Why I'm Rooting for Nadine Lustre

When my fellow plus size women and/or post-pregnancy mums get bashed for wearing swimsuits in the beach, it is always initially infuriating. Then I calm down and remind myself that most people are still not ready. But when the likes of Nadine Lustre gets a seemingly endless round of nasty remarks for doing so, I can't help but feel appalled and sad for them. So who are the select ones 'allowed' to be seen donning a bikini? Are we talking about a small fraction of the world population? That's nuts.

Some of Nadine Lustre's post about her recent getaway

[Seeing these actually makes me wanna run to the beach, too.]

And all keyboard warriors unite to find faults in her body and her bikini. 

Photo lifted from Google Images.

Just like how Boy Abunda reacted to these photos, I find Nadine Lustre sexy...in a holistic way. I like how she often smiles and how she makes my bungisngis self want to laugh along with her. Her hair is beautiful and I like how she seems to prefer it tied up in a ponytail when she's off-duty. I appreciate her morena skin (and I hope she keeps it, in spite of this). And her eyes! And her clavicle! And her legs! To put it simply, I find her beautiful and yet very relatable. So why criticize her for having stretch marks, baby fats, unflattering bra and God knows what else when you can most likely see the same thing/s on your body? And why look down on her as if having Pinay attributes is something to be ashamed of?

In the book Team Real, Nadine Lustre admits she finds herself ordinary-looking and even went on naming her flaws. The thing is, she embraces her body - assets or imperfections alike. For someone who has a longer list of so-called 'factory defects' and probably longer history of body-shaming and self-doubt, I find it truly mature for a 22-year-old to embody self-acceptance. It took me longer to fully love and celebrate my own, you know.

Now let's go beyond the physical. I've seen a million behind-the-scene clips, I've watched her in press cons and I've seen her in the flesh once and and I can say that there's more to love about this woman. 

 Let's hear it from this guy. 

Now let's hear it from Ms. Personality herself.

You gotta love this girl. Simple pero rock. There's a lot of testimonials saying how independent, down-to-earth, accommodating and warm she is. On- and off-cam, mind you. They say she'll drive herself to work and carry her own stuff to the set. She can't say no to requests for photo opps. And I could just imagine how she can light up the entire room when she walks in. By now, you've probably seen photos of how involved she is in home renovations or household chores. In this day and age wherein self-entitlement somehow becomes more common than common sense, I consider this a welcome change. 

Plus I find her really smart (watch her interviews and you'll know what I mean) and talented. I like the quality of her singing voice, her comic timing and I'm particularly impressed with her photography and editing skills. Seriously, I can hardly wait for the follow-up music video to this! Much respect for stars with behind-the-cam aspirations, too. Fans calling her a "game changer" must be right; she's truly someone tomorrow's generations could emulate. 

But, wait. There's more! Nadine Lustre sometimes explodes...and she's not scared to express it. If it were true that talo ang pikon, then she's probably not frightened to lose. How fierce! For me, it's always better to be honest if you're hurt or pissed off than give everyone a false impression. She's as real as it gets and, if it were true that everything she does is merely publicity stunts, I'm sure she'll eventually get tired of being someone she's not. And it's OK if you don't share my opinion.

One of her 'patola' moments...that ironically made me appreciate her more.

I've read so many demeaning comments directed to her in so many who-wore-it-better polls and showbiz articles and I'm actually shocked they never run out of negative things to say. This lady hardly deserves it! Sure, some of her poses look kinda awkward and some of her portrayals calls for improvement, but I choose to appreciate her for who she is and I refuse to compare or associate her with somebody else. I choose to be inspired by how she reminds us that beauty and sexiness can't be tied to our flesh alone. I choose to laud her for giving her best now and for aiming to be a better artist tomorrow. I choose to look forward to the days she'll remain grounded while being able to entertain us in a different level and at the same time motivate us plain Janes and 'pangets' that we can reach our dreams, too. That's why I'm rooting for her, not just for FHM or any award-giving bodies. I'm rooting for her success in all aspects in life. Achieve na achieve!

And for the bashers, I don't expect this short blog entry will make you change your minds about Nadine Lustre. But I appeal for you all to watch your thoughts and be more careful in judging others. After all, your hurtful words reflect more about you - your background, your issues, etc. Let's just agree to disagree and refrain from spreading negativity. And if you don't like what you see on TV and billboards, then just look away. Stop the hate!

Spread love!