What an average Juana wants — what she really, really wants.
Since I was first introduced by my mother to the wonderful world of retail shopping and the big, shiny business of beauty, I’ve kept a mental catalog of most everything I’ve slathered on my face, scrubbed over my skin or squeezed my body into. I had to.
So many things that promised better skin, hair, body and overall well-being never worked for me. The shiny, perfect models, celebrities and doctors in the ads made me feel worse. I thought maybe it was my fault that the products didn’t work or that the latest fashion trends and treatments made me feel worse about my body (and myself for spending on something my income couldn’t really afford).
Of course, over the years I’ve learned how to separate clever marketing strategy and jargon from reality, unwittingly becoming a reliable reviewer of beauty products and fashion fads for anyone who cared to listen. A friend brought up the idea of a blog chronicling my “little victories” and embarrassing mistakes as a consumer.
And you know what, why not?
It would put all those trips to the mall and far-flung shopping centers, all the wild purchases, all the passing obsessions to good use. And it would validate my naive belief that things do happen for a reason — even something as inconsequential as having my nails done.
Why shouldn’t I share what I have to say about beauty and fashion in a public domain? I’m not a dermatologist or cosmetologist; I’m not a chemist or reputable beauty editor nor a reputable columnist.
I’m an average Juana, just like you.
You know who you are. Probably born to a lower-middle-to-middle-class, tight-knit, dysfunctional — in some cases, broken — Filipino family. Educated with English as the medium of instruction. Wide-eyed idealist clutching a college diploma, aspiring for a Maalaala-Mo Kaya-cum-Erin-Brockovich kind of success, plodding through the daily grind to contribute to the family budget or pay for a sibling’s education.
Most likely, you’re an overachiever like myself who was always ready for the classroom but a bit overwhelmed by the workaday world. And like any self-respecting overachiever, you’ll never admit this. You keep that movie playing in your head about having everything from a great career, a respectable social life and a lifelong romance.
Or maybe not. But the point is, life’s lottery didn’t cast us into a wealthy and privileged family or a genetically superior, and often mixed, bloodline.
Like you, I don’t have naturally flawless, glowing skin, symmetrical features or a well-proportioned physique. I have never been, and probably
never will be, involved in showbiz, politics, or any sort of limelight, not even by association. I don’t have trust funds or credit lines with designer shops. I don’t have a big family corporation or business to that I can sink my teeth into without worrying about my paycheck.
I break out easily and regularly. I’ve had recurring skin asthma along my upper arms. I have a delicate torso and legs, but a disproportionately large midsection. I have bil-bil. I have fine, uncooperative, limp hair. I’m nearsighted. One of my brows is shorter than the other. I need regular waxing for my brows and upper lip. I have overbite. I have to shave my legs every other day. I have a birthmark smack dab on my face. I’m a chronic sloucher.
Like you, I can’t afford to take even the simple things for granted. No, not even the stuff I use in the shower everyday.
And that makes what I have to say something you would really, really want to know, don’t you think?
*Average Juana is gratefully dedicated to my eternally beautiful mother and gorgeous Therese.
