International Women’s Day 2024: Empowered women in PH show biz

It is always a marvel how a single female holds so much power in her ignites change and sets free the potential in others—an occurrence certainly present even in the local entertainment scene.

More and more female celebrities have come to embrace their empowered selves by determining their own decisions, establishing confidence and sense of self-worth, standing for what they believe in, and influencing fellow women in doing such.

It is always a marvel how a single female holds so much power in her ignites change and sets free the potential in others—an occurrence certainly present even in the local entertainment scene.

More and more female celebrities have come to embrace their empowered selves by determining their own decisions, establishing confidence and sense of self-worth, standing for what they believe in, and influencing fellow women in doing such.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, here are some of the females in show business who recently exhibited women empowerment in their own ways.

Liza Soberano

Once controversial for speaking up about the downsides of her over-a-decade established career in the Philippines, Liza Soberano defied the odds and proved herself for turning her Hollywood dream into reality.

Soberano went from being a one-half of a love team that was a regular at the romantic-comedy department, to going out of her comfort zone and chasing a career in the United States.

“It was really nerve-racking because I’m coming from a 12-year long career in the Philippines, not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty established already in Manila. There’s this certain privilege that I had, the comfort that I had back home but I decided to leave all that in search of personal growth and professional growth,” Soberano said.

Kathryn Bernardo

Veering away as well from a love team while also ending an over a decade relationship with actor Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernado entered her solo era and proved that she’s an exceptional actress in her own right.

Bernardo’s first film sans Padilla was the 2018 romantic comedy-drama “Three Word to Forever,” which was followed by the 2019 hit film “Hello, Love, Goodbye” where she starred alongside Alden Richards. The 2019 romantic drama had been the Philippines’ highest grossing-film until the box-office record set by the 2023 film “Rewind.”

In Bernardo’s most recent film, female-led movie “A Very Good Girl,” the actress aimed to inspire and empower her fellow women in fighting for what is right, especially when their dignity is being pushed down to the ground.

“I really want to do something na involved ang mga kababaihan dahil ‘yun ang kailangan natin i-tackle sa nangyayari sa mundo ngayon. Nakakatuwa, especially the young ones [and] Gen-Zs, sila ‘yung nagiging representation na ito kami ngayon,” she spoke of the film.

Speaking about her solo era and her self-love mantra, on the other hand, Bernardo regarded it as a “good kind of change” despite the adjustments.

“Ngayon ko lang na-feel na it’s so empowering as a woman and ang sarap sa pakiramdam na alam ko nang hawak ko na ang buhay ko at ang sarili ko,” she admitted. “At the end of the day, it’s all about [myself]. [I can] do what makes [me] happy.”

Michelle Dee

Michelle Dee, a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, represented not only the country but also the community on the international stage of the Miss Universe pageant in 2023.

“I definitely identify myself as bisexual. I’ve identified with that for as long as I can remember. I’m attracted to all forms of beauty, all shapes and sizes.”

“I’m so much more than how I identify myself. I have so much more to offer the world and the universe than how I identify myself. This is also the reason why I chose not to come out despite the pressure to come out during the [local] competition,” she underscored.

Dee, who came out as bisexual weeks after winning the Miss Universe Philippines title, delighted Filipino pageant fans with her laudable performance in the competition.

Despite not bringing home the crown, Dee bagged several awards in the global tilt including Spirit of Carnival, Fan Vote winner, and Best in National Costume, and was named as one of the Voice for Change gold honorees.

She also ignited a sense of Bayanihan among Filipinos who collectively extended their support to the actress-beauty queen all throughout her pageant journey.

Nadine Lustre

Being the outspoken person that she is, Nadine Lustre admitted that she had not always been this way as she had also suffered from an identity crisis during her early years in show business.

Taking into consideration a lot of factors including criticisms from naysayers, the actress said she tried to fit herself into a certain mold and eventually lost sight of herself. A “terrible burnout” and her mental health struggles later made her realize she needed a shift in her mindset.

“I’m often asked how I manage to always look cool and composed. I always say this to people… I’m unapologetic about who I am. I say what I want to say, and I do what I want to do. And that comes off like a big puzzle to some because, for someone in the midst of all this in showbiz, we’re so used to having people who are afraid to speak up—and I’m definitely not like that,” she stated.

“So, I tell them that I just try to be myself… because there was a time when all I did was try to fit myself into a certain mold,” she continued. “I really didn’t know who I was. I can’t say when or how [the shift in mindset] clicked, but I just had this realization that I was tired of wearing this mask.”

Vice Ganda 

No one and nothing could stop Vice Ganda, an empowered figure of the LGBTQIA+ community in the country, from promoting love in all genders and forms—and the public is a witness to this.

The comedian-TV host has been using her platform to reach more people and make them understand not just the community itself but also what it has been fighting for.

“Everyone must be able [to] understand what is LGBTQIA+, what kind of people they are, because if you don’t understand the person, then you don’t fully embrace his [or] her totality… That is why I firmly believe that SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression) must be taught in schools,” Vice Ganda said.

Just recently, Vice Ganda and her partner, fellow “It’s Showtime” host Ion Perez, became a subject of hurtful comments and attacks after a display of affection in an episode of the noontime show. This incident even prompted the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to suspend “It’s Showtime” for 12 days, regarding the pair’s actions as “indecent acts.”

Such did not faze Vice Ganda in standing up for their love and for what she believes in, describing their relationship as “revolutionary.”

Through her simple and sometimes even comedic remarks, Vice Ganda has also been shedding light on pressing matters that need to be discussed.

Maxene Magalona

Maxene Magalona is not one to give in to societal pressure of having children at a certain age, stressing that she is moving at her own pace and that no one gets to decide over her life but her and God.

In connection with this, the actress also put strong emphasis on how parents must undergo healing first before welcoming a child into this world. Magalona, who is also a mental health advocate, said she has come to understand the importance of this practice after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) herself.

Magalona confessed she initially did not want to have a child, but that she came to realize she wants to have just one kid when the right time comes.

“As I matured, I really had to sit with myself and ask my soul if I truly wanted a child. Because I certainly don’t want to bring another soul into this world unconsciously. I don’t want to have kids just because everyone else is doing it,” she stated.

“So when I meditated on it, I realized that I would like a child for the sole purpose of passing on what I learned in my journey, and also make the child feel the kind of love and energy that I offer. So that they can also pass it on to the future generations,” she added.