Nadine Samonte (left) and Marian Rivera | Image: Instagram/@nadinesamonte, @marianrivera
Nadine Samonte fired back at bashers, accusing her of copying Marian Rivera as a doll collector, as she emphasized that it’s a “toxic mindset” to compare them.
Samonte recently took to Instagram to share a video of herself unboxing one of the members of her Royal Molly collection and addressed the criticism she’s been receiving from the netizens.
“It’s sad lang na ang daming toxic mindset ng mga tao ngayon. Gaya gaya daw ako kay Marian and kung anu pa. Is it bawal na ba maging collector pag nagustuhan ang isang bagay? Isang tao lang ba ang pwede mag-collect at bumili?” she wrote in part of her caption.
(It’s just sad that people have such toxic mindset these days. They say I’m copying Marian and something else. Is it forbidden to be a collector when you like something? Can only one person collect and buy?)
The “StarStruck” alumna shared that Rivera was supportive of her being a collector.
“I learned of Popmart while I was in Taiwan, and I haven’t even seen Marian’s posts then. When I saw her posts, I was excited because I fell in love with Molly and other items like Skull Panda and Dimoo na din. I even messaged her and asked her who her supplier is, because I’m still looking for some more items. She even messaged me back with pure happiness for me because I’m collecting too,” she stated, adding that singer Jed Madela is also another collector she conversed with.
Samonte further said that she doesn’t ask anyone for money to buy the dolls, as she teased that she will try to post some more about her collections so the bashers will have something to think about.
Meanwhile, Rivera recently shared with her followers her obsession with Labubu dolls—a furry elf character that was created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, as well as a Royal Molly, a figurine created by Kenny Wong that was inspired by a young child.
Recently, the “Marimar” actress has been posting her collections on social media.