The ugly duckling is now a swan

Looking at her now, no one would ever believe that once upon a time, Agot Isidro was an ugly duckling! Lovely, poised and accomplished, she exudes confidence, oozes charm and radiates ease.

"If you look at my sisters and brothers, they are all fairer than I am," she states matter-of-factly. "So I was teased a lot." Siblings can be quite cruel, so the young Agot was called negra and ulikba. To make things worse, she was skinny and had knobby knees "just like a small version of Olive Oyl."

"I was so traumatized by all that. Buti na lang they stopped. Naawa yata. I think they saw how much I was affected by their teasing." But the derogatory remarks would stay with her for a long time.

To make things worse, she and her sisters were singers. "Few people know that my sisters and I were back-up singers for Sharon Cuneta," she recounts. But sisters Olive and Tina were better known. "Chances are, they sing better than I do."

Agot was not to be an ugly duckling forever, though. As Hans Christian Andersen’s Ugly Duckling went out into the world to discover his own true self, Agot left to study in New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. There, her dusky complexion proved to be an asset rather than a liability. People were fascinated by her color and remarkable ethnic features. She blossomed in New York, nurtured by the affirmation and admiration plus the self-assurance and self-reliance acquired in school and from living alone in the Big Apple. The awkwardness disappeared and was replaced by a beauty borne of self-confidence. Agot has transformed. The Ugly Duckling has become a swan.

The Philippines was quick to acknowledge the transformation. Soon after her return, Agot landed a hosting job on Sa LinggoNAPO Sila. Other TV shows like Oki Doki Doc and Okatokat followed. Then Prince Charming – Manu Sandejas – came along to take this ugly duckling-turned-swan to live happily ever after with him.

Agot’s fairy tale is far from over. Determined to be the best swan possible, she is working towards a Master’s Degree in Communication at the Ateneo de Manila University, has a dressmaking business, writes the column My Home and is taking her first theatrical plunge in Trumpets’ production of Honk! The Ugly Duckling.

It’s only fitting that her first foray into this new performance medium is a musical about the ugly duckling because Agot can certainly relate!

Catch Honk! The Ugly Duckling at the Meralco Theater from Aug. 1 to Sept. 7

Skin care from ENVIE

In the business of looking beautiful, movie stars and TV personalities, including news readers and sportscasters, are on a constant search for the ultimate beauty product that would make them look great – on cam and everyday. Ironically, this product might not be found in cosmetic counters, no matter how high-end the brand is.

Make-up, even special formulations for the harsh kleiglights, can only cover flaws, blemishes and wrinkles. But it cannot hide the age that shows on the hands, the elbows, the neck, even the knees. Envie, a revolutionary nutritional formula, representing the latest technology in skin care, is the perfect answer for such beauty needs. Unlike creams and other topical solutions, Envie works on skin from within, keeping it healthy and younger-looking. It’s a pill that goes beyond skin deep and provides the body with collagen support nutrients that constantly repair damage to collagen brought about by the natural aging process, exposure to sunlight and other environmental factors, even bad eating and sleeping habits.

The last two are common practices in the entertainment industry, what with endless taping schedules and hectic lifestyles.

A friend of mine swears by Envie. She says that the results are not instantaneous, like a peeling session, for example, but within a few weeks, you would feel the difference in your skin. She says that she thinks of Envie as a vitamin she takes along with her milti-vitamin pill and antioxidant. I looked closer at her and saw the glow in her face. If this is what Envie can do, I am sure more women would appreciate the product, available in all Mercury Drugstores and other leading healthy and beauty outlets nationwide. But here’s more good news. Envie is now sold at 20 percent off its regular retail price so that more people can try it. It’s also available in a trial pack good for one week.

Come to think of it, since Envie is not your usual beauty product, men can enjoy its benefits, too, without the usual gender bias they experience when shopping for a skin care regimen.