“I hope we can stop normalizing in our culture where young girls have to live under the shadows of the names people call them.”
Iza Calzado expressed this on a social media post on September 8 where she shared her struggle with her weight and appearance before.
The seasoned actress also accompanied her post with a photo of herself when she was younger and her recent photo.
In the post, Iza introduced her younger self as “Big”, a person who has received a lot of teasing from her loved ones because of her size.
“Meet Big. She was teased a lot by her family and friends. A lot of them were well-meaning and even came from a place of love and concern but the truth with name calling or labels is that it sticks and you may carry it with you or believe in it,” Iza said.
“It takes a whole level of confidence, courage, and strength to break free from these names thrown your way,” she added.
Meet Big. She was teased a lot by her family and friends. A lot of them were well meaning and even came from a place of love and concern but the truth with name calling or labels is that it sticks and you may carry it with you or believe in it. pic.twitter.com/z65HoUUNsW
— Izadora Calzado (@MissIzaCalzado) September 8, 2022
Iza then expressed hope that people can end the name-calling culture, especially to young girls.
“I hope we can stop normalizing in our culture where young girls have to live under the shadows of the names people call them,” she said.
The actress ended her post by sharing an empowering message.
“From being big to dreaming big, here now is Iza. No longer making size a source of pain but rather a source of power. Shine bright, ladies. You are enough,” she said.
Iza’s post received a lot of support and cheers from her colleagues in the industry and from her fans.
“No matter your size, the beauty and joy in your eyes are the same!!! But – your amazing transformation is a testimony of what is possible! What an inspiration you are Iza!” reporter Karen Davila said.
“Gorgeous then, gorgeous now!” one Instagram user said.
Other Filipinos also shared similar experiences of their own or from that of their friends about past struggles in dealing with criticisms on their weight and appearance.
Some Filipinos agreed with Iza. They also expressed hopes that people should stop “body-shaming” even if it is expressed as a joke.
“I hate this side of the Filipino Culture. Masyadong normalized ang body shaming to the point that we joke about someone being fat or ugly like it means nothing,” one Twitter user said.
“No one ever benefits when you comment about someone’s weight. So don’t,” another online user tweeted.
Iza has been vocal about her weight struggles in the past through public interviews and in endorsements.
The “Encantadia” actress soon became an inspiration for being fit and healthy and setting realistic beauty standards for other people.
Iza shared these photos of herself in partnership with a new campaign from Dove Philippines called #StopTheNameCalling.
She also attached a link to Dove’s video advertisement on her posts.
