Anthology encourages modern Filipinas to speak up

, an anthology featuring Filipina authors, contains stories and illustrations that encourage Gen Z and millennial women to speak up on the challenges they face.��������

“When I was reading through it, I saw myself in many of the stories,” said Michelline Espiritu Suarez, an author and columnist at the��Philippine Star, at the recent book launch.��

Among the themes that resonated were that of being the eldest child in an Asian family, as well as that of being validated on the basis of physical appearance.������

“More than anything else, it’s about the power of finding the words to describe the experience young women face,” she said. “When I was growing up, there were no such words.”������

The diversity of voices — and media — in��Big Deal��was intentional, according to book editor Katya F. Lichauco.����

“When it comes to discussing the issues women face, we didn’t want a single voice. We wanted a chorus of voices. The message of each author and artist on an individual level is important, but what they signify as a whole may be just as significant: Filipino women everywhere must speak out,” said Ms. Lichauco in a press statement.����

Contributor Keziah O. Acharon, a 23-year-old literature graduate and law student, added that the��Big Deal��is important because it allows “voices from the periphery to rewrite the predominant male narrative” and differentiates the Filipina experience from that of her Western counterparts.��

“Filipinas share the same context and hence, share the same collective experience,” she said, noting culturally distinct concepts such as��panliligaw��(courtship) and��dalagang��Filipina��(the traditional Filipina maiden).������

Big Deal��is the first in a series published by Bookshelf PH.��. —��Patricia B. Mirasol
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