Maine asks fans for freedom
Dubsmash queen Maine Mendoza took to social media to ask her fans for the freedom “to feel what I want to feel, be what I want to be, and do what I want to do.”
In a lengthy open letter posted on her blog and Twitter, Maine thanked her avid fans for their love and support but also called out some members of her fandom who, she said, dictate what “she should feel and should not feel.”
The “Eat Bulaga” host said she has been feeling like she is living in a box with fans telling her how she should act.
“I am grateful to have all of you who have walked this path with me. But I need to be honest, I am at this point where I feel like I live in a box. I have not been able to do what I want and say what I feel because every time I try to express my thoughts and feelings, some of you tend to misapprehend and invalidate them in so many ways,” Maine wrote.
“Telling me I am not supposed to be that way because I am rich and famous. Telling me I have no right to be sad and hurt because I have everything a person could ask for. Judging, blaming, and getting mad at me for expressing what I truly feel just because you do not agree and it is inconvenient for you,” she added.
Maine said the words of her fans are affecting her and no longer make her happy. She added that some of her fans hurt her loved ones, including her family.
“Our families, friends and workmates are being bashed and ridiculed by some. Kahit sinong madikit sa amin pinag-iisipan at pinagsasalitaan ng hindi maganda. Basta hindi naaayon sa kagustuhan ang mga nakikita, nagagalit. It hurts me seeing them being hurt.”
She said “some things are really getting out of hand” while referring to her fans’ fight with other fandoms.
The social media star turned Kalyeserye queen said she is in showbiz because she wants to make people happy by just being herself and not for money or fame.
“I hope you understand that I am here because I love making people happy,” she said.
Maine called on her supporters to go back to the root of what made her and her on-screen partner Alden Richards famous, which is love.
Maine, known as “Yaya Dub,” and Alden, became a love team in 2015 after joining noontime show “Eat Bulaga.” They were then dubbed “AlDub” and their fans are called “AlDub nation.”
“I do hope I have also given you enough joy for you to give me freedom I believe I deserve. Freedom to feel what I want to feel, be what I want to be, and do what I want to do,” Maine concluded, adding that Alden deserves the same, too.
In June 2017, it can be recalled that Maine deactivated her Twitter account after some of her supporters bashed Kapuso actor Sef Cadayona for their rumored relationship. She is among the most followed Philippine celebrities with over 4.5 million followers on Twitter.