She Talks Asia creates a community where modern Filipinas are shaped to thrive through nurturing acceptance, openness, and learning
This is an excerpt from the MEGA February 2025 Features
For good measure, it could be said that “feminism” is still a difficult topic. Yes, even if it’s already 2025. Some women wouldn’t even touch it with a ten-foot pole, given that it’s been associated with extreme rage. Then there’s the idea of women being horrible feminists thanks to simultaneously benefitting from and being victimized by the patriarchy. It’s all very confusing. But if we strip everything down to the most basic, feminism is about women being granted human rights, being treated with kindness and fairness that result in access to opportunities and safety. It’s almost simple if we erase our programming and cut through all the noise.
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She Talks Asia has been helping women cut through the said noise since 2017. CEO Lynn Pinugu, COO Bianca Gonzalez, and Chief People Person Iza Calzado co-founded the group together with Sarah Meier and Victoria Herrera in hopes of nurturing and growing a community of like-minded women who sought growth and empowerment.
Their vision was to have a safe space for women to celebrate each other and also delve deeper into the many challenges womanhood often posits, so women can support one another.
The levels of understanding feminism and advocating its many causes are as diverse as the number of women in existence, as Lynn points out. “I think one of the first things we really need to understand about feminism is that being a feminist exists on a spectrum. It’s so easy to associate being a feminist with one particular cause. Topics like abortion and divorce keep coming up, but again the truth is that you can be a feminist and not subscribe to these ideals. At the end of the day these are very polarizing issues but what’s important is if you’re a feminist, you’re going to help elevate the discourse about these things.” She Talks Asia helps take the discussions about feminism to more women, so they are armed with information to empower themselves.
Many women’s first encounter with feminism is often very personal. It could be through pay disparity at work, having a controlling father or spouse, leaving an abusive boyfriend, or even experiencing bullying from fellow women who unfortunately participate in misogynistic behavior. But at the root of all these is the idea of a woman’s self- love, of honoring one’s self better.
Read more of She Talks Asia and what Lynn Pinugu, Iza Calzado, and Bianca Gonzalez are cooking up to empower women through their events in MEGA’s February 2025 issue , now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by SHEILA CATILO. Creative Direction BRIE VENTURA. Written by DONNA PATRICIA MANIO. Production JONES PALTENG. Styling ERICA TEROL. Sittings Editor STEF JUAN. Makeup MIKE LARIOSA (Iza Calzado and Lynn Pinugu) and GERY PENASO (Bianca Gonzalez). Hair by PATTY CRISTOBAL. Shot on location at BRITTANY HOTEL VILLAR CITY.
