In celebration of Women’s Month, we wanted to feature everyday Chinoy girls and women to share their unique wisdom and insights on life. The topics range from career to love life, and fashion! Each topic will also delve into certain issues that women face in society.
The question we asked was “As a Chinoy woman, what piece of advice would you give to fellow women and girls this Women’s Month?”
1. TIFFANY UY, fresh graduate
As a fresh graduate from Ateneo de Manila University, Tiffany has the following words to share on Women’s Month:
“My advice would be for girls to embrace all the challenges unique to being a woman (whether it’s biological or the implications of your own culture) because that’s what makes a girl stronger than the rest.”
Being a fresh graduate is tough, and the job hunt is a very taxing experience. Coupled with the glass ceiling that women face at work, all of this is exacerbated. In fact,according to investinginwomen.asia, male employees in the Philippines earn P5000 more than their female counterparts.
If you want to support closing the wage gap for women, please sign this petition to help the passing of the Paycheck Fairness Act!
2. CECILLE LIM, college student (@polaroicl)
Photo credit from Instagram
Cecille is a Literature student at Ateneo de Manila University, and a photography enthusiast.
As a person who routinely captures beauty in the world through the lens of a camera, she has the following to say about beauty standards:
“The first step to accepting yourself is not found in conforming to the standard but in finding your own version of beauty. The moment you realize your own beauty is when you can fully let go of your insecurities.”
Addressing all girls and women who are still on the journey to finding themselves, she says “The journey may prove difficult at times as many of us are raised to internalize misogyny but your journey does not need to be linear. Take your time and one day, you’ll get there.”
Check out Cecille’s photography here on her Instagram page!
3. SASHA, content creator (@acuteangelie)
Photo credit from Instagram
Sasha is a content creator who makes a variety of content on her YouTube channel: games, meme reviews, vlogs, and streams.
As a YouTuber, she is no stranger to judgment from strangers online. Her advice is as follows:
“Being a woman is never easy, no matter what you choose to do in life. People will judge you for your faults and as well as your achievements, so might as well do what you really want that will bring you peace and happiness! And also, slay the world in whatever style you’d like!”
Follow Sasha on her YouTube Channel Acute Angelie!
4. CAREER GIRL (anon)
Photo credit from Pond5.com
Career Girl, who declined to be named, has some helpful words for girls who want to enter male-dominated fields such as engineering, IT, and more.
“Don’t be discouraged to enter a male-dominated field if you really want to! An older female mentor will help push you in the right direction to succeed, because she has been in your position and can give you valuable tips.”
She expresses extreme gratitude to her mentor for making her the person she is today.
5. CAITLIN, college student
Caitlin is a college student at the University of the Philippines. She has the following tips to help any student as it is almost midterms.
“Make lists! Not just to-do lists, but lists about you– your hobbies, goals you might have, food you like, skills you can do, stuff you’d like to try, people you can contact, the reasons why you keep going. It’s especially helpful for those days when you just can’t seem to see the point anymore. Having these lists on hand in a notes app (I use Google Keep and Notion) or in a journal allows you to spend less energy and brain cells thinking about these things when you need it!”
As a DnD player, Caitlin has some additional advice inspired by the game.
“If making choices is too hard for you at the moment, get a random number generator or a coin to decide for you.”
6. SANDY, member of LKF Dance Crew
Sandy is a young professional who works in South Korea. On Women’s Month, she has some short and sweet advice for every girl out there: “Trust yourself, especially in relationships!”
Did you know women are more likely to experience microaggressions and gaslighting than men? This is due to the association of femininity with irrationality or being “crazy” or men assuming “it’s that time of the month.”
Here is an article on how to recognize gaslighting, and how to shut it down.
7. MELISSA, mother and accountant
Photo credit from Sanrio.com
Melissa has been happily married for over 20 years! Truthfully, I have never ever seen mom and dad fight even once, so here’s her advice on love (Translated from Hokkien, of course).
“Your marriage life will be longer than your single life, so you have to marry someone you can get along with well. Someone you have a lot to talk to about and can talk to for a long time!”
She also believes in a long courtship period, so that you both truly get to know each other. My dad adds that “You should marry your best friend.”
8. Sharpink (anon)
Photo credit from Teen Vogue
Sharpink, who declined to be named, has the following insights to share.
“Don’t feel pressured to smile more, put on makeup, or be skinny unless it’s for yourself! We put SO much effort into pleasing others, but I read this post recently where ‘Pretty isn’t the rent you pay to exist’ and it made so much sense.”
“Be as unapologetically girly as you want! Lots of people look down on femininity because they aren’t used to it or are uncomfy with it since masculinity is the norm. Women get shamed and men get penalized for associating with feminine things, but together, we can make girliness more visible! Don’t be afraid to slay <3”
