Shall We Dance?
In some Asian cultures, August is considered an unlucky month. Some believe it is not a good time to make critical business decisions, move houses or do anything of significant change. In Europe, whole cities close due to summer vacation or due to the summer heat. In the Philippines, it is seen only as a springboard to the “Ber” months, heralding the coming of the yuletide season.
But we in Tatler see August as equally exciting and vital as the other eleven months. We begin with our cover stars who embody this month’s theme: Diversity and Inclusion.
I came across Angie and Joey’s story about six years ago when I learnt about his transition from Ian King to Angie. Like most everyone, I had many questions. But as time passed, I began to understand how liberating it must have been for Angie to make this difficult choice and how brave Joey was to stay in the marriage and prove that love and acceptance would win. For this tour-de-force article and imagery, head on to their story,
The Kings. The powerful visuals were done by one of the best photographers in the country, BJ Pascual and written by our Digital Director, Dorynna Untivero.
Another article about the LGBTQ+ community you must not miss is In the Spotlight featuring the works of noted Spanish photographer Fernando Manso. The photos, taken in Cebu with the help of designer Cary Santiago, use transgender models, resulting in images exceptional in beauty and grace—that only Manso can capture.
In Your Body is a Wonderland, our senior features editor Maritess Reyes tackles body positivity and the need for us to embrace all that we are. We take a look at a new breed of fashion models who are not ashamed of their gender, size, race, sexuality, age and ability in Models of Diversity. In Amar Singh’s story, the art activist challenges the museums and galleries that champion primarily straight white male artists as he advocates for more inclusive female artists and LGBTQ+ causes in the art realm.
Also, in this issue, we highlight our glorious heritage and ethnicity with two articles: The first one is by historian and Ortigas Foundation Library executive director John Silva. He shares the rare images of the Cordilleras taken between 1900 and 1925. This exhibit on indigenous tribes from the North was shown to the youth in the region, who did not hide their respect and admiration for their ancestry and legacy. The other one is on the powerful and moving images from Cebubased American photographer Jacob Maentz in his book,
Homelands. Both articles are about our rich history, who we are, and why we should be proud of being Filipino.
We hope you enjoy this issue as it lays bare the need for acceptance and understanding of diversity in the human race. We need to embrace our differences and love beyond what is seen.
I leave you with this quote by Verna Myers: “When everyone is included, everyone wins—the greater the diversity, the greater the perfection. Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
See you next month for our 21st-anniversary issue!