MANILA, Philippines – By now, people should understand that getting pregnant and having children is not the pinnacle and purpose of a woman’s life.
And yet there are still an alarming number of people who are getting women — sometimes those they don’t even know well — to jump on the motherhood train.
Even celebrities aren’t exempt from the pressures of having children, and a number of famous women who are childless by choice or for reasons still have to respond to randos who ask triggering and invasive questions on social media.
Here’s how some Filipino stars have reacted to the pressure:
Maxene Magalona
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, September 28, actress Maxene Magalona, 35, wrote a post answering a question she’s often asked about why she doesn’t have a baby yet.
She pointed out that the question itself can be triggering for others, not to mention “awkward, pushy and a bit rude.”
“Some women (and men) cannot biologically have children and some do not want to have them in the first place. So I encourage those of you used to asking this question to try to break the cycle and stop it if you can. We should all ask each other, ‘How are you?’ instead of these personal questions,” she said.
Maxene, who married model Robby Mananquil in 2018, said she’s “100% okay” with her life situation and has accepted her own “unique journey.”
She also encouraged her followers to evaluate themselves and ask if having children is really their choice or just something they’re being pushed into because of society.
Heart Evangelist
Actress and fashion influencer Heart Evangelista, 37, has spoken out many times about her struggles with becoming a mother. The actress, who has been married to Senator Chiz Escudero since 2015, suffered a miscarriage back in 2018 and has been criticized by people on social media for not having children.
At the time, she fired back, saying, “Stop telling me to get pregnant unless you really want to hurt me. No one knows the true struggle.” She also said that her life is good and her loved ones are fine, and that getting pregnant is just a “bonus.”
Heart, who is facing rumors of a split from Chiz, recently shared that she has undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) and said the trip has made her open up about her own struggles with motherhood to think.
“Am I ready for a child? I do have a little boy and girl waiting for me, but I’m really at that point in my life where (I’m asking myself) ‘Do I want a kid because I want a kid?’ or ‘Do I want a child because the environment or culture dictates that I should have a child?’” she said.
Ultimately, she said the process transformed and liberated her: “It’s liberating to be able to decide based on what I want and not what other people want. That changed me dramatically.”
Megan Young
Beauty queen and actress Megan Young, 32, shared her take on having children on an episode of her podcast with husband Mikael Daez, whom she married in 2020.
Having children isn’t a requirement for Megan, and she and Mikael are in no hurry to have them. She said that earlier in their marriage, having children was natural and only a matter of “when,” but when the pandemic happened, she wondered if having children was something she really wanted.
She said she’s really enjoying her current life with Mikael and wasn’t sure if she was ready to change that with the responsibility of raising a child. She added that she worries about pregnancy complications and the changes her body will go through when she becomes pregnant.
Ultimately, Megan said that she and Mikael are going with the flow and that they would be fine whether they have kids or not. “If it happens that I get pregnant, I’m happy. I let life take me where it belongs,” she said.
Kim Jones
Kim Jones, 35, has made her name as a fashion influencer, but even given her success, she’s plagued with persistent questions about children with her husband, actor Jericho Rosales, whom she married in 2014.
The couple have been open about prioritizing their careers and not being in a rush to start a family, with Jericho defending his wife from social media bashers who punish her for not being a mother.
in one preview Cover Story in 2018, Kim spoke at length on the subject, saying she knows people who can’t have children and those who just choose not to. Anyway, she said, “Let’s be.”
“Let’s find out for ourselves, and let’s make the decision when the time is right.”
Nadine Shine
Actress Nadine Luster, 28, is known for challenging traditional views on relationships, and she’s no different when it comes to the topic of having children.
In 2021, the President of the Internet shared her views on motherhood in a conversation with celebrity doctor Aivee Teo. In her chat, Nadine said she doesn’t want kids right now, “just because there are so many people n / A (already) on earth.”
She said if she did get pregnant she would just go along with it, but it’s not something she’s pursuing. She also said that if she ever wanted to have a child, she would rather adopt it.
“I think there are a lot of kids that don’t have parents that need to be taken care of,” she said.
Maricar Reyes-Poon
Maricar Reyes-Poon, 41, recently spoke about her struggles to conceive and how she’s changed her attitude towards motherhood.
The actress – who has been married to Richard Poon for nine years – said in a vlog that they tried to have children two years into their marriage but didn’t get pregnant. She shared that they even got themselves checked, only to find there was nothing wrong with either of them.
“Feeling knockout (I think) we did our due diligence Naman on our side [as] humanly possible. Pero wala eh (But still nothing) so what are you going to do?” she said.
She said that she doesn’t feel any envy towards mothers and that in the end she’s content not to have children.
“It doesn’t make me feel less of a person or less of a woman. Kung Wala, Wala. Ginawa mo na ‘yung part mo eh (If there’s nothing, there’s nothing. You’ve already done your part), and I’m resting on that,” she said. – Rappler.com