oose one of them; and those who are disappointed lose their tempers, and openly insult or try to injure either the girl or the rivals. Weapons have, too often, threatened many a life—sometimes actually done injury.
Another hurt that the Filipina is likely to suffer is unjust talk. From the minute she becomes known in the community, her every step is measured and judged—her faults are exaggerated, her good points mocked. No matter how sweet she may be, no matter what good aims and thoughts she entertains in her mind, there is always something wrong, or so it seems to those who always find something to criticize. Constructive criticism is a beneficial thing, but it should never be used to the extent that it hurts.
Some girls fought as they [illegible] have been too weak to overcome these things and have lived to be abused and mistreated. It is these girls, who, believing the whole world is wrong, have also followed the wrong path, and have made their lives miserable.
This is a very disagreeable subject that I am touching upon—one which I fear and disdain as much as you, dear reader, but one which is an absolute truth and a problem which needs to be solved, for the sake of the Filipino girl’s well-being.
I am a Filipina, and every bit of me is proud of the fact. I am eager to do what I can, that those with whom I come in contact may be always happy to be my friends. I am not a star in society; however, I like it and I am sociable. Although I don’t indulge myself too heavily in it, and although I have known it only for a limited time, I have observed enough, I feel, to enable me to write this article. I, too, was taken away from baby dresses to evening gowns—playgrounds to dances—playmates to admirers. But I am a Filipina, and I want to make my Filipino brothers know me and understand me for what I am. I am anxious to do what I can so that a mutual understanding and no hard feelings may exist between them and myself. And I believe that is every Filipino girl’s thought. She means well; but if her good meanings are not considered, she, too, becomes rebellious.
This is an appeal to you, Filipino brothers. Your Filipino sisters want you to treat them as your real sisters—be protective instead of injurious—be considerate instead of fault-finding. They want to be your comrades. They want to be able to speak of you with their heads held high. Would you give them reason to? They want to be respected and appreciated and defended in society, and that depends upon you. They’ll sacrifice much, and suffer much for your cause; and all they ask is your going hand-in-hand with them; understanding, sympathizing, protecting. 2
"Ambition in the Filipina"
by Helen Rillera
Helen Rillera's daughter, Lala Lacuna, reported to me that her mother experienced many difficulties in her youth in the U.S., especially as a single working mother in the U.S. The previous essay hints at some of her hardships. However, this essay published in 1935 suggests that Rillera–then attending Commerce High School in San Francisco–still felt optimistic and adventurous about the opportunities available for Filipinas. The essay also gives some sense of her growing sense of a distinction between the lives of Filipinas in the Philippines, and of those growing up in the U.S. Given the few numbers of Filipino women in California at the time, it was easy for a Filipina to feel isolated. Still very young herself, Rillera's article seeks to inspire confidence in the "girls" and to remind them that their ambitions are worthwhile.
Yes, girls, it is a thrill, a fascinating and an interesting one, I mean, being here in this beautiful country, amidst adventure and animation. It is not at all an [exaggeration] to say we are lucky.
While we are here, we are having an opportunity to live, which our own sisters back home never had and may never have. what lovely times they boast of there, but I'm sure there are not many that could really excel our own experiences here. It seems that everything is to our advantage, except the fact that they are at home, where it is home, where their appre