From her muscles, makeup, and hair, Hidilyn Diaz continues to show us how all that combined is part of her strength and femininity

Isn’t it ironic that a lot of women are mocked for supposedly not being as strong as men, while others are ridiculed for looking tougher than them at the same time? If we have big, muscular arms, we’re told we don’t look girly enough. If we can’t lift as heavy as they do, they call us weak. These are just some of the things that we as women go through constantly. This is why having a female athlete—a record-breaking weightlifter—as our first ever Olympic gold medalist wasn’t just a win for the country, but a win for womankind.

RELATED READS: Hidilyn Diaz Is Inspiring Young Women To Be Their Own Definition Of Feminine

While it may seem like the journey was trouble-free from start to finish, it wasn’t always the case as Hidilyn Diaz is no stranger to discrimination just like the rest of us. However, she continues to shut the haters down by proving that her undeniable strength, along with how she presents herself through her hair, makeup, and clothing, are all a huge part of her beauty and femininity—and they should be ours as well.

Unwarranted judgement

When Hidilyn first started, people were already against her wanting to pursue weightlifting. She said, “Nung una, mahirap. [Marami ang] nagtatanong sa’kin kung bakit ako nasa sport na ito.” She was even thrown shade by how women are weak simply because she was a woman. This made her realize, as she was growing up, how there seemed to be a tag or specification as to which fields, jobs, or sports women can partake in. “Sana ‘di gan’un.” Hidilyn mentioned how she hopes everyone is given the chance to showcase their skills and talents for the world to see.

Last woman standing

In spite of all the nasty comments she received online and in person, Hidilyn still stepped up and proved to everyone that she can be whoever and whatever she wanted to be. “I grew up na nahihiya at na-iinsecure ako sa muscles ko, pero eventually, I learned to love my sport and myself.” This just goes to show that despite every negative thing we encounter, we still have the power to push boundaries and create record-breaking achievements no one saw coming—all while proudly standing as strong, feminine women.

Passion for representation

Just like a lot of us, even Hidilyn loves putting on a bright red lipstick, particularly during competitions, goes makeup shopping with her friends, and gets her hair done whenever she wants. For the latter, she thinks of haircare and hair styling as a way to represent women, especially during her competitions. She shared, “Inaayos ko pa rin ang hair [ko] para well-represented ang mga kababaihan,” and she gets to achieve that purpose with Pantene. Pantene believes that strong is beautiful, and that we shouldn’t let anyone dull our shine. Hidilyn even explained, “‘Di nawawala ang pagiging babae ko.” That’s how important haircare is for her—Pantene gets her to feel more feminine, which leads to her constant representation for and of women.

Just like Hidilyn Diaz, you can also embrace and flaunt your femininity with Pantene, and believe that #StrongIsBeautiful. For more information, follow Pantene’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Creative, Fashion, and Beauty Direction GARI SY and EL PEREIRA
Photography DOOKIE DUCAY assisted by MARK CATUNGA and ANTHONY LUMAGBAS
Sittings Editor JANN PASCUA
Makeup JUAN SARTE
Hair CELESTE TUVIERA
Styling GEE JOCSON assisted by MIKE LESOY, JASON MAGO, and MARKO JEFFERSON MOYA
Production Design I AM ABI FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY
Shoot Coordination KZ FRANCISCO, MJ ALMERO, MAVIC VEDAÑA, and LOUIS ESGUERRA
Shot on location at ROCKEFELLER STUDIOS