The TRUE Filipina

 

Filipinos or the Filipino people are the native inhabitants and citizens of the Republic of the Philippines located in Southeast Asia. The term Filipino (feminine: Filipina) may also refer to people of Philippine descent. (Wikipedia)

What IS a Filipina? Some would give a textbook definition like the one above, something so common, so obvious, so limited. To fully describe a Filipina, one would need a thorough knowledge and a full experience of the Philippine culture. Of course, describing a Filipina would lead to describing the Philippine.

But first, let me give a brief background about the Filipina’s home country. The Philippine country is a mix of different cultures because of the many colonizers that affected the country’s cultural identity.

A newbie to the Asian community would discover that the Filipino people are very different from its neighboring countries in terms of language, lifestyle, physical attributes, and especially culture. In a nutshell, a big part of the Philippines is more Western than Asian.

There is still, of course, the traditional side of the culture, but the effect of the Spanish, together with the Americans, is still very much clear in the lives of each and every Filipino.

The Filipina. How do I describe such a gentle and at the same time, complex creation?

The Filipina is the female counterpart of the Filipino. She usually has medium-length to long brown-black straight hair, with a natural skin tone – by natural, I mean natural to Asians. That is, a mix between light brown and tan. Her height would be between 5’2” to 5’6”, give or take a few inches.

A Filipina is very attached to her family. She will rarely dissuade her family, especially her parents. Even more so, parents are very strict with their daughters, especially the head of the family – the dad.

In the past, when the Philippine environment was still very traditional and conservative, the father wouldn’t let his daughter go to a party or a simple gathering without a chaperone to be with her the whole night and to make sure that she doesn’t do anything outside her father’s knowledge and permission.

Oftentimes, this act of “protection” (according to fathers) and “injustice” (according to daughters) causes daughters to fight their parents or even leave home with their boyfriends, thinking that if they did this, their father would give her a little slack.

Also, Filipinas in the past dressed very conservatively. Compared to the way they dress today, lots of people would be appalled to see these women’s dresses like that.

Back then, it would be unthinkable to show such a large part of the body’s skin, especially that of a woman. To be beautiful in those times was to be courteous, modest, well-mannered, poised, and very lady-like.

That’s how a Filipina was supposed to act in the past in order to be called beautiful and smart. But as we all know, things change. Things change a lot. You wouldn’t see this kind of act anymore in today’s environment. A woman now is independent and has to be able to take care of herself.

The Filipina, however much she likes to be very independent and strong and brave, she always goes back to the values that a person born and living in the Philippines has – familial values. She would always go back to her family, despite the modern and fast-paced life in the city, and have some of the good old times.

Not only is she devoted to her family and her beliefs, the Filipina, a young and modern epitome of natural beauty and mystery is also a very complicated creature, as what was mentioned earlier.

In conclusion, the Filipina, however modern and urban her community may be, will never forget to look back to the places that brought her where she is now.

She is passionate in all her endeavors, whatever they may be. And she will always have that certain value attributed to the Filipinos – family.

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