ME: “I can do anything!”, ALSO ME: “Pero kaya ko nga ba?”
Unless you’re living under a rock, this much-used statements have long been turned into an everyday shared meme, demonstrating real-life dilemmas faced by even the most confident girls.
Recognizing this, well-loved face care brand, Pond’s, recently unveiled the #SeeWhatHappens movement to help encourage women everywhere to face their hesitations and indeed, see what happens next when they overcome their self-doubt.
“A recent study showed that more than 9 in 10 women hold themselves back in some situations. In the Philippines it was found that 96% of Filipinas say they’ve experienced self-doubt, which at some point disabled them from achieving their goals. Fear of being judged is the most common reason for Filipinas to hold back whether it’s about their career or a relationship. It was with this in mind that we at Pond’s are shedding light on the #SeeWhatHappens stories of our own ambassadors – confident ladies whom you’d never guess would have hesitations and self-doubt,” noted Pond’s Senior Brand Manager Kristine Rey-Domingo.
In this light, the famed brand gathered household names associated with confidence and success like personalities Heart Evangelista, Kathryn Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, and newest members of the growing family of female endorsers, Gabbi Garcia, and Ylona Garcia. While the whole world sees their success, what’s often overlooked is the personal struggle that these amazing girls deal with to continuously grow and succeed.
Pond’s then navigated the well-loved celebrities’ personal stories to shed light on the importance of confidence among women to battle inner hesitations. In an empowering talk moderated by She-Talks Asia Co-Founder, Victoria Herrera, the five gorgeous women have each poured their hearts out to share various points in their lives in and out of show business that they had to face their fears and hesitations.
Here are five important learning we picked out:
Stand by your choices, even your mistakes. They complete your story.
Despite all her accolades, Heart Evangelista-Escudero talked about dealing with self-doubt and questioning if she was enough. She was hesitant to reach for more because of this but wanted to be part of something bigger. In the end, she chose to be brave and decided to make art her outlet and form of expression. The world remains in awe of Heart’s constant evolution and success as an actress and artist.
She notes, “Things will not always go as planned. One day you’ll realize when things falter, and you lose almost everything, it is needed. You need to see everything with a new perspective and start building everything piece by piece.”
Learn from things you can and cannot control.
Gabbi Garcia, on the other hand, found herself questioning how she could standout in an already-crowded acting industry. She didn’t allow her fears to limit her and decided to jumpstart a career in singing, which gave her diversity and dimension. Today, she finds herself recognized and sought-after in both fields.
Garcia shares, “At the end of the day, you have to learn which things you can control and those that you cannot. And you’ll learn from both.”
Find a support system that will push you to be better.
Joining the Pond’s family is the multi-talented Ylona Garcia. With a flourishing career, it’s hard to believe that once upon a time, this young lady was starting to believe her inner voices telling her she wasn’t progressing and maybe she should just quit. “You’ll hear words from those who, in the end, you’ll realize do not matter. But the most important thing is that you do not let that little voice in your head, get in the way of you doing things that you want and need,” the young tour-de-force noted.
Things will not always be perfect, and that’s okay.
Nadine Lustre surprised the world and the showbiz industry when she changed her ‘sweetie pie’ image to the edgy and stylish celebrity she is today. She reveals that this was really her all along but was so scared of messing up a showbiz career that had certain expectations. It paid off! Today, Nadine has carved her own niche because she was brave enough to be herself.
“As artists and celebrities, there’s always this notion that our lives are perfect and it is not. We all have things we are thinking about. We have imperfections, and that’s okay. You’ll not appreciate white if you haven’t seen black. Those contrasts, you have to learn to accept and live by,” the multi-awarded young superstar added.
Find your happiness.
Capping off the list is Kathryn Bernardo, one of the biggest stars who would seem unlikely to feel self-doubt. Kathryn confesses how much inner turmoil she had in saying yes to the rigorous acting requirements for the film “Hello, Love, Goodbye”. Today, she is jubilant that she faced her hesitation as the film is undoubtedly one of her most acclaimed career milestones.
“You can always say that the bashers do not matter. But it is not easy to shake off. You have to learn to do things for yourself. I want to grow and be better at what I am doing for my own good–not for the people or for anyone else. That way, you’ll find happiness.” the Rank covergirl shared.
Through the #SeeWhatHappens movement, Pond’s hopes to encourage women everywhere to share their own stories, rise above their inner voices and transform moments of hesitation into moments of inspiration.