astonishing, it is a total make-over to the max, putting together most of the products and services that a Belo or Calayan would promote: liposuction, body sculpting, breast augmentation, skin whitening, nose lift, face lift, eye bag removal, eyelash implantation, laser hair removal, even perhaps ortohodontist and salon works.

The reality show Ms. Ugly (No More), conducted about 6 months ago, transformed these 3 Filipina women who considered themselves “ugly ducklings” into 3 gorgeous swans–into 3 sexy Filipinas. It was a beauty pageant–in–reverse, in which the willing “ugly” candidates competed in an audition, enhancing in themselves the criteria of what was “ugly” by the organizers’ standards, physical defects and all. It was a promise to change their lives–looking beyond the physical, by first working on their physical deficiencies and defects, through a total makeover package worth P1 million. What next? I would like to find out how these Filipinas fared in their lives after the physical make over.

This was one contest which proved the public opinion that indeed beauty, and in this instance, “ugliness” is in the eyes of the beholder. The contestants were made to write an essay declaring their reasons for joining, the favorite of which was life-changing transformation. An example: some women may be intelligent, but because of the way they look or because of their physical defects, they feel discriminated or handicapped. What was really in the minds of these Filipina contestants when they joined–their psychological frames of mind? or the physical pains that the 3 winners had to endure and the medical risks they had to overcome? And what about the thousand other Flipina wannabes who went home empty-handed?

It is much more than that–individuals have their own self-perception. We are born differently from one another, some may be luckier physically, some really really unlucky. Looking into oneself is often subjective. Blame it on commercialism–where beauty has been defined by narrow stereotypes, where now Filipinas think that white is beautiful, or thin (rather skinny) is in, or straight shiny hair is a gift from heaven, or tall is all.

Don’t you think it is time for a change? For Filipinas to believe that all these can be transformed from a state of mind to sheer reality that goes beyond the physical? For Filipinas to look deeper into themselves, where the definition of beauty encompasses one’s self worth? Where self-esteem is built through creative self-expression? Where beauty counts regardless of color, size, shape and age?

It will take time, but it can be possible, if we start NOW. We can start by looking deep and beyond our own hearts–and see the beauty that is innate in each of us. Accept one’s own self. Convert this into positive energies, into worthwhile activities, and reach out to others, to the less fortunate. Pass on the confidence and goodness of heart to our children, especially to our daughters, the future Filipina homemakers, the future global Filipinas, who will make a lot of difference to our country and to the world.

Note: This is my entry to Digital Filipino.com’s “Filipina Writing Project”, sponsored by Barangay.ph, Kababayan.ph, MyUSMailbox.com, RegaloService.com and Acclaim Butterflies, and in collaboration with The Filipina Images.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 6:17 pm and is filed under The Filipina. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.