Women Singing for Women

Feminism here in the Philippines is closely related not only to the critique of patriarchy, but also of capitalism. To emancipate women is to liberate them from social and economic oppression caused by the hegemonic society. Most of the times, this freedom and change is seen to be achievable only through social revolution--kailangan makialam at makibaka. 


Two key songs of Philippine feminism by Filipino women shown below embody the characteristics mentioned above. Both songs question the assumed passivity and subordination of women and encourages them to awaken and fight for liberation.

The first song is by Susan Fernandez Magno--an alumna of our very own University of the Philippines--and is entitled "Babae Ka". This track's part of her 1990 album Habi at Himig.

The next song is entitled Babae by the female duo Inang Laya, composed of Becky Demetillo Abraham and Karen Constantino David (shown below). Yet again, you may be interested to know that they are also from UP--David is a former professor of UPD, while Abraham is an alumna of the UP Concert Chorus.

Babae
Inang Laya

Kayo ba ang mga Maria Clara, mga Hule at mga Sisa
Na di marunong na lumaban, kaapiha’y bakit iniluluha
Mga babae, kayo ba’y sadyang mahina?

Kayo ba ang mga Cinderella, na ang lalaki ang ang tanging pag-asa
Kayo nga ba ang mga Nena, na hanapbuhay ang pagpuputa
Mga babae, kayo ba’y sadyang pangkama?

Ang ating isip ay buksan at lipuna’y pag-aralan
Pa’no nahubog inyong isipan at tanggaping kayo’y mga libangan
Mga babae, ito nga ba’y kapalaran?

Bakit ba mayroong mga Gabriela, mga Teresa at Tandang Sora
Na di umasa sa luha’t awa, sila’y nagsipaghawak ng sandata
Nakilaban, ang mithiin ay lumaya

Bakit ba mayroong mga Lisa, mga Liliosa at mga Lorena
Na di natakot makibaka, at ngayo’y marami ang kasama
Mga babae, ang mithiin ay lumaya

Ang ating isip ay buksan at lipuna’y pag-aralan
Pa’no nahubog inyong isipan at tanggaping kayo’y mga libangan
Mga babae, ito nga ba’y kapalaran?

Bakit ba mayroong mga Lisa, mga Liliosa at mga Lorena
Na di natakot makibaka, at ngayo’y marami ang kasama
Mga babae, ang mithiin ay lumaya

Mga babae, ang mithiin ay lumaya.

The song presents fictional characters such as Sisa and Maria Clara that are stereotypes of Filipino women and sets them against "real" women like Gabriela, Teresa, Tandang Sora, Lisa, Liliosa, Lorena. These real-life women are the ones who fought and resisted oppression in their own varying ways and means, showing that men are not the only ones who can actively participate in such issues.
A background story on the mentioned characters can be seen in Babae.

The Little Boy is Now A Lady

You're probably familiar with Maxi: the young, effeminate protagonist of the acclaimed independent film Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. In case you aren't, here's a trailer to acquaint you with the charming twelve year old:




Although the movie's representation of male homosexuality still falls under what one may consider stereotypical, the fact that Maxi is an adolescent renders it fresh—a far cry from the usual, more mainstream films centering on gayness. Instead of dealing with issues on Maxi's sexuality, the movie focuses more on his relationships with the people surrounding him, particularly his family and his love interest Victor, treating his being gay as natural, instead of an issue that needs some dwelling on.

Maxi's home environment is very macho. He lives with three straight men—his father and his two older brothers—who all happen to be archetypally macho. Given these circumstances, one might assume that the family would be against Maxi's homosexuality. This, however, is not the case. All three men show no opposition the their bunso's effeminacy and even make jokes about it by telling him to buy sanitary napkins for himself and calling him sister. The same goes with Victor—the young police officer whom Maxi develops a crush on.

I find it rather curious that the vagueness of Victor's sexuality was maintained throughout the film, making his character a possible resistance to commonplace notions on masculinity, given the close relationship he develops with Maxi.

Vava Vroom No More!

“Real men cry at the luck of winning a free weekend with Cristine Reyes.”

“Colt 45 Vava Vroom real men promo”

    Asia Brewery Inc. is the liquor company that manufactures Colt 45. Ryan Consul, the senior brand manager claimed that the date concept with a celebrity is a “rather common and highly accepted experience most people would aspire.” Furthermore, the weekend getaway with Reyes “simply focuses on the enthralling experience of having a personal interaction with a celebrity,”

    Note that Consul didn’t say “men would aspire”, even though it clearly targets the masculine market. He used “people” instead. The statement consists of linguistic strategies of subtlety, as it does not specify gender for instance. The term “personal interaction” seems to obscure the sexual connotation that the ad associates with the celebrity. He also points out that this kind of advertisement is “common and highly accepted”, it aims to defend its legitimacy within our culture. The word “enthralling” used to refer to the experience of the possible winner is such a vague term from which you can derive a lot of different meanings depending on context. Again, the company's response used strategies of discretion to avoid conflicts and to lighten the obligation attached to the statement.

 

Note that the ad used the words “real men”, “vava vroom”, “winning” and “promo”. Vava vroom is a famous expression of men whenever they see a hot and sexy woman. We can conclude that this is coming from a male focalization that zooms in the sexuality of a woman. Magna Carta for Women released a statement against Asia Brewery Inc. It’s as though Cristine Reyes is a commodity or a prize that men would love to win. She was also being juxtaposed with the promo of Colt45 Ford Truck. The winner would receive both; the truck and Cristine Reyes come as a package. It bolsters up the objectification of women and perpetuates sex stereotypes. Reyes’ identity revolves around her sexuality and is being paired with a truck, a boy toy. PCW shows contempt for this derogatory portrayal of women. It pushes for the promotion of this brand in a non-sexist representation.

The Ultimate Housewife

This is one of the many political ads of Tessie Aquino Oreta for her senatorial candidacy.It tackles the Solo Parent Right: Women even without husbands should be granted parental leave. You would see frail and helpless images of women in some of her ads and we can’t deny that this is the reality for a lot of women in our country. They do not have the courage to go against the stereotypes of a loving mother and housewife , submissive and dependent on their husbands. It owes mainly to the fact that women are not aware of their social rights. This advocacy of Oreta fights against gender discrimination and focuses on women’s worth. Women and men should have equal rights especially within labor unions.

The second ad is the perfect representation of the changing roles and responsibilities of women nowadays. It deviates from the conventions that women always count on their husbands for their own needs. It has been a well-accepted notion that women’s job is simply to create a home and nurture their children. However in present in time, women have become more independent and versatile. In some cases, mothers are the foundation of their families. In relation to Oreta’s campaign, this ad is a justification that indeed men and women should be given the same social privileges. It challenges the stereotypes about women’s social roles and obligations. That is why I find the commercial heartwarming and empowering at the same time. It just shows that women can actually stand on their own.

Beauty vs Power

The following TVC's stand for the different images of women in our country. Let us pay attention to the persona of the commercial models and the way they were represented and associated with the product.

 

Pantene's Most Beautiful

The Pantene TVC features Judy Ann Santos, Claudine Baretto, Ruffa Gutierrez and Gretchen Baretto. The tagline of the ad itself, “Pantene’s Most Beautiful” highlights the notion of beauty. To promote the product, four celebrities were hailed as “Pantene’s standards of beauty” in our country. The ad aims to convince Filipina women that to use Pantene is to be transformed into these models: sophisticated, elegant, famous and rich. Basically, the content focuses on the superficial aspects of beauty.

If we analyze the public images of these characters, two of them are soap opera actresses. Juday and Claudine were often seen crying and being maltreated on TV in the past decade. These prominent images symbolize the powerlessness of a typical teleserye princess; always yielding, very passive. Ruffa Gutierrez on the other hand was a beauty queen and the perfect example of the material girl. Finally, Gretchen Baretto is a socialite who's well known for her glamor fashion. She proudly announced her new pouty lips and botox at that! 

 

Creamsilk's Girl Power

 

The second set of ad features three women who are less famous by far, although quite distinguished in their chosen professions. We have here Lougee Basabas, a rockstar and vocalist of Mojofly, Gaby dela Merced a professional F3 racer and Sophie Cottini, an equestrienne.

The tagline “Girl Power” is very much different from “Most Beautiful”. It focuses on the strength and potential of the models. It doesn’t underscore the exterior aspect of beauty: beautiful hair, fashion and glamour. Instead the commercial highlights the professions of the three models.

It creates a new trend of beauty: funky, independent and self-made women, contrary to the star-like image of Pantene. The concept tries to deviate from the stereotypical feminine representations. “Choose both!”. According to Dorothy Dee, Creamsilk marketing manager, it is an advocacy for women to pursue what they want and be beautiful at the same time.

If you’ve noticed however, they used models with pretty faces and long shiny black hair. They were wearing pink clothes too which is stereotypically associated with the feminine gender. In a sense, despite the efforts to re-contextualize TV ads, it is still difficult to totally dispense with these stereotypes.