#ruby veridiano

[not-a-fever-dream]

So if you’re falling Don’t trip Love, I swear, I got you.

For The Fallen, Ruby Veridiano

[not-a-fever-dream]

And really a lot of this is from me, who can't seem to learn how to be happy. But be willing to offer my deficiency to fit those who only feel half full.

For The Fallen, Ruby Veridiano

[not-a-fever-dream]

Cause too many of us know how to hurt without knowing how to heal right.

For The Fallen, Ruby Veridiano

[healthriveprosper]

that last post.yes

and thank you Priscilla for the inspiration as well

"I'M GONNA DO ME"

hahaha.

and Ruby Veridiano at the Word tonight: WOW.

CAC FAM you make life so worth it

[mymouthpiece-blog]

One word to describe Ruby Veridiano and her movement, Glamourbaby Diaries, 'EMPOWERING'! 

[lovesweatandhope-blog]

It gives me such pleasure to dedicate this post to one of my dearest friends, Ruby Veridiano.  Ruby and I met briefly on the other side of the world but thankfully a few months later our paths crossed again and we bonded over our conversations of change, love, and fashion. Ruby is my constant source of energy and inspiration and I know that one day her message will reach every corner of the earth and her legacy will thrive. I feel lucky to be a part of her journey and a witness of her determination and strength for social change. So without further ado, I would like to introduce the premier of Ruby Veridiano's Glamourbaby Diaries film! Go get em' girl!

[racialicious]

So goes the story of my life as a first generation Filipina-American: absent of letters, recognition of my history, and a face that looked like my own. Growing up, my story was never told in movie plots or television scripts. My reflection was hardly mirrored in the magazines I devoured as a teenager, and my room was filled with magazine cutouts of celebrities that shared no resemblance to my own face or upbringing. Alas, all my life, I did not have the novelty of having a celebrity look alike.

While the search for a celebrity look alike may seem silly, the absence of one pointed to a much larger issue: when it came down to it, my version of beauty was not validated by a culture that relies on media to dictate what exists and what doesn’t. I didn’t see myself. I was invisible. And during those tender and formative years of my adolescence, I mistook invisible for being ugly. And the scary thing is, I wasn’t alone.

In the United States, Asian-American women ages 15-24 have the highest female suicide rates among all other ethnic groups in that age range, making suicide the leading cause of death for Asian-American women in that age group (CNN). Depression runs high among young Asian-American women, and self-esteem issues are partly the culprit. As fashion icon and Richard Avedon muse, China Machado once said in an interview with New York Magazine, “We [nonwhites] had no images. We had nothing that told us we were nice-looking. Nothing. So I didn’t think of myself as good-looking at all. It never occurred to me.” This was coming from the woman Avedon himself called “probably the most beautiful woman in the world.”

You see, Asian-American women like me come from countries where whitening creams are constant best sellers in the cosmetic industry. In Asia, skin bleaching, and in some cases, eyelid surgery (the procedure of getting eyelids sewn in to make the eyes seem wider) have become common beauty regimens. Speaking from experience, I came from a post-colonial Asian country of the Philippines, where brown women are pitted against impossible standards of beauty (remnants of a deeply embedded inheritance from the Spaniards and the Americans who colonized us). Add this history to our invisibility in American media plus the pressures to become “model minorities”, plus growing up with immigrant parents who don’t always understand our assimilation to American values, and the pressures come to a dangerous boiling point.

This is why, two years ago, upon reading Michelle Obama’s letter, I made a decision to write my own letter: A Love Letter to the Filipina. Published on my blog, it was a gift for my sisters to let them know that I believed in them, that I loved them, that I wanted them to know something I didn’t always know: that they are beautiful. Then, like Avedon, I made China Machado my muse.

--Ruby Veridiano, "The Glamourbaby Diaries Film: Self-Esteem For Asian American Women," BlogHer 9/19/12 

[arianaproehl]

Ruby Veridiano: Redefining Glamour with the Glamourbaby Diaries documentary

Created by writer, speaker, and media personality Ruby Veridiano, and shot by Alexis Casson of The Architects, the Glamourbaby Diaries features the voices of young women encouraged to redefine glamour through strength, passion and purpose. With a focus on women’s empowerment and Asian American women’s history, watch as young women across ethnic backgrounds discuss beauty, culture, and their conviction to create an impact. 

Help re-launch The Glamourbaby Diaries program by donating to the Indiegogo campaign and get some glam perks in return! 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE