ON MY MIND TODAY, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022:
THE PROBLEM OF BEING A GIRL
I DON’T have many problems being a woman. But early on, I had problems being a girl…
A number of reasons…
1. All in the Family. I am the third in a family of seven. I have 2 older brothers, 1 sister after me, 1 brother after her, then 1 more sister, and then, our youngest, another brother. 4 BROTHERS!
During High School, I so felt ugly because I hardly had suitors— until I realized that my eldest brother was Boy Scout leader and my second eldest brother was a PMT officer— so, ALL the boys in school were under the mercy of my elder brothers!
It didn’t help that my brothers were BIG. Actually, with their size, they didn’t need to do anything to scare away the boys.
Well, one day, one boy dared follow me as I was going home from school. He was kind of mauled, not by my brothers, but by their gang mates— I guess, thinking it’s their duty to protect the girls in our village.
The incident spread like wildfire in school— making all the boys, I guess, to vow to the gods never to touch me with a ten-foot pole, ever!
So, I was like, “God, why didn’t you make me a boy? Would it spoil Your Vast Eternal Plan if I were male?
2. Courtship Complications. In College, I happened to be president of the Student Council. As student leader, I was invited to attend student conferences outside school. Our Admin allowed me to attend— but since I was a girl, they told me not to entertain suitors because entertaining suitors outside your home is being “cheap” and would destroy the wholesome image of the Escolarian.
I was told to give suitors my home address and tell them to court me there.
I did as I was told— gave my address to one guy. Little did I know, that, in itself, was being “cheap!” Because you’re a girl, you’re supposed to play hard-to-get— so, the last thing you do is give your address to suitors!
Thus, again, I was like, “Gaaad…”
3. Student Powerlessness. During my time, the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when we still didn’t have social media, the “in”-thing was the Student Power Movement— mostly justice-for-the- poor or education issues rallies at the Plaza Miranda.
CEU allowed us to join those rallies. But to our chagrin, with no less than the head of the school’s Security and a couple of his men watching over us! That’s because we were girls, you know.
Well, for this I am really grateful, actually. Because before it got dark— the time the molotov bombs began to explode— our Security had already motioned us to jump into one of those buses passing by Plaza Miranda.
4. Media Moments. After college, I began my career in Media. Not easy.
I didn’t get things done by being, well, soft as a girl. I had to be a tough boss taskmaster, to the point I gained enemies, people who never liked me— never like me to this day!
My reputation actually preceded me. I happened to be editor-in-chief of MOD magazine.
My husband Ed accompanied me on my first day in MOD. Later, Ed told me that as we entered the office, he overheard one of the staff — perhaps who used to be my staff in the previous company I worked in— said, “Naku, humanda na kayo!
To paraphrase in English, “Get ready for this monster!”
Gaaad…
C! 