Anne Curtis on lesbians, sex tapes, and the ‘slut’ tag

MANILA, Philippines - If you’re a woman in the Philippines, you have to admit that Anne Curtis pops up in pretty much every aspect of your life. From your choice of moisturizing soap, to your deodorant, the food you eat to shed the pounds, your aspirations to have your own condo, and even when it comes to living a long life with your loved ones through the prevention of cervical cancer. And knowing what we do about the way advertising sells, it’s safe to say that when a woman is showered with countless endorsement offers, she has come to be someone whom many aspire to be like.

For this article, we caught up with Anne behind the scenes of her Plains and Prints photo shoot to ask her what she thought of the kind of women who, in our society, we’re gravely discouraged from becoming. And contrary to our fears that Anne would play it safe as many artistas do, being overly protective of their image (and therefore overly boring), she dished her convictions and confessions to Supreme without qualm, show, or hesitation.

SUPREME: Let’s start with Pugad Baboy. What’s your general take on the issue?

ANNE CURTIS: Well, I think the most important part is that he apologized after everything.

But connected to that, do you think that lesbianism is offensive?

No. Especially myself having a lot of friends who are gay or lesbian. You just have to learn how to respect what makes them happy. I’m all for that.

As an ate figure to girls who are of high school age, how would you inspire them to deal with their current issues like love, attraction, and to whom they may be attracted to?

I think the first thing that I would tell them is to take their time. Don’t rush growing up. I always tell my sister, Jasmine, this actually. The time will come when all you’ll have left is reminiscing about your younger years, so make the most out of it so that when you do reminisce about it, you know you had the time of your life. You didn’t miss out on anything.

Tangential to our discussion on women, Maricar Reyes recently got married. And while all the sentiments we’ve heard about it have been good, people still remember her for the sex tape. And when something like that comes out in our society, there is this huge tendency to see a woman as scarred for life. Even a guy friend of mine said, “Oh, she’s pretty, but she’ll always be a porn star to me.” Do you agree with women being viewed this way?

First of all, I’m happy for her that she finally found someone with whom she can definitely spend the rest of her life with. I think it’s an amazing thing. But (regarding her image) I think it’s wrong to think that way, especially when she obviously had no idea. These are things that you do in private, when no one is supposed to be even looking at you. And for someone to judge a woman like that, it goes to show how low they are.

You’ve played the slut in movies. Is it right to have women fall into either of the dual categories? Meaning you’re either a whore or the virgin who is taken home to mom?

Well, of course I won’t deny that I haven’t thought about someone and said that. I’m guilty. But then, you gotta learn to just say it’s none of my business. Unless it actually does concern you, then maybe you have a little bit more of a right to say something. But if it doesn’t, I don’t think you have the right to judge.

Sometimes people are doing these kinds of things for the wrong reasons. But there may be a different story if you actually know what’s going on.

So what do you think should be the basis for evaluating a woman?

Well, you have to get to know her first. As clichéd as it is, don’t judge a book by its cover, right? Every woman has her own story. Every woman has her own personal struggle. Every woman has her own journey. It’s not always a good one, and it’s not always a bad one.

Do you consider yourself lucky…

Blessed. (She smiles widely.)

Blessed, that in terms of being a woman in the Philippines, your image is now perceived to be, for lack of a better term, ideal? At least ideal enough to represent brands and sell aspirations?

It’s not! It’s really not. If you look at my record, I’ve had a video out. I’ve had a wardrobe malfunction. I’ve been tagged as a playgirl. I haven’t had a perfect image at all! (Laughs.) But I think that’s what works, because I have been very honest about who I really am. And maybe people who did have something to say without getting to know me, which I got to show throughout my years in the industry, they understand me now. Like, okay, she was just a normal teenager going through whatever stage of her life and she got through it. And now that I’m a woman, I’m not going to say that I’m not going to make mistakes, but I know that I’ve learned from my younger years.

What do you have to say about all the other women who, to euphemize, don’t fit the bill, just like you didn’t?

Just learn the art of deadma. I always tell people this. What people have to say about you doesn’t really matter as long as you’re not hurting the people that you love, the people who genuinely care about you. Go for what you dream about, what you want to pursue, and what you think is the best for you.

And how would you encourage society to perceive these women?

Have compassion. As I said, everyone has their own story to tell. And sometimes you’re not the first person to hear about it, but they do have their own struggle and journey. Have compassion to maybe control your tongue and control your mind. And give them some slack naman.

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