Writer/Wardrobe Stylist/Creative Director: Roena Ong
Photographer: Christopher Ambersley
Fashion Designer: Sara Armstrong
MUAH: Iza Alegro
I think any person who ever thought about being a mom has an idealized version of who they would be. They wonder about what would become of their child if they were too nurturing or stern, relaxed or too worrisome. If they made the right choice or if they didn’t. There’s a lot that hangs in the air, and often in regards to what sort of transformation they would often undertake in their roles of motherhood.
Then I think about my mom. She has tons of dreams, and to this day, I still think she upholds many of them for me. She turned 50 this year. I think now, she’s probably thinking about the prospect of being a grandmother at some point. Maybe my potential wedding or partner, or what sort of success I might reap in my future, and when I do, she is wondering if I might forget her along that path. To be honest, I don’t really like bringing up these topics to her. We share different perspectives on many things, and often not by choice. I think a lot of it was due to circumstance.
You see, I was born in the Middle East to my Filipino parents that were born in the Philippines. Then moving to Canada created a significant shift of perspective for each member in our family. For my mom and me, it was reconciling the identity of what it means to be a Filipino family. My mother was the stabilizer, often emphasizing the importance of upholding our cultures and beliefs. As for myself, my goal was focused on dismantling what might have gone wrong with our traditions, as its notions have constantly left me an outcast. I think my mother knew my pain but neither of us could speak on the matter without us coming to friction. Yet I have to remember that my mom was an immigrant twice. There were many dreams and ideals she’s withheld for me, for my benefit. Now I have her to thank for her part in my growth as an artist and fashion stylist, as well as a creative leader.
The world is changing, and I can’t imagine what sort of worries and concerns my mom might have for me. But still, ever loyal and faithful, she persists with strength and grace in each transformation she’s undergone. I hope I have best represented those notions of transformation and her beauty through these images.
In this editorial, I want to give thanks to all the mothers out there that raise their children with the same strength and grace I was given as well. The Philippines is a nation that has been reaped of its resources and richness more than once by years and years of colonization. Therefore, our existence is resistance. There is joy and celebration in the rebirth we constantly undergo, and I believe as immigrant children, we must uplift our community as we undergo this pivot in our era.
