FAHM Part 2- KAYUMANGGI

Today's feature on my blog will be a couple from Chicago: Genecer Villamater and Mike Fertig are creative artists and creators of Kayumanggi. 

KAYUMANGGI

Kayumanggi is a project that Gen and Mike have been working on. Kayumanggi is “Brown Skin” in Tagalog. They both agreed and said “We wanted to dedicate this project to all the halo-halos ( which means mix-mix in Tagalog) mixed breeds who never felt accepted or fit because they looked different the brown skin people who had titos and titas always felt the need to comment snd criticize the dark skin color and shoving the idea of skin whitening soaps.”

They are both inspired by the culture to showcase those filipinos who felt ashamed of their skin color and for those who are proud to be Filipino. Villamater stated that she has always been artistic since she was a child. She always sketched & hustled bootleg comic books and sold them to family members. Growing up as an only child, it has helped shape her to have the imagination she has today. Then around her teenage years and 20’s , she grew a deeper appreciate for street art.

According to Villamater, “I’ve always had the vision but just didn’t have the ability to create them. Then a mutual friend of ours set us ( Mike Fertig) up on a “blind date” and everything was just history. Not only did I meet someone to join forces with, an artist who can finally turn my vision and create magic with it but I legit gained my life partner.”

While Fertig has always loved to draw and when he was younger he would watch his older brother doodle away in a sketch book so he wanted to copy what his brother was doing. “It got so crazy that everything he was doing, I wanted to copy. Then everything I saw on tv I also wanted to draw and copy. I was heavily inspired by comics and video games, it then transitioned to learning how to draw anime at an early age. Also seeing a bunch of street art around my area, Bob Ross was also a big inspiration when I was kid”, Fertig stated.

For Villamater, being Filipina she is proud that as Filipinos we have the ability to transform nothing into something. She explained how someone can have 3 bites of food to their name but they manage to still always share what they have with others. She added, “I’m proud of how selfless we can be, always willing to help others out.”

Growing up as a young Brown girl in the 90’s was difficult for Villamater. She continued by expressing how it was hard to be able to look up to someone who you can find relatable to on television and magazines. She added on by saying that having a lighter complexion was also highly glorified in Filipino movies & media. “I then became a Mother to a little girl, I wanted her to embrace and love her beautiful brown skin. I always had this vision to inspire & uplift my Brothers and Sisters. When I met Mike in 2018, and realized we had the same beliefs & ideas it only made sense to join forces and create this brand. It just flowed organically”, Villamater said. 

On the other hand, Fertig loves being Filipino and the traditional attire of our people. He stated that there is nothing better than crossing the styles of both modern new to come up with something truly unique. 

What inspired Fertig to add Filipino flavor to their are was the appreciation he has for being a proud Filipino. “Our people (though it’s out there) are emerging into the art scene in a heavy way and I just want to contribute my appreciation for our culture by adding it into all of the the future artworks”, Fertig stated. 

Sometimes within the Filipino culture it is unfortunate how their beauty standards are not diverse. As a creative artists, they want to change that. Villamater believes that with the power of social media we have more resources now to connect with other Filipinos to discover, share, appreciate each other’s beauty and the to see the diversity of our people. “It was so rare for me growing up to be able to relate to someone who looked like me. Growing up amongst the Latinos and the Filipino kids I always stood out & never felt like I belonged anywhere.  Fast forward to present day, I get to meet tons and tons of people who look just like me. And just with this piece we put out, the best feedback we have gotten is reading comments like “I finally feel seen”. That is ultimately the objective of this project, to unite” The Chicago resident said. 

The picture that started Kayumanggi was such a one of a kind picture. Fertig said that it was all Gen’s (Villamater) vision that inspired the piece. He continued by stating how his inspiration came from Villamater’s  daughter as the subject wearing the traditional Maria Clara Gown and sneakers to represent the respects of tradition with a flare of personality. 

Fertig and Villamater started Kayumanggi as a project because they wanted to make a piece that showcased his illustration ability combined with her vision to create something that had a great meaning and value to both of them and delivered something that people can relate to. “We want to keep creating this kind of meaningful inspiring art style going for the future pieces of Kayumanggi to come” the Chicago residents said. 

A lot of fellow Filipinos liked and shared their picture on Instagram. Additionally a lot of them shared it. To know that so many can relate to the picture Fertig was touched because he has never done a piece that lead to emotion and being relatable. Most of his work in the past was never intended to touch people. “It was definitely an inspiring feeling to get such positive feedback from everyone. It has inspired me as an artist to do more art that have a significant value to people and myself. I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for my own Culture” Fertig explained. 

Aside from creating art & prints Villamatar and Fertig want to transform their art into apparel. They are both heavily into streetwear so their ultimate goal is to fuse the two down the line.

But most importantly they want their pieces to inspire the youth, to be proud of their roots and to never forget about our heritage. They both proudly stated, “We want the older generations to feel the nostalgia and bring them back memories. Every piece has a meaningful message behind it, whether you are Filipino or not we hope someone can take something meaningful from it.”

FAHM Part 1- Lily Rose

LilLy Rose

Happy Filipino American Heritage Month! For today I have a San Francisco Drag Queen currently in Southern California Lily Rose (Lawrence Lim). Rose was born and raised in the Bay Area. She is a licensed cosmetologist, and works for Sephora Corporate as a Territory manager for Sephora Collection, which is what actually got her to move to Southern California. Rose has been in the cosmetic field for over ten years and has been with Sephora for eight.

With it being FAHM, (Filipino American Heritage Month) it strongly impacts Rose. When it comes to representation, she stated that she wants to see more representation of Filipino Americans in television, social media, and even in the movies. "I actually plan on doing a Halloween look based on the Philippines flag, this month" Rose said.

Rose has mentioned that she is a huge Disney fan because of her mom. As a kid, her parents took her to Disneyland a lot and she has ever since been in love with all things Disney. Rose loves the dresses that the princesses wear and the stories of magic and fairy tales.

Being a fan of all things Disney, Rose could not miss D23. According to its website, D23 is the official Disney fan club celebrating the wonder and excitement of Disney's stories, characters, music, and experiences.

This year, Rose had such a one-of-a-kind Snow White Dress. What makes her dress so unique is she incorporated her Filipino heritage by adding the "terno".

In the Philippines the "terno" refers to a woman's sleeves to her dress in which the butterfly shaped sleeves are attached to the dress. According to Rose, " I was inspired by the lack of representation of Filipinos in the Disney franchise, and I wanted to show everyone how proud I am to be Pinoy. I also wanted to show that our culture needs to be represented more, just take the attraction, It’s a small world, for example. The Philippines is the only country who has only one representative and the least amount of decoration or representation. It made me really great to hear people recognize the cross between the two and appreciate the Filipino culture." With this extravagant dress, Rose said that she already had the "terno" which she wore in her very first pageant she competed in and as for the whole dress it took her about 3-4 days to complete.

Rose competed in a pageant when she still lived in the Bay Area and it is a title within the Imperial Council of San Francisco, one of the oldest LGBT non profit public benefit corporations which supports causes of other diverse community based charitable organizations. By joining that pageant in 2016 she was given the title Miss Gay San Francisco.

Rose stated how winning the title was very fulfilling. She also expressed how a lot goes into the pageant she entered, It is like the ones on TV. She continued by saying that she had to pick out a gown, decide what to perform for the talent portion, and figuring out the wigs and the jewelry are just the fun part. Then of course in any pageant there is the Q and A portion.Rose said,"Luckily for me, I’m in a drag family filled with pageant queens. They would drill me on possible questions and I would have to answer them with poise and confidence, but also being able to be quick with my response."

When it comes to transforming into a character, it must get tiring to get glammed and get ready. The proud Filipina expressed that at times it does get tiring for her, especially working a full time job. Although this is a hobby and what she does on her spare time. She then added, "I know that the end result is always worth it. What inspires me the most is the drive to succeed and make a name for myself. I know that it is hard work and you have to hustle to get what you want it life."

Rose's favorite character to transform into is Mulan because growing up she was the princess that Rose closely related to. Also, Rose felt that she was also similar to Mulan in the sense that she would bring dishonor to her family based on my beliefs, just like Mulan.

On the other hand, the hardest characters that Rose has transformed into are the ones that aren't her typical skin color. For instance, the Disney lover mentioned how it’s very difficult to achieve green, purple or and other bright color, because being the perfectionist she is, it takes time to create the correct shade and consistency of the make up.

The crowned Miss Gay of San Francisco said that she got into drag 10 plus years ago as she was working for a cosmetic company. She continued, " It's easier to sell make up if you wear it." With Ru Paul's Drag Race becoming a hit, it is also a platform of people within the LGBTQ community, Rose has actually auditioned for Ru Paul's Drag Race three times but she does plan on submitting an audition video again.

Talking about creativity, there was a time that Rose wore a gown made out of paper. Rose stated that it was her audition video for Ru Paul’s drag race. They were required to make an outfit out of paper, so naturally the proud Filipina wanted to represent her heritage."It took almost a week to make, from design, finding the right type of paper, creating the base of the dress, cutting out the decals, adding the glitter and assembling it. All of that and to wear it for less than 15 minutes", according to Rose.

Coming out of the closet can be tough but having people who love and support you will help you through. When Rose came out it was not what she expected it to be.

"Growing up in a Filipino household I was always told by my elders to not play with dolls or act a certain way. I’ve always envisioned my coming out to be over the top and dramatic, in some kind of argument or disapproval. However, my family proved me wrong. My grandmother was on her deathbed, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, and a few of my family members were with me in the room. They asked me if there was anything I wanted to tell my Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) , at the time she was no longer responsive but still breathing and can hear. I whispered in her ear that I love her and that I’m sorry, two phrases very seldom said in my family. I burst into tears, as I know this maybe the one and only time I’d ever get to say it. My aunts and uncles, as well as my mom, were comforting me, telling me “it’s ok, we’ve always known” “we are here to support you” I was confused, they assumed I came out to her. So despite what I assumed my family thought, they supported me and continue to support me, and I thank them" Rose said.

Both drag and being part of the LGBTQ community is something Rose is proud of. The best advice she can give would be to someone who wants to come out, he or she should do it on his or her own terms. They should be with people who love and support them. "Not everyone has a happy coming out story, but know that you are loved and you are valid", Rose said.

For someone who wants to do drag and is scared, just do it. There’s no time like the present, surround yourself with other drag queens and learn from them. Learn how to be confident in yourself and own your beauty Rose stated.

Everyone has dreams and goals. Rose dreams that one day she will have a fairytale wedding in front of the Disneyland castle while visiting an international Disney resort for her honeymoon. She then said, "Mind you I'm single, so I have a longways to go... One of my short term goals is to start a family, and adopt a baby. I think there’s nothing more beautiful in the world then giving life. I’m pretty content with my career, but I would like to have my name as a shade for a cosmetic product, or collaborate with a big brand. Another goal I have is to land a role on Ru Paul’s drag race and share our Filipino culture and show we are more than just singers, dancers and nurses."

Those are goals Rose can definitely achieve. What she loves about the Filipino culture is that no matter where you go, when you meet another Filipino Rose said it is like you're home and you've just reacquainted with a family member.

Social Media and Psychology

Social media and psychology really go hand in hand... In the type of world we live in today, unfortunately we focus on likes on a picture, views on a video, and followers a person may have on Instagram.

Photographed by: Charles Torrealba

Life coach from Germany, Dr. Katharina Stenger who is also a photo model travels the world to teach confidence and self love. Stenger's passion for traveling started after she worked in China for a couple of months. The life coach worked as a scientist for about 9 years (which she started during college) and she then opened her own practice this May.

"I always wanted to help people. Especially the ones that struggle with themselves. Having trouble finding their passion or fulfilling a dream they always had. I've always been interested in people, but I also was very shy (I still consider myself an introvert). Working as a photo model helped me a lot to connect with others. That‘s why I want to include photography into my coaching concept. I hope I can inspire others to feel comfortable in their skin and find happiness in their everyday lives", according to the German native.

Social media has a big influence on others in how they think they should look. According to online article from The Guardian, 15-year-old Maddie McGowan from Southampton stated she compares herself to other people all the time.

"As a young girl, I do feel I need to be perfect and compare myself to others all the time. My sister is stunning, so I look at her and think: I need to look like her. It’s so negative. In reality, everyone is perfect just the way they are. Girls are on social media all the time and follow celebrities and friends. But everyone portrays their “best self” on social media and it’s not accurate. They can use Photoshop and can change their appearance, and that sets people up to fail as they think they should look like that, but it’s not a realistic image" according to McGowan.

Dr. Stenger explained how we can hardly imagine a world without social media today. It plays an important role in the way we perceive others and ourselves. Although social networks like Instagram and Facebook are a quick and convenient way to communicate with others and to showcase our own lifestyle, we tend to forget that social media is… well, MEDIA! And that includes advertisement. Advertisement will always have a big impact on us and our lifestyle. Online, we are constantly exposed to demonstrations of the perfect life, the happy relationship and the healthy body.

The German native continued, "ads promise us that these things are right in front of us… if we purchase a certain product or service. Moreover, what we see on social media, has already been filtered and retouched to show us things that we consider as positive, related to the current beauty standard."

Additionally she described how beauty and health are popular topics in our modern day and age. "It is no surprise that while we strive for a healthy lifestyle, we particularly watch out for body-related posts on the social media channels. And when it comes to living healthy, it is easier for us to watch and listen to the fitness model while we scroll through Instagram than to our doctor who we only see once or twice a year...So, yes, social media highly influences the way we perceive and think about outer appearance."

When it comes to body image with social media, the life coach noted that it affects both men and women but she continued by saying how women are more open to talk about it, even on social media. They (women) are more sensitive to the topic because they tend to have a deeper connection to their own bodies. Research has shown that women pay more attention to their outer appearance and to body changes. They body shame more and are more likely to be shamed about their looks by others. Women also tend to compare themselves to others more often. Men, on the other hand, are usually more quiet about their body image, but that doesn't mean that they don’t reflect on it."

New research led by Jennifer Mills as associate professor in the department of Psychology

at Your University in Toronto Canada and Jacqueline Hogue, A PH.D student in the

department's clinical program examined the effects of social media on the self perceived body image of young women. They found that, They (the women) felt worse about their own

appearance after looking at social media pages of someone that they perceived to be more

attractive than them. Even if they felt bad about themselves before they came into the study

on average , they still felt worse after completing the task, Jennifer Mills said.

Dr. Stenger's take on this subject is she's glad to find more and more research on this topic. She also added that the results well designed and executed studies raise awareness for the downside of daily social comparison in the online world. Being exposed to overly fit, slim or trained bodies on social media results in upward comparison.

She continued by defining what upward social comparison is, "It's when we compare ourselves with like-minded users. For instance, if we are interested in a healthy lifestyle, we will compare ourselves to the IG-fitness model who seems to share our interest of living healthy and who has the "dream body“ that we want for ourselves", according to the photo model.

Dr. Stenger suggested that we don’t know if photos have been photo-shopped. We don’t know how much these models really works out on a highly professional and efficient level. Or if they just have good genes and bone structure to have a fit body.

Some people take social media cleanses while other people disable their accounts. The life coach's favorite tips in managing social media:

1. We all should be aware of the fact that online life doesn't reflect the offline

life. The candy colors, the happy faces and the constant sunshine are just a biased excerpt from a life that looks perfect, but it is not realistic. That includes flawless skin and slim, well-shaped bodies - courtesy of photo shop.

2. Social Media Detox: Spending a day without social media can be quite hard, but also very effective. This way, we learn how to re-focus on what matters in the offline life.

3. Keeping a journal: Good memories can not only be collected on the Instagram feed. A personal journal (online or offline) helps to pay attention to the little things that make our lives unique. Adding a daily list of things that we are grateful for, will enhance the shift away from public approval towards personal appreciation.

4. More control: We should cautiously choose what they see on their Instagram feed. That means adding more positive people to our feed and blocking everything that is not supportive and gets us down. This way, our feed won’t trigger our anxiety and it will make us feel good about ourselves.

5. Timeout for mobile devices: When having dinner with friends, it’s best to turn off the phone completely. Or all friends collect their devices and the first one who needs to check the phone pays the bill

6. Self-care: Especially after a stressful day, it’s better not to scroll through social media, but to relax and do the things that make us feel good. Self-care doesn't have to involve a lot of time and money. It can be listening to your favorite music playlist or a good book or cooking while your phone is turnt off.

7. The Mirror Exercise: A lot of people fear to look into the mirror because it makes them feel bad, but it can be healing too. It’s all about changing the focus. Instead of focusing on what we don’t like about our bodies, let’s try noticing what we have and what we like about ourselves.

8. Seeking out offline connections: Having many followers on social media doesn't mean that we feel sad and lonely once in a while. Arranging meet ups for lunch break, dinner or even co-working with others will help to satisfy our sense of belonging.

Fashion has changed in the sense of banning models and greater engagement to keep eating disorders of the radar but runways still showcase a lot of size zero models.

"Haute couture designers claim that clothing items look best on skinny models because bigger sizes might look good on one model, but not on the other. One can argue about that statement. However, I absolutely agree to include a variety of body shapes and sizes into the online marketing of fashion brands. Moreover, I would like to see more customer photos because followers can really identify with the model in the picture", according to Dr. Stenger.

Lastly she commented how we tend to forget how the digital world changes the way we perceive ad filter information in our daily lives. The life coach added,"We should pay more attention on our social media habits and try to disconnect once in a while. That is when real life is happening!"

People nowadays are so focused on social media that it has too become a way of life. It has been a blessing and a curse but once in a while we should put our phones away, take it all in, and count our blessings.

If you have any other questions you can contact Dr. Katharina Stenger:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkatharinastenger/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drkatharinastenger Website: https://katharina-stenger.de (the website is in German, but I offer my counseling in English too. I have an English online training that might be interesting: https://katharina-stenger.de/the-confident-introvert-online-training/ Email: info@katharina-stenger.de