When I was 18...

I wish that Bench had its sexy underwear line when I was 18.

Then I would’ve looked better, I think. During my time, underwear was more of a necessity rather than a fashion accessory. Your underwear was used to cover your delicate parts. They had to be reliable so that the seams didn’t fall apart or, worse, developed holes after only one washing. You hid your underwear beneath your clothes. During that time, if you displayed your underwear in public, you had to either be a model for a professional photographer, or a night prowler along Makati Avenue or Quezon Avenue.

The underwear line of Bench has become so popular that its fashion show every other year, now going on its fifth year, has become a must-see event. I have not missed any myself. But then, if I were an 18-year-old, I would’ve looked more like a keen fashion observer than a dirty old woman. Dirty old woman? Yes, I was 18 way back in 1979. I will save you the trouble of calculating – I am 44 now. At that time, my outfit was composed of old reliables like Staynit and Le Tigre, and I would date guys who wore Montagut at night and Mr. Peanut in the afternoon. Those were the big brands when Bench was not even in its cocoon stage.

Now Bench is a giant butterfly that has spread its colorful wings to five fashion categories in over 400 stores in six countries. At 18, I was a sophomore at the University of the Philippines (UP), Diliman, and joined the varsity swimming team. It was then that I realized what a lousy swimmer I was. When I was in high school, I was one of the fastest. In UP, not only was I one of the slowest, I was also the BENCHwarmer, with hardly any chance of getting my feet wet unless the rest of the team developed cramps or chicken pox.

Needless to say, I left after one year to lighten the burden of my swimming coach. I moved on to become a sports writer for The Philippine Collegian, UP’s school paper, and almost got arrested, but I was already 19 then and straying from the topic. I was 18 when the movie Superman starring Christopher Reeve (and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane) had its premiere at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). Just as the movie Superman and its theme song Can You Read My Mind? became hits, I’m sure the SuperBench concept will also be a hit.

Congratulations to Bench! May I be around to write something again on Bench’s 28th anniversary, or else I will, like a true Cebuano, "PENCH" you!

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This essay appears in the new Bench book 18 Years of Bench published by Ben Chan. For more, turn to page E-2.