Susing salita: Philosophy
Anger has to be the most misunderstood of all human emotions. Filipino women in particular were brought up to believe that they should hold anger in check, and that a virtuous woman is one that projects nice-ness, pleasant disposition and meek attitude. Over the years, Filipinos have come to regard this portrayal as a myth and several attempts were done to change this image towards a more holistic one, which shows Filipinas as strong women, equally capable of the expectations and tasks usually assigned to men. Yet, like any myth, the myth above has never gone away—it is there buried and hidden in the collective Filipino psyche and once in a while it is summoned to put a woman in her place, and to remind her where she should be in the scheme of things. Anger, a Filipino woman’s anger in particular, tells us that she refuses anymore to be compared to a myth.
This paper is two-fold attempt to articulate a Filipino woman’s awakening to feminism. First, it tells a story of an ordinary housewife culled from the various narratives shared by Filipino women in Parola, Tondo. Secondly, it is an account to explain the double-bind women experience in our culture.
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