VP/Cover | LOVE, CHANTY: Discovering the Beauty of Self-love

Everyone who has ever loved Barbie at some point in their lives probably also dreamed of becoming her someday—a mermaid, fairy, princess, pop star—everything! Well, everything and anything Barbie wants, she becomes! And who would have thought that this fancy dream to become her someday would actually come to reality? Chanty is a rising K-Pop star today who once aspired to be like Barbie—soaring through the limitless horizons of her ambitions.

From building her acting career in the Philippine entertainment industry, Chanty leaped onto the international stage. She stood in the spotlight after her debut as a member of the rising K-Pop girl group, Lapillus in 2022. Recognized as one of the group’s stunning vocalists and their visual, Chanty undeniably holds stunning talent and personality from the inside out. She has truly become the pop star Barbie she dreamed of becoming as a child.

On the other hand, it is no longer strange to anybody’s senses that the rise to fame also comes with the challenge of enduring the hefty pressure to become the impossible epitome of perfection. Flawless personality, conventional beauty, and more of the never-ending demands of society from a public figure who came out into the open are things that have clouded the minds of many—that the people they put onto the pedestal are human beings. For the likes of Chanty, this may no longer be a new challenge to face. What made her not only resilient but a complete conqueror of this struggle is her journey to discovering the beauty of self-love.

Into the Pop Star’s Dream

Her discovery of self-love began at a young age—back in a time when she didn’t even know the essence of self-love yet. All she knew at that time was that she loved Barbie, she wanted to become like her in the future and live each day just as how every child should live—far from the cruel world and safe in a place where they could keep on dreaming even the impossible.

“I was the shy type but I was playful, because I have my younger sister with me. We used to play a lot. And I was also a really big dreamer. I had a lot of dreams and I dreamed big and I always dream the impossible.“
-Chanty

Dreaming was her form of self-love. Far from how things are more complicated now, genuinely loving yourself was much simpler back then as a child. It seemed like something that one would unconsciously do—innate and a normal part of everyday life. And so the younger Chanty kept on dreaming of becoming either an artist to share her undeniable talent on the world’s stage or a doctor to serve the people, and all of these she built while playing with her sister.

“I used to play pretend all the time with my sister. I think Barbie also was a big factor and shaped me into who I am now. Ngayon, dumating po ako sa point na nag-artista na ako and everything, and I think Barbie is also a big factor for that… And I think my younger self would be happy and she would be surprised kasi umabot po ako hanggang sa Korea.”
-Chanty

But as she continued to dream and reach for them, a glimpse of the harsh reality started showing itself in the form of insecurities. Chanty was certain that such encounters are inevitable but for her not to fall into its harsh trap, she gives credit to her family and the kind of home she grew up in. At a young age, she already felt being enough and unique through the love of her family, especially their mom who never failed to remind Chanty of her beauty that no one could ever change.

“Hindi naman po maiiwasan na may mga insecurities. Pero I think, it’s just that our environment po sa family namin is very positive and bright. Bata pa lang po ako, I wasn’t really that conscious sa mga beauty standards kasi my mom is very like ‘No! Oo, ‘yan ang uso ngayon pero ikaw, gan’to ka, gan’yan ka,’ so iba po ‘yong mindset na itinuro po sa akin ng mom ko.”
-Chanty

The dreams of the younger Chanty go beyond just goals set and achieved later on, but a beautiful story of inspiration, genuine influence, and love that comes from the people around her, and most importantly, the love for herself in the form of believing in the power of the pop star’s dream.

Becoming Barbie, Going Chanty, Redefining Beauty

Many children have probably looked up to Barbie in forging the idea of beauty in their young minds. Offering a variety of eye colors, hairstyles, and iconic fashion sense, Barbie has depicted many pictures of stunning looks. But aside from these visual features, the younger Chanty found something more in her that shaped who she is today—a performer and a constant dreamer.

“Because I was exposed to the stories of Barbie and other princesses—magaganda sila and lahat sila, they have their own story and everything—I got inspired, especially po kay Barbie because Barbie could do everything. She could do anything and she could be anything that she wanted.”
-Chanty

Looking at her journey, Chanty has definitely become the Barbie herself—pop star edition! She now performs on the global stage, doing tours, and most importantly, just like what Barbie did to the younger Chanty, she inspires a generation who relates to her stories and has fallen for her warm personality. A lot of people also recognize Chanty’s stunning visual—definitely not far from the looks of Barbie—even calling her the face of their group.

