too many ppl who know nothing about Filipino folklore n culture r talking shit about my ate. sheâs based off of the manananggal, which you can compare to the European vampire, if that helps you understand it better. although, iâm reluctant to mention that becuz some ppl, who choose to be ignorant, currently hold the view that sheâs just an Asian-colored vampire mishmash monster. she is not. other than the fact that she manages to exist at all, here are some details i appreciate about her.
first, she has a face that looks like my familyâs. thatâs my lolaâs nose. thatâs my momâs birthmark. shit, those are my uncleâs cheekbones. the headpiece features jasmine, our national flower. the translucent petals are cool.
second, you can display her in two pieces, split by the torso. its not just a âcheap gimmickâ you ignorant pos. at nightfall, the manananggal severs itself in two, leaving behind a vulnerable lower half while its upper half hunts for nourishment - blood, raw hearts, livers, fetuses. the red fringe represents her dangling intestines, hanging loose as she flies after ripping her body apart. the string detail is on the skirt for consistency, but also, intestines are long as fuck? why wouldnât they also hang from the bottom, assuming they also get split in half.
while weâre on the outfit, the top is an extremely traditional (Spanish colonial, ugh) style in both fabric and shape. i have attire that looks exactly like it, minus the monster high red foil pattern. the tiny, âwovenâ sleeve cuffs are a nice touch. the earrings and bracelets look to be woven palm too, but arenât as effective in plastic. the bottom half skirt is quite a bit shorter than is traditional, and the heels higher. itâs a monster high doll.
most accurate would be barefoot, tbh. but you guys would riot, and again, its a doll. actually, the shoes reference a lot from Filipino culture. the heel is a coconut tree overlooking a kubo, a one-room stilt hut built with natural materials such as bamboo and palm, and specifically made to be remade as necessary. the sole is âwoodenâ, also an accessible material of which some shoes were made with. it is attached by braid to what looks to be a straw strap. also not unusual for a shoe.
her fan and wings feature embroidery, and if you look closely at the latter, you will see a thin and delicate flora design in between the spider web pattern. this is extremely reminiscent of calado, a type of traditional hand embroidery akin to lace that is difficult as fuck. a dying art, btw.
i didnât wake up looking to ride this hard for a plastic woman lmao. but if youâre gonna come for her, it better be because of the fluorescent green in her colorway and not because you donât know what youâre talking about. honestly, a lot of Filipinos are just happy to be considered and celebrated. âwinsâ like this mean everything. maybe itâs not good enough for your collection, but now you know more about my culture than you wouldâve gone out of your way to. and thatâs good enough for me.
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