Every year, Google Philippines trains the spotlight on women in the Philippines who are either making a difference or inspiring others to break barriers.
At the third edition of Google’s Women’s Month celebration, “Breaking Barriers Online and Beyond,” the tech giant gave voice to women on YouTube who are helping others realize their potential as content creators.
Hosted by stand-up comedian Issa Villaverde, this year’s event featured multimedia journalist Jacque Manabat, dermatologist Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas, celebrity dentist Dr. Shideh Nikbin, fitness coach Anne Aniag, tech creator and reviewer Isa Rodriguez, and entrepreneur Rizza Lana-Sebastian, all of whom have established their channels and made a name for themselves on YouTube.
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The term “male-dominated” is something that most women in workplaces or industries have to deal with. The constant verbal abuse online (both sexual and demeaning) can often bog down spirits.
Multimedia journalist Jacque Manabat highlights the online abuse she had to go through to be able to fight disinformation and just deliver the news. However, she felt that she needed to do it and with fear in the background, she perseveres.
Encouragement
Isa Rodriguez, tech creator and gadget reviewer, tested different waters before finally finding her place in the tech media industry, which many claim is “male-dominated.” Sometime in her discovery stage, a journalist in Malaysia touched base and praised her for the work that she did.
“I realized that by showing up every day, that in itself is a message: I’m here, I’m gonna do it, and I’m gonna do it the way I want,” she said.
Fitness coach Anne Aniag, wanted to encourage mothers that they don’t have to conform to the stereotypes. She started her fitness journey just wanting to be healthy and her YouTube channel gained followers.
“When you have already started, make sure to find a reason to sustain it,” Aniag said. “When you reach another goal, there will surely be another one.”
The featured women creators choose to empower individuals who find the world too intimidating or too big for them. The reason they chose to become content creators is to be able to represent others who prefer to stay in the background failing to recognize their potential.
In a nutshell, the message the women creators wanted to impart is that women shouldn’t be boxed into stereotypes and the world is, practically, their oyster. The barriers are there to be broken.