A Not So Unique Face

Growing up, I was really dark and very skinny. Today, I’m still dark but not so skinny anymore. Nyahahaha! At the height of Okay Ka Fairy Ko's popularity, my relatives used to call me Tweetie, claiming that I look like Tweetie de Leon. Some of my cousins treated it as an insult because her beauty is different from her mestiza counterparts. But back then, I tried so hard to hide my smile whenever they tease me. I would act as if I'm pissed off but deep inside, there's a certain level of kilig inside me. Even at a young age, my definition of beauty is far from what the norm dictates. If you were to ask me to give the name of a local celebrity from the 90's with the prettiest face, I'd say Tweetie de Leon without thinking twice. Her Heno de Pravia commercial is a classic! And looking at her ads now, it seems like she hasn't aged at all. Ngayon nyo ako tuksuhin na kamukha ko siya! Mag cartwheel ako sa tuwa! :p

When I was in high school, my classmates would always tell me that I am a Miriam Quiambao duplicate. I don't know if it was because of the similarities with our complexion or the fact that I used to slip and stumble all the time at school. It faded off quickly and I was once again JERELLT - no celebrity look-alike. It stayed that way for long and I was happy to have a unique face after so many years of being someone else's clone.

A couple of years ago, it started again. I first heard it from a cousin's friend during her wedding. My seatmate from my previous job told me the same which was somehow a reaffirmation. And on my first day on my new job, my teammate who later on also became my seatmate said the same thing. My other teammate even had to go through all the troubles of creating my "unofficial" name tag.


Unlike people who CLAIM that they look like a certain celebrity, I'm having a hard time seeing the similarities that others point out to me. My husband asserting in front of the mirror that his looks are a mixture of Derek Ramsay and Coco Martin is such a painful sight to see every single day. He's the opposite of his very humble wife, who despite the number of people telling her that she looks like Kris Bernal still denies it. Hindi ko naman talaga siya kamukha di ba?! I mean, she is pretty. But I just can't see the resemblance at all. Don't you dare say HEIGHT! If you do, I'll give you a virtual kick. Hiyyyaaaaaahhhh!!! :p

Then a couple of weeks ago, I was so surprised to see a mention on my Twitter account from my college classmate.


In which I replied,


Ok, given that I have a model, a beauty queen and teen stars as look-alikes, does that mean that I can pass as a celebrity? I can't sing, dance or act so I definitely don't have the makings of a teen star. My height will disqualify me from being a beauty queen. So when I get tired of my day job, I can probably fulfill my dream of writing a book. And then, I can do some modeling on the side. Hahahaha! Asa, Je! Asa! :p