On September 21, 2025, the nation remembered the declaration of Martial Law 53 years ago, with a fresh roar against corruption.
Amid calls for accountability, a young cultural worker identified as Nathalie Julia Geralde, became the subject of online ridicule after performing onstage with Sining Lila, a progressive cultural mass organization.
The “Baha sa Luneta” and “Trillion Peso March” became hotbeds of chants, placards, and cultural performances, all protesting the trillion-peso flood control scandal.
Videos of their performance of the jingle “Gising Na” circulated on social media, but instead of focusing on the song’s call to action, netizens fixated on her underarms—mocking the visible hair and discoloration as she raised her fists in solidarity.
Read: Celebrities spotted at September 21 protests in Luneta, EDSA
Rallyist vs. body-shamers
Instead of shrinking from the mockery, Geralde spoke out with words that hit the nail on the head.
“Sa lipunang kinakahon ang kababaihan sa unrealistic beauty standards, wag na wag mong ibaba ang iyong kamao!
“Hindi nakakahiya ang katawan na nakikibaka para sa patas at anti-korap na kinabukasan,” she declared.
To her, hair and underarm discoloration were crumbs compared to the banquet of issues devouring the nation.
The trolls who egged on the ridicule only proved her point that women are boxed in by impossible standards, even when fighting for something larger than themselves.
She continued: “Ang buhok at diskolarasyon sa kili-kili ay katiting lamang kung ikukumpara sa suliranin na kinakaharap natin.
“Pagtungtong namin ng Sining Lila sa entablado, malinaw ang mensaheng gusto naming ipanawagan: ipanagot ang mga korap at tuldukin ang opresyon at pananamatala dala ng kasulukuyang administrasyon.
“Itinanghalal namin ang jingle na 'Gising Na' sa layunin na pukawin ang lahat na makiisa laban sa bulok at baluktot na sistema na nagpapahirap sa sambayanang Pilipino.
“Dumalo ba sa aking isipan na mapupuna ang aking kili-kili? Hindi!
“Ito lamang ay bunga ng misogynistic at patriarchal na lipunan na linilihis ang ating pokus sa tunay na isyu.”
Read: Placards, punchlines steal the scene at Trillion Peso March
On weaponizing beauty standards
For many women, beauty is a battlefield long before they step into the streets.
Geralde’s clapback exposed how underarm hair, dark patches, and unfiltered skin can be twisted into distractions that derail urgent conversations.
“Ang katawan ng babae ay tanging pagmamay-ari niya. Hindi ito dapat ginagamit para pagkakakitaan ng mga whitening products,” she wrote.
“Hindi ito dapat iniinsulto o tinatawanan, dahilan kung bakit nare-repackage ang insecurities at "flaws" ng babae bilang negosyo.
“Salungat man sa ating paniniwala, pero hindi likas sa atin ang mangbody-shame ng kapwa tao.”
It was a reminder that the multibillion-peso beauty industry thrives on insecurities.
She explained that the fixation on her underarms was a trickling effect of a colonial hangover that still insists fairer, whiter, smoother is better.
“Ang pag-iisip na ito ay bunga lang din ng mahabang kasaysayan ng kolonyalismo mula sa mga naghaharing uri at imperyalistang bansa.
“Ang paglilinlang sa kabataan, manggawawa o taumbayan na itulak ang sarili sa kanilang beauty standards ay nagsilbing armas para lalong pagsamantalahan ang kababaihan.
“Hayaan niyo kaming magpasya sa anyo ng kagandahan na tunay na magpapalaya sa amin.”
Read: Philippine Flood Control Corruption: A Timeline
Beauty in Defiance
Geralde bided her time, refusing to conform to misogynistic expectations that women should sit pretty, smile politely, and never sweat.
She raised her arm, unshaven and unbleached, and dared the crowd to look past skin and into substance.
“Ang kagandahan ng babae ay hindi nagtatapos sa pisikal na anyo at lalong hindi nasusukat sa iisang panukat lamang.
“Kayang-kaya ng babae na lumikha, mag-isip, mag-question, magalit, at higit sa lahat, ipanagot ang nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan!
“Maraming salamat sa lahat ng nagtanggol at nag-iwan ng papuri nitong nakalipas na mga araw.”
Her statement, which has since gone viral, turned idle online prattle into a call for focus.
Instead of entertaining bashers, she used her spotlight to redirect attention back to the trillion-peso scandal.
“Napakahalaga ang mga katulad ninyo na tumitindig laban sa mali. Tama kayo,” she wrote.
“Hindi dapat ang bagay na napakanormal katulad ng buhok at diskolarasyon ang pinapakealaman natin.
“Ang dapat nating kalampagin ay ang mga buwayang opisyal na imbes magserbisyo, nagpapakalunod sa luxurious items na galing naman sa pera ng taxpayers! Tama ba yarn??!!
"Ngayon, ginagambala na naman tayo ng bagyong Opong.
“Kung gaano binaha ang Luneta ng suporta, ay ganoon din kadami ang maniningil sa gobyerno ng agarang pagkilos at tototong flood-control projects na hindi ang mga kurakot ang nakikinabang.
“Sama-sama tayong tumungo sa kalsada at iprotesta ang hustisya para sa Pilipinas.”