Although perceived as someone who depicts the description of the word beauty, Chanty sees this magical word from a different perspective—far from the conventional standards that have pushed back many dreamers and limited them around the circles of their comfort zones.

Now that Chanty has become someone like Barbie, she is more than ready to redefine beauty as herself and free people from the suffocating standards of society.

“Beauty is something that comes from within and radiates outside. Kahit anoman ‘yong itsura mo sa panlabas, beauty should always come from within.”
-Chanty

She believes that each person holds qualities that make them unique. Although most of the time, these distinct features become one’s source of insecurities, especially when they fall outside the constricted perception of the world towards beauty. But for Chanty, standards do not exist just as how she used to view things as a child.

“Bata pa lang po ako, I have always understood that beauty is different in every person’s perspective. At a young age, naintindihan ko po na there are kids who like and dislike certain colors in crayons, and doon pa lang as a kid, makikita na po that not everyone sees beauty the same way.”
-Chanty

In someone’s pursuit to become someone like Barbie, one tends to get lost and trapped in the harsh pit of conventional standards—forgetting one’s own value and the beauty there is in uniqueness. Chanty believes in the empowerment that loving oneself and advocating for one’s own happiness hold, liberating people from narrow lenses of the world towards beauty and success. She has truly become Barbie, but she has never forgotten becoming the most authentic version of Chanty, who now redefines beauty.

Love yourself! —Love, yourself

Every time Chanty steps on the world’s stage and lives her Pop Star Barbie dreams, she exudes vibrant energy and confidence that make her shine even brighter in the spotlight. It is her radiating the vibrant love that comes from her family, friends, and fans, but most especially a reflection of the empowering love she always had for herself since the day she dreamed of the days she now lives.

Self-love is nothing strange to many people’s vocabularies, especially these days when it gets more recognized, but the ways to express such remain unclear for some. Some may perceive it luxurious and expensive to afford, but love is fluid just as it is. It comes in many forms—from getting oneself the things that make them happy to simply doing the usual things a person would do to take care of oneself.

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For Chanty, expressing love for oneself is simply by making the smallest and biggest efforts to see herself improve in many aspects.

“I always believe na I should not just be stuck in the same level, like, in terms of everyday habits or routines and stuff. May mga times kasi na dumadating ako sa point na parang hindi ako motivated to do anything. And I always want to see myself improve and grow, so I feel like that’s something I do to show myself love.”
-Chanty

Part of improving herself is maintaining hygiene and doing her usual skincare routine, making her feel more relaxed, especially at night when it’s time to recharge herself from a long day. Doing such also adds even more confidence to Chanty the next day, ready to face the world again.

“I can’t sleep if I don’t wash my face and put on a little bit of skincare—mga moisturizer, ganiyan. And in my case, I’m always using the gel from the Ever Organics kasi sensitive ‘yong face ko, so I really can’t use strong products.”
-Chanty

Given that she takes care of her skin and does all the routines to keep her fresh and confident to face the world again, Chanty makes sure she uses products that also show gentle love to her skin—the Ever Organics, where she serves as the newest face of the brand, promoting healthier and glowing skin. Along with the launch of the brand’s newest line is its #WhatYourSkinDeserves campaign, in which Chanty also takes part, advocating for a gentler approach towards improving oneself.

Her connection with the brand has always been there, even before she became its newest ambassador. She even recalls using Ever Organics products with her mom. For someone like Chanty, who believes that self-love must be patient and tender, Ever Organics is a must-have, considering that it uses natural ingredients. Its products are free of paraben and alcohol, and most especially do not support animal cruelty.

From the grandest things to the simplest acts of love that she does for herself, Chanty believes that it keeps her on track, keeping her eyes on the goal without forgetting to advocate for her own happiness and share love with others as well. She stands firm that one can only spread love if one has enough from within.

Her young and genuine discovery of the beauty of self-love allowed her to form her pop star dreams, live her Barbie fantasies, and soar through the limitless horizons of her ambitions.

From Chanty to the World:

Lahat naman tayo, we always admire someone else, and we always see what we lack all the time, but I feel like if we focus on our good qualities, we will learn how to love ourselves and advocate for our happiness. It’s normal din naman to have insecurities and everything pero that’s what makes you “you.” Iba ‘yong story nila and your story is unique, so be proud of that.

Be reminded that the scripture in the bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are created uniquely. I hope na kahit ano man ang pinagdadaanan natin, we would fight it and keep going forward!
-Love, Chanty