LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
I have a confession to make: I dress rather predictably. Some might call it basic, even. Despite being the editor of a magazine that encourages a lot of loud, bold styles, I will come in to work in jeans and a plain T-shirt that, as much as possible, hugs every edge, line, and contour of my body. Once I am at work I’ll throw on a black hoodie to protect myself from the of ce winter if I’m fortunate enough for the weather outside to be windy or just not at all blazing hot or humid, I’ll wear that hoodie outside. (I did actually ask for a black hoodie for an of ce hristmas party ris ringle, and ended up getting two. My publisher never let me hear the end of it for a few months but I didn’t care.)
That’s not to say that I never wanted to try, though. I’d pore over the pages of every issue of GQ I got, marveling at how awesomely they put together their male models with styles that may or may not always y in Manila. ou can’t always dress in a nice suit and tie, because not all places here require it, and everyone would rather be relaxed with the dress codes.
So considering how conservative this society is and how pedestrian a lot of people dress across all demographics (I know, I know, who am I to call most people pedestrian if I just admitted to dressing predictably, right?) I decided my best bet was to just nd what really works for me and execute the hell out of it. Therefore, I gravitated toward what I’d like to call Superhero asual, because I wanted to look like how guys like hris vans did outside their costumes. Or The ock asual, because it’s what Dwayne ohnson seems to wear every day. Point is, it’s simple, strong, and works for me.
It seems to be easier than ever now to express your entire personality with the way you dress. Granted, of course, you’ve got enough resources, but people are proving more and more that you don’t even need expensive brands for you to do you. obody’s going to rag on you for getting an out t from a thrift shop—they might even ask you where you got it so they can go nd something good themselves. nd people would rather steal that stuff at a bargain, anyway.
But what’s even better in 2017 is that who you are, no matter what that de nition is, seems to be gaining more and more acceptance in this generation, at least. Old heads won’t always agree—and they might even be #shookt about it, like they always are—but even with the savagery of the youth today, they’re still more likely to leave you alone to your own business, to what you want to be, and what you want to look like.
So in line with all that, we’re celebrating Identity in this issue, and boy, we couldn’t have chosen a better guy to anchor that whole theme than Ronnie lonte. e’ve met a lot of down-to-earth people over Scout’s whole lifespan, but Hashtag Ronnie to most of you may very well be the most grounded boy we’ve ever met. This is a guy who’s always thinking of home, even to the point where he will use his hometown to explain some things about himself. This is also a guy who will watch the premiere of his own movie in said hometown, anked by his childhood crew instead of friends he’s made in the industry. It’s almost as if being from Biñan, Laguna was a part of his identity, or something.
nd we also celebrate anything you want to be right here. If you like plants more than people, that’s cool. If you like dressing up outlandishly, that’s cool. hether you like ying solo or belonging to a squad, that’s cool. If you like making music, even if it’s budots, that’s cool, too. s long as you’re not hurting and demeaning other people in the process, it will always be cool with us.
nd it should be cool with the rest of you, as well.