The strong women Rhian and Kris idolize

Rhian Ramos and Kris Bernal

Having been raised by single mothers, Rhian Ramos and Kris Bernal didn’t need to look any further, when asked about the strong women they idolize and look up to in life.

“Of course, my mom is one of them. She’s a single parent. I wasn’t easy to take care of when I was younger, so I’m very grateful to her for being patient, loving and for providing me with everything I could ever need. And emotionally, she’s always there for me,” Rhian related in a virtual conference for the GMA 7 drama series “Artikulo 247”

And while she’s already 31, her mother, Clara, continues to dote on her. “Our video calls are a big thing for me during the locked-in tapings,” Rhian said. “And she sends me home-cooked meals!”

Kris, on the other hand, described her mother, Analyn, a “superhero.” “She’s a single parent, but she raised me and my siblings well,” she related. “Her support has been unwavering throughout my career. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.”

“And now that I’m married and live with my husband (Perry Choi), I have to make a lot of huge adjustments, because all my life I was with my mom,” Kris added.

When it comes to show biz personalities, beauty entrepreneur Vicki Belo, is another woman Rhian admires.

“We attend Bible studies together which is how I got to know her through the years. We’re related, but we rarely saw each other at family functions when I was growing up … But now that I’m older, and our industries intersect, I’m more exposed to her life, how she runs everything. She inspires me to be a boss lady and provide for myself the way she does,” Rhian said.

Inspiring

Kris finds Angelina Jolie’s humility and humanitarian work inspiring. “She’s a big actress and yet she seems very humble, like she’s just a regular person. And the things she does outside of her work [as an actress] is inspiring,” she said.

And in line with Women’s History Month, Rhian and Kris reflected on what it means to be one in this age.

“Gone are the days when women had to depend on someone else to provide for you. We have big responsibilities not only to ourselves but the people around us,” she said. “Women have to wear many hats … We’re always expected to care for others, but we also have to take care of ourselves.”

For Kris, a strong woman is someone who’s not afraid to just be herself. “She’s someone who accepts who she really is and shows it to everyone. She’s confident and comfortable. I have so much admiration for women who live their lives without pretentiousness,” she said.