Ria Atayde encourages people to love their bodies  

Looking hot and unbothered by possible body-shamers, Ria Atayde is redefining what people normally expect in a calendar girl.

“Talaga ba?” was the 30-year-old actress’ first reaction when she was offered to become White Castle Whiskey’s calendar girl on its milestone 60th anniversary.

“Of course, it’s kilig. It’s overwhelming, you know. It’s something I really wanted to do also because the advocacy that it pushes for is also something that I advocate for, like body positivity,” the curvaceous beauty told The Philippine STAR in an interview.

“Beauty comes in different molds. It’s not just one mold anymore. Anymore — it’s probably the wrong word. It was never like that. It’s just that it’s only now that people are a lot more open and I think that’s why this campaign resonates with me because it’s powerful, in a sense.”

In an official statement, Destileria Limtuaco president and CEO Olivia Limpe-Aw explained the liquor brand company’s bold but positive decision to move away from the stereotypical calendar girl image.

“We had released past calendars that launched the careers of actresses and models. With that kind of clout, we decided that we could use this platform to launch different causes and advocacies,” Limpe-Aw said. “Sexy calendars have become a contentious concept. The featured beauty standards have been deemed unrealistic and not representative of the everyday female.”

For Ria, she never expected to become a “calendar girl” in her whole life, so it was “a pleasant surprise” to be chosen. “It was fun also to do. It’s not something I’m completely comfortable with to begin with, but here we are.”

But she’s no stranger to wearing swimsuits and showing some skin because “I’m always at the beach. Being in a swimsuit in front of people was nothing new. And I post it on my socials naman.”

She continued, “(What was going through my mind during the shoot), naturally, really grateful to have the people I trust around me and the people that I’m comfortable with. Apart from that, as it turns out, the owner of White Castle was a classmate in college (at De La Salle University). So that helped din, aside from deciding, I think it was the comfort and the certainty that I felt. It’s familiar, it’s somebody that I know.”

As for possible body-shaming online, “I’m prepared for that naman,” Ria said. “Natatawa na nga lang ako.”

“I think it also has to do with the pandemic. The people that matter, it’s only their opinions that matter,” she shared.

Nevertheless, Ria hoped that she’d be able to help inspire people about loving and accepting their bodies.

“I hope people embrace the concept and make them a lot more self-confident because that’s the whole point of it — to advocate people loving themselves regardless of how they look,” she said.

Meanwhile, when we did this interview, we had yet to see her photos. But as you can see on this page, her pictures are sexy but done tastefully, and true to her words, she’s “embracing her curves.”

When asked if she did anything special as preparation, she said, “I’m just keeping at it, in terms of working out and all of that. But nothing in particular. To capture the full essence of body positivity, that doesn’t really mean you change a lot of things, right? It’s embracing what’s already there.”

Although she wants to be leaner, especially after the long holiday break, doing so is more for health reasons unlike before. “I mean, I could be more lean, especially after the holidays. But I’m not as mean to my body anymore. I don’t work out because I hate my body but because I want to be healthier. And I think that makes all the difference.”

We also asked Ria about the reaction of her boyfriend, Zanjoe Marudo, who had earlier confirmed they’re a couple in a TV interview, to her being the new White Castle calendar girl.

“He’s very supportive about it, in fairness to him. (Did I ask permission?) Pinaalam, if anything… But I feel like at this point in my life, I don’t need to ask for anyone’s permission. I’m very self-sufficient. Again, he’s been very supportive. And I feel like he’s enjoyed seeing my whole progress throughout this whole thing.”

When asked for her own reaction to fans happy to see them together, Ria shared, “I try to avoid talking about Zanjoe but thank you. Sana naman. People should let people be happy. Why negate the happiness of people, di ba? So, thanks for the support.”

Ria also doesn’t mind or feel their 10-year age gap. Zanjoe is turning 41 in August, while Ria will be 31 in March.

“I laughed a lot (whenever I’m with him.) We get along and I think that is what’s important. I think it helps that we’re also fans of each other. There’s a lot of support,” she said.

Especially from her family, she admitted, with her mom Sylvia Sanchez even textmates with the actor.

“Family is super important to me and the opinions of those who matter are what’s important to me,” she said.