Natural Beauty 1: Generation Talk

"It is easy to be beautiful because it is natural."
(quoted from the book Circles of Life by Imelda R. Marcos)

The office IT staff were talking about how beautiful actress Angelica Panganiban is. They stopped when I entered the room but the beauty talk continued when I expressed my agreement. Indeed, she is guapa! As 23 out of 25 of our IT Department employees are males, I asked them why they thought Angelica Panganiban is beautiful. Of course, I got 23 different and 23 common opinions. Muy interesante!

They then asked me who else I thought was "beautiful". I said I thought Elvira Manahan was beautiful. Definitely not perfect, but definitely beautiful, I said. They then looked at me as if I am talking about a biblical character! But of course ... I belong to an age bracket which is about 10 to 15 years older than the average age bracket wherein which the employees of the IT Department belong, so what can you expect?!

Yet on a similar conversation with my lawyer about who is beautiful, she expressed utmost surprise as to why I chose women whom she thought was way ahead of her generation. And mind you, she is about 16 years older than me!

So where does that place me nga ba in the generation timetable? How can I consider these women beautiful while most of people my age only know them by name (if at all)? Why did they leave an impression on me considering that they are generations ahead of me? What makes them beautiful for me, at least?

You see, I was a constant companion of my grandmother and aunt during my younger years. They knew these women and I have seen them and have been with them. You know how, when you are a child, you perceive the friends of your abuelita and tia to be old? That is exactly what I thought of these ladies. Nevertheless, I still thought they were beautiful. That is how I remember them.

I do not have a categorical answer as to why I think they are beautiful but whatever the reasons may be, it definitely goes beyond the physical (after all, these women were already probably in their 60's when I saw them). I think it is a combination of character, grace, poise and other similar or related descriptions one may use in describing them. Beauty, at least for them, comes naturally.

In my succeeding journals, I will try and describe these women THE WAY I REMEMBER THEM. Perhaps when I write it down, I will know why I find them beautiful.