EARLY 30s never looked better for one of Philippine volleyball’s most endearing faces and empowered talents in Myla Pablo.
Yet as often is the case with women in sports, they can still be subjected to public scrutiny fueled by dated social norms on self-expression and presentation.
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Case in point, the mere acts of wearing makeup and accessorizing with earrings and pieces of jewelry in games would, at times, be viewed as unbecoming - and even unnecessary.
For the veteran Petro Gazz star and two-time PVL MVP, gone should be the days when women must act a certain way - just because that's what time and tradition have come to expect of them.
What matters most, more so in this day and age, is for women to continue taking up space and know that the only way they should act is through means that liberate them rather than hold them back.
And female athletes like Pablo need to know that best.
“As a volleyball player, importante sa amin ‘yung maayos ‘yung sarili namin, lalo na sa TV na kita kami ng marami tao. Hindi ka naman pwedeng hindi mag-ayos. Alam niyo naman ‘yung mga tao, maraming mga sinasabi na, ‘Oh, ganyan si Myla, ‘di nag-aayos ng itsura.’ Or something like that,” Pablo said.
“Pwede naman pagsamahin ‘yung beauty and sports. Kumbaga, ikaw bilang babae, mahalaga kung paano mo aalagaan yung sarili mo kung papaayos ng kuko, ng hair, facial.
“Isang bagay na rin ‘yung confident ka as a woman, kung paano ka nakikita sa TV or sa social media. I think kailangan din pahalagahan ‘yung beauty as a person at maalagaan namin ‘yung sarili namin, hindi lang puro volleyball.”
Words won't bring Myla down
No matter what anyone else says, Pablo won’t have any qualms whatsoever for as long as she continues to unapologetically embrace who she is and how she chooses to express herself on the court.
As she put it, “‘Yung mga tini-tweet naman sa akin is hindi ko tine-take as negative. Kumbaga, hinahayaan ko ‘yung mga tao. Sila naman nakakapansin eh."
“Kung ‘yan ‘yung sinasabi niyo sa amin, that's okay. Kami, kung naman, nakita naman din namin ‘yung sarili namin, kami nakakakilala kung ano at sino kami as a player.”
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