Cover Story:
In Her Own Style
Breaking away from her more prominent sister’s and celeb friends’ shadows, socialite and homemaker-turnedvlogger Small Laude makes a big impact.
‘‘Y Society’sou can’t miss the house,” Justin, Metro managing editor, assured me, as I needed directions to get to Small Laude’s place for the day’s cover shoot, after a few wrong turns and twists that I had made, even with Waze’s assistance. And sure enough, when I finally got the correct gate and street, there it was, a soaring Ed Calma monolithic masterpiece of strict and disciplined Modernist proportions. Getting lost meant that everyone else had already gotten to work and so I was eager to get up to the makeshift dressing room, a bedroom that still hadn’t been fixed up; but Justin and Aisha insisted that I take a quick stop at the powder room. Aisha whispered conspiratorially, “Even the floor is lit, it’s perfect for selfies!” It’s clear that someone who has mastered the art of social media and creating an online persona had a hand in the home. When I finally face the lady of the home, I kid her, “Your house is so beautiful, your followers are right to be excited for your home tour!” She smiles and says, “I know, but now, I’m not sure if I want to do one!” Small Laude was better known as the baby sister of construction magnate and society columnists’ favorite Alice Eduardo, and gang mate of such stellar names as Pops Fernandez, Karen Davila, Vicki Belo and other A-list names. But when she decided that she would become a vlogger and her charming mix of self-deprecation, high and low end shopping sprees, and stylish adventures began to garner six-figure views (and still growing as of publication deadline) and multiple brand invites, she became a legit celeb in her own right. Tears for Fears While she may seem like an overnight sensation, Small’s innate humor and gift for storytelling had long been recognized by those around her. “For the longest time, people would tell me that I should start a vlog,” Small reveals. “Dani (Barretto, daughter of her good friend, former actress Marjorie who has been blogging for the longest time) kept on telling me that it was bagay for me.” In fact, a friend in media had even sent over a whole production crew to produce a pilot episode. “Believe it or not, there was a whole lot of lights that arrived! There was a crew, a script, everything, and they really wanted to focus on my things, my bags, that kind of thing. But when I saw the final edit, there was not a single second of it that I liked or that I wanted to use (to upload). It just wasn’t me. It was too polished. Also, my kids didn’t like the idea at
when you make things break things mend things love + leave things it keeps you moving forward down your own meandering path and as the scenery shifts so will you then one day without heart’s notice you will find you have arrived —Danielle Doby, “The Rise” from the poetry collection I Am Her Tribe
first. My daughter cried and begged me to wait until she was out of high school, because she said that she would be bullied. One son even told me, you’re acting like a celebrity, and you’re not. So, I thought, that was it. But last year, we were in LA, and I told Yaya, let’s try nga to make a vlog. Yaya took the video, just with the phone and she followed me as I walked around the house. So I just walked around the house and talked; and it was just short. Dani helped me find an editor, and we uploaded it. I just found it fun, and when so many viewed it, I was so surprised but also happy.” How did she get her kids to change their mind? “Well, they still don’t like it, but I told them. I am always the one making you happy. I buy you things, I let you do what you want, now, don’t you think I should be happy, too? and I also asked them to give me back their credit cards! All jokingly, of course! (which is her trademark phrase.)” But as bubbly and quick witted as she is, Small is not afraid to talk about the sadness behind her smile. “Actually, I was in this period of being sad. My dad had gotten sick, and then we had delays with the building of this house. Can you believe that after being here every day and checking on everything, I completely just stopped, I just couldn’t be looking at this house. I was sad, I didn’t want to do anything, I would just stay in my room. I’m really sensitive, and I hate, hate, hate just stepping foot inside a hospital. When I found out that my mom and Ate (Alice) were going for a routine annual checkup, I got so worried, and I was crying and asking them why they had to do it. There really was nothing wrong with them, they weren’t sick or anything but just the thought that they would have to go to a hospital (to get checked), I just had a hard time (dealing) with it.” Creating content for her vlog and then reading her followers’ comments gave her a new joy and also added purpose to her days. “You know, it really surprised me, but one comment was: I have breast cancer and I’m in the middle of chemo now. Your vlog takes my mind away from chemo and gives me happiness. Another one wrote that she lost her job and all she would do was sit at home and feel sad, and when she discovered my vlog, she started to smile again. And one came from a husband who didn’t know anymore what to do because his wife was depressed, and would just stay at home, feeling sad. But my vlog helped her get out of her depression. It gave her something that she could smile about and distract from her sadness.” And as she is telling these stories, her eyes well up slowly, until she is full-on crying. Her eye makeup has to be completely redone. But it doesn’t stay somber for long. Small then remembers the original question and goes, with her smile back, “Oh, it also surprised me that my dad has so many fans!” She then adds, “People also don’t