Change for the better and truer
From left: Melai Cantiveros, Karla Estrada and Jolina Magdangal
First things first: It may seem trivial, but we’d like to thank the morning show, “Magandang Buhay,” for making its three cohosts, Jolina Magdangal, Karla Estrada and Melai Cantiveros, stop dying their hair blonde, brunette, honey or whatever light color, and go back to their more natural black or dark brown.
If it catches on, the incipient change and trend could go a long way in visually and psychologically rising above the “colonial mentality” that makes Filipino performers want to “look foreign” to add to their glamour and stellar cachet. We have been bewailing this “colonial” tendency and preference for a long time now, so it’s heartening to finally see that some inroads are being made.
Another TV show that’s noticeably making a change for the better and truer is the popular teleserye, “A Love to Last.” When it started telecasting, we praised its female lead, Bea Alonzo, for her spot-on portrayal, but sadly noted that her hair was dyed semiblonde, a far cry from her natural coloring.
We figured that she was just trying to be trendy and “in,” but we felt that it was a “colonial” distraction that an acclaimed thespic light like her shouldn’t help perpetuate.
More to the point, the artifically light hair coloring went against her assigned character in the show, a “probinsyana at heart” whose principles and values were as Pinoy as could be.
Well, the really good news is that, for a couple of weeks now, Bea’s “Andeng” character’s hair is no longer blonde-brown, but she’s now more believably and naturally tressed, a darker brown.
Now, we don’t know if this is just a coincidence, but we hope that it’s part of a move to make Filipino performers look more natural on TV—and that the trend will catch on, and be supported by viewers.
In drama shows in particular, it’s important that actors look like the characters they play, instead of trendily “imported” versions thereof.
We all need to be proud of who we are, and not strive to be local versions and representations of foreign standards for beauty, “class”—and etc.!
Still on “A Love to Last”: Now that Bea and Ian’s characters have finally “sealed it with a kiss,” what’s in store for the show’s resident “May-October” couple?
If the series isn’t about to end its storytelling real soon, what other complications could be thought up to tantalizingly delay the inevitable wedding scene at the very end?
One possibility is that Ian’s ex-wife, played by Iza Calzado, will make an even bigger and stronger bid to reenter his and their children’s lives.
After all, she’s been characterized as being impulsively and thoughtlessly unpredictable, so she could cause Bea a lot of grief.
But, it would be “worth it” in the end, because Iza would force Ian to choose between her and Bea—and, he would naturally opt to spend the rest of his life with his new beloved.
Thus, he could end up as the series’ biggest winner, because in being forced to “man up” and fight for his love for Bea, he would finally and truly mature, and come into his own.